Skip Navigation  Area Search  By far the most utilized searching
method used by the canine detail is the area search. This
searching technique is mostly used when searching for the
suspect of a crime because it allows the dog to work off lead
and roam freely.  When a dog is area searching, they are looking
for human odor in the air. If a person is hiding somewhere,
their distinctive odor comes off of them and goes into the air.
Over time, the odor travels through the air and disperses like a
fan, the odor becoming fainter as it travels away from its point
of origin or the suspect. When the dog area searches they look
for this fan or scent cone. Once the canine has located the
scent cone it begins to work it back and forth towards the area
of the odors highest concentration. Once the dog has located the
source of the odor, he alerts his handler by barking. The canine
alerts solely on odor and alerts without using his eyes. This is
why a canine can locate people that Deputies or even a
helicopter could never lo