K-9s: Introduction to Scent Theory “Pheromone” Communications, by Charles E. (Chuck) Melvin, North American Search Dog Network (NASDN) Gazette

Scent theory and “pheromonal” communications are attempts to explain to dog handlers in simple scientific terms what stimuli their dogs may be responding to in the search arena.

Neither category of stimuli is well understood and hence is often controversial.

Controversy notwithstanding, the basic understanding of what scent might be and how the dog might process it would seem to be baseline required knowledge for all search and rescue canine handlers interested in finding the lost subject most efficiently. 

Because both topics are occasionally called into play within a court of law, both need to be understood and articulated professionally.

Basic scent theories currently proposed are the raft theory and the chemical theory. Both theories have newer supporting research.

As is often the case, the truth is likely composed of elements of both...Read article here.