Trailing Certification Requirements

Trailing certification consists of four phases.

• The trailing team must pass three out of four phases and must pass the fourth phase (indication and find) to receive certification.
• Certification may be terminated at any time if the certifying officials determine that the team is off the trail or if the handler is controlling the direction of the dog.
• The trail may be marked to assist certifying officials, but if it appears that the handler is controlling the direction due to the markers, the test can be terminated.
• Service dog teams must pass Trailing I before testing for Trailing II.

Definitions

• Individual Scent – Human body cells shed by the body.
• Trailing – The police service dog following an individual human scent trail.
• Scent Article – Scent of an individual left on an object.
• Scent Discrimination – The service dog’s ability to differentiate between individuals’ scents or scent articles.
• Scent Pool – Accumulation of an individual’s scent left in an area.

Testing

Trailing I

• The team shall initiate the trail in a contaminated area (with three additional individuals) with a scent article left by the trail layer.
• The trail shall have three turns.
• The trail will include three different surfaces, such as vegetation, sand, dirt, asphalt, and concrete.
• A minimum five (5) minute scent pool left by the trail layer will be incorporated.
• The trail must be at least 45 minutes old.
• The trail must be ½ to ¾ mile in length.
• The team must find the trail layer to pass.

Testing Procedure:

The starting location will be contaminated by at least three human scents. A scent article will be left by the trail layer. The handler will introduce the service dog to the scent article and will have five (5) minutes to initiate the correct trail. The team must complete the three turns, work through the scent pool, and find the track layer. The service dog may be rewarded after successfully completing the trail and finding the trail layer.

• Pass/Fail Test
• The trailing team must pass three of the four phases and successfully make the find to pass.
• Certification is valid for one (1) year from the date issued.

Trailing II

• The team shall initiate the trail in a contaminated area (with ten additional individuals) with a scent article left by the trail layer.
• The trail shall have three turns.
• The trail will have multiple surfaces and varying conditions (e.g., traffic, intersections, residential, industrial, parks, and urban contamination).
• A minimum ten (10) minute scent pool will be left by the trail layer.
• The trail must be at least 1½ hours old.
• The trail must be one (1) mile long.
• The team must find the trail layer to pass. The trail layer may be off the ground, in a vehicle, behind a door, concealed, or among multiple individuals at the end of the trail.

Testing Procedure:

The starting location will be contaminated by at least ten (10) human scents. A scent article will be left by the trail layer. The handler will introduce the service dog to the scent article and will have seven (7) minutes to initiate the trail. The team must complete the three turns, work through the scent pool, and find the trail layer. The service dog may be rewarded after successfully completing the trail and finding the trail layer.

• Pass/Fail Test
• The trailing team must pass three of the four phases and successfully make the find to pass.
• Certification is valid for one (1) year from the date issued.