NW370 Hide Placement for Powerful Training

Week 1: Scent Theory

• Interior Air Flow
• Exterior Air Flow
• Vehicle Aerodynamics
• Using a Smoke Pencil (or another device) to understand air flow
• Diffusion: Accessible and Inaccessible Hides

Week 2: Purposeful Hide Setting

• Odor Handling (NEW)
• Materials the Affect Hides and Stability (NEW)
• Setting for Distinct Scent Cones (NEW)
• Confidence building
• What Constitutes a YES?
• Motivation building

Week 3: Common Hide Challenges

• Promoting Detailing
• Pooling Odor
• Chimney or Mushroom Effect

Week 4: Common Hide Challenges Cont

• Effects of Elevation
• Converging Odor Basics
• Playing with Elevation (NEW)

Week 5: Common Hide Challenges Cont

• Playing with Strength of Odor (NEW)
• Playing with Wind Direction (NEW)
• Playing with Geometry (NEW)

Week 6: Search Area Analysis

• Analyzing Competition Search Areas
• Successfully Utilizing Virtual Walkthroughs
• Using Walkthrough Videos to stimulate training setups

Let's continue our exploration in Scent Theory by moving outdoors!

Exterior Air Flow is impacted by:

• Wind direction and speed
• Temperature and humidity
• Environmental structure

Wind Direction is probably the most obvious aspect of exterior air flow. It's something that we can check before our search and mid-search. One way we can do this is by using flagging tape. And it comes in every color of the rainbow!

Flagging Tape is lightweight plastic, non-adhesive tape that is used by surveyors. It's also great to hang off of your belt loop while you search in order to check wind direction.

Here's a video from a recent trial where we had substantial wind. Note that I check the wind at the start line. Although we haven't yet talked about wind and structure, I knew based on the search area and the wind direction that there would be substantial swirling... (high wind on the protected side of the building)

The flagging tape will tell you if you are downwind or upwind of the search area. Downwind means that the wind is blowing towards you. Upwind means that the wind is at your back.

NOTE: Wind Direction (and speed!) can change by the second. Wind isn't stable. As you watch your dog work, you should glance down occationally and check direction/speed (Wind Speed is demonstrated by how much the flagging tape is fluttering).

I like to use the free app called Wind Tunnel to do wind simulations...

Here's a video that I made of a simulation to give you an idea as to what wind speed does to turbulence and pressure. Keep in mind that turbulence carries scent! So where you see turbulence and swirling, that's how scent is behaving!

Structure!

Structure plays a HUGE part in air flow in exteriors. Structure is probably the biggest factor in what odor will do. Structure causes turbulence, kind of like a rock in a stream.

What do you see?

Watching water is one of the most insightful things you can do with regards to understanding scent theory. What does one particle in the water do? How does it travel? Now picture that particle as a scent particle. Even though we like to think of wind as traveling in a straight line, it doesn't! It travels quite like water particles in a stream.

Temperature also plays a factor in what scent will do. We covered this a little in Interiors but the same holds true. Hot air rises, cool air sinks. When you place a hide in a sunny spot, the scent will rise rather than fall.

In the picture above, how will scent behave if you place a hide on the right side of the street? How about the left side?

Humidity is rather interesting... scent stays more localized in high humidity... think fat snowflakes versus tumbleweeds. Fat snowflakes drift and fall rather heavily, fat with moisture. Tumbleweeds are dry and blow easily.

Versus...

HOMEWORK:

Part A:

I took a short video of a Wind Tunnel simulation... I want YOU to tell me what is going on when wind speed changes.

Part B:

For each of these search areas, what do you think air flow is going to look like? Wind direction is noted by the arrows.

Area 1: Courthouse, light wind

Area 2: Pavillion, after a light rain, light wind

Part C:

Video a search AREA (not an actual search) and narrate a description of the scenting conditions!