Forensic Science Communications July 2004 – Volume 6 – Number 3 Research and Technology Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Unique Odor in Identical Twins
The issue of genetic makeup and human odor was studied using scent-discriminating canines and scent collected from three sets of twins. The test subjects included fraternal twin baby boys on the same diet, identical twin baby boys on the same diet, and identical adult twins on different diets. Dogs were able to correctly identify the fraternal baby twins on identical diets and the identical adults twins on different diets, 89 and 83.5 percent respectively. The dogs were able to correctly identify the identical twins on the same diet only 49 percent, which is no better than chance (Hepper 1994).
It was found in scent lineup tests when the scent of identical twins is offered to dogs in succession, the dogs could not differentiate between the twins. In tracking experiments in which two scents are offered simultaneously and mixed up, the dogs were able to distinguish between the two identical twins (Kalmus 1955). These studies show that dogs can differentiate between identical twins, especially when the twins are living apart. However, discrimination is more difficult when the differences were genetic (Schoon and Haak 2002A)...
Forensic Science Communications July 2004 – Volume 6 – Number 3 Research and Technology
Specialized Use of Human Scent in Criminal Investigations
Blended Odors A scent item with multiple human odors is a contaminated-scent article. The term contaminated-scent article, however, is a misleading description. Due to the resiliency of human scent, there are few evidence items that carry only one human scent. The items used for scent articles are manufactured, transported, stocked, and sold by people who, by touching them, contribute additional scents. Scent canines have the ability to work accurately with an article containing blended human odors.
European studies have demonstrated the ability of properly trained scent-discrimination dogs to accurately match a target's scent to a contaminated-scent article. These studies established the basis for use of scent identification lineups as reliable evidence in criminal proceedings. In one study using scent-identification lineup dogs, it was determined that dogs, "like other animals, are capable of discerning the odor of different individuals on an object, and can use these odors in scent identification lineups" (Kalmus 1955; Schoon and Haak 2002B)...
Dogs can identify a person's odor that is blended with other human odors. Using a variation of tracking known as trailing, bloodhound handlers use dogs to differentiate a trail of specific human odor from all other odor trails in a search area. The trailing dog is trained to identify and follow the human scent presented to it by the handler. This scent is presented as a scent article containing the unique scent of a suspect or missing person. If a trail of scent matching the scent on the scent article is at that start location, the dog commences to trail and follows that trail to the exclusion of all others. If there is no matching scent trail at the start location, the dog refuses to trail. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/july2004/research/2004_03_research03.htm MeBO Research
Teach him to come and, "Alert" when he finds the scent.
Dray's training consists of him coming to get someone, when asked, "What is it?" Is it the, "T" scent? Show me? he will walk his handler back to where the scent item is or to the person the scent item is on and indicate them as the, "target" and give the High 5 sign.
Steps to get Alert:
Step 1: Dog must know the scent for sure. Step 2: 2 people to work on this with dog Step 3: One person is in another room, than the person with the scent sample hidden on them Step 4: Tell Dray, go find Dad" Step 5: when Dray comes to Dad (or whoever) they say; What is it? Is it the, "T" scent? Step 6: Dray does his, "Alert" High 5 Step 7: Good Alert Dray, show me.... Step 8: They start walking with Dray back to the scent target Step 9: Dray indicates where the scent target is Step 10: Dray does the High 5 Step 11: Click /Treat and major party
Teaches Dray to come and alert to someone else besides just you the handler.Why? If you do not listen to him when he tells you, the dog will pester you for awhile and then go get someone to come and say, "you are not listening to your dog'...you need to do this.
Also, validates the dog understands the job. MeBO Research
Dogs can separate one odor into all its components. We smell beef stew, they smell potatoes, peas, carrots, etc.
Pawsibilities Unleashed, Pet Therapy of Kentucky, Inc., is kindly donating a puppy and to train the handler to train it as a TMAU Alert Service DogIt has been said many times in the forums, conference calls, and meetups, that the most difficult aspect of undergoing any odor-management protocol is to not have feedback about one’s odor levels, as family members and the sufferer seem to have, or develop, an amnosia to the body odors. It is not clear why this should be. The 2 main theories are that they have become acclimatized to the odor, or there is some sort of 'amnosia immunity' from smelling the body odors. Perhaps the saddest irony about the problem is that the sufferer has no way of monitoring their condition as a result.
So, what options does a sufferer have to measure his/her odor levels? Apart from purchasing very expensive equipment that would have the capacity to measure only some odorous compounds, which is not practical anyhow, there is also another option - to obtain a Trimethylaminuria Medical Alert Service Dog (SD) trained specifically to give immediate feedback not only about whether a sufferer has odor, but to also indicate if the odor is at a high or low level. The main aim would be to help the person understand their 'smell pattern', Humans acclimate to scent in a room - dogs never doso that perhaps they could alter their diet to suit, to better understand what triggers it, and to plan social activities accordingly.
The service dog could offer many other social skills and psychological benefits, such as being a companion and boosting confidence, for example. An SD’s immediate feedback on a sufferer's odor levels can help him or her feel empowered and confident, allowing for a sense of greater freedom that encourages the sufferer to become more involved in social situations while having lower odor levels. SDs are trained to also sooth anxiety panic-attacks and depression.
MeBO has proactively been looking into testing the possibility of training a service dog for trimethylaminuria sufferers, and ultimately for sufferers of other types of body odor conditions. Initially, the focus will be working with a diagnosed TMAU sufferer, since the odor can be more easily reproduced in a controlled manner to train the dog.
Dogs have a huge amount of brainpower devoted to scent (size of large walnut, matched to a humans pea size area).After looking for dog trainers who specialize in dogs trained to help with health disorders such as diabetes and seizures based on scent, we were fortunate to get a positive and supportive response from Frankfort, Kentucky's Master Trainer Liz Norris, who runs Pawsibilities Unleashed, Pet Therapy of Kentucky, Inc., This non-profit 501(c)3 organization has worked with training SDs for persons with a wide range of disabilities, including Diabetes (works on three different odor levels), Epilepsy, Anxiety/Depression, PTSD, Autism/ASD, Hearing/Signal, Medical Alert conditions (sleep apnea, migraine & Fibromyalgia, Blood pressure, Willims syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, Motility Assistance).
MeBO has been discussing at length the possibility of training a TMAU Service Dog with Pawsibilities' Founder, Liz Norris, AKC-CGC Instructor, and Therapy Evaluator.
Normally it would cost a minimum of $5,000 to train a dog, but Liz has most generously offered us her services and donated to our cause $5,000-worth of training expenses including her personal time and a puppy with the proper temperament to be trained specifically as a TMAU Service Dog. This training will encompass the following:
Service Dog Manners
Public Access Work
Obedience Training
Scent work
Crate/House training
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Certification
AKC Canine Good Citizenship ( if dog is ready)
The plan is to find a volunteer who will be willing to be the first 'owner' of a TMAU Dog, and there is an opportunity for someone to be trained by Liz as a SD Trainer if they wish, in the hope that someday there will be a specialized TMAU, and other Body Odor Conditions, Service Dog Trainer in the USA if the trial is a success.
The only initial expense MeBO will incur for our first TMAU Service Dog will be $130.00 to do vetting for the dog through their program (includes spay or neuter, Microchipping, parvo, distemper, bordetella, worming, frontline for a month and rabies...normally a cost of $300.00+).
Dogs have been used to detect gas leaks 20 feet below ground. The best human instruments could not. If the TMAU Service Dog project is a success, we hope it would lead to an invaluable program for TMAU and other BO conditions sufferers in the US and abroad. If all goes well, perhaps service dogs can someday assist in the diagnosis of the various body odor/halitosis conditions of persons who test negative for TMAU by helping identify the composition of their odor. As Liz states below, "dogs can separate one odor into all its components. We smell beef stew, they smell potatoes, peas, carrots, etc."
Trimethylaminuria Medical Alert Service Dog Medical Alert Service Dog What it can do for you by Liz Norris
Dogs work off scent. Here are some facts about dogs that many of you do not know:
Dogs primary ability - sense of smell.
Humans "see" at a glance - dogs, "scent" at a glance.
Humans acclimate to scent in a room - dogs never do, they fade scent they are not interested in to background "noise" like we do t.v.s, music, our work place sounds, etc.
A dogs nasal plane (outside of nose area) and nostrils stay moist so they can dissolve and release scent particles.
Every dogs nasal plane (nose area) is as individual as our fingerprint is to us. No two are alike.
Dogs have sinuses. They play a role in scent work detection.
Humans have 5 million scent receptor cells.
Dogs have millions depending on the breed (Doxies for example have 125 million while a Beagle has 220 million. The only breed and size of dog to have the same amount as the large German Shepherds who also have 220).
Dogs have a huge amount of brainpower devoted to scent (size of large walnut, matched to a humans pea size area).
Dogs can scent/smell under water thanks to the Jacobson Organ or vomeronasal organ in the floor of their nose.
A puppy can not see or hear when it is born due to these orifices being sealed. However, they can scent immediately. They use this to find mom, milk, litter mates, you and their surroundings. Called imprinting...the smell, matches the person, matches what is going on or happens.
Dogs can register the same scent for hours or even days.
Dogs can separate one odor into all its components. We smell beef stew, they smell potatoes, peas, carrots, etc.
Dogs can choose which odor/scent to concentrate on.
Dogs have been used to detect gas leaks 20 feet below ground. The best human instruments could not. In Ontario on a natural gas pipeline leak, over 90 miles of pipeline, dogs found 150 leaks (1974).
Dogs scent detect ability is so good they can pick a schizophrenic out of a crowd by tuning in on the apocrine gland sweat. This is the gland schizophrenics sweat from all the time.
Fear in people produces sweat from the apocrine glands. Hence the old saying of dogs can smell fear...they can. Regular work sweat is produced from a different body gland.
Bloodhounds are perfect scent machines. Built for it from head to toe. Bassett is second and designed for perfect scent work.
Squash faced dogs have more issues with scent detection thanks to man designing them this way.
Air scenting breed examples, collies, Dobermans, standard poodles, labs, goldens.
Why would this pertain to a TMAU person?
Because dogs have been used by mankind thru out history to do scent work. Hunting for example, tracking down prey or people, another example.
For over 50 years we have honed the dogs talents to do Search and Rescue, track criminals, track lost children, lost animals, and medical tracking uses (Diabetic Alert Dogs, Seizure Alert Dog, Blood Pressure Alert, Emotional Support Service Dogs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc.). Drug dogs, bomb dogs, first responder dogs, etc.
Dogs can be taught to find the "hottest scent" source on a human.
Dogs can be taught to tell the difference between your right hand scent and left hand scent. If you have a scent article you picked up with your left hand and laid it in the row or unscented from you, the dog should match the scented article to your left hand. Same with any body part. For example, I am right handed. Therefore I put more scent on an article with right hand than left because I touch more things with my right.
Dogs trained to do scent work must have a "high will to serve" not a, "high drive to power". Not all dogs will be suitable for service dog work due to their personalities and temperaments. Aggression is not acceptable. Towards people, dogs, anything. Training a service dog for guard protection work is not acceptable. Dogs that could care less about you and have a, "user" personality are not good candidates. They will do anything if something is in it for them, but when you need them, they could care less. Therefore, leave the choosing of a service dog to a professional. Make sure if you are working with a service dog trainer they use positive, motivational methods, not shock collars, choke chains, prong collars or slip collars. This is training by bully methods, intimidation methods and will shut the dog down.
If I have TMAU issues how can this help me?
Dogs can be trained to alert to a scent of any kind.
Dog can alert you before a human could smell you. Keeping you in a "safety scent zone".
Dog is trained to give a "physical signal" as its alert.
Tell me if the scent is really High or relatively Low (requires 2 signals physically from dog).
Service Dogs can go into any public place with you (work, ballgames, dances, sports bar, weddings, cruises, airplanes, hotels, etc.)
Backpacking Medical Related supplies, Cell Phones, Money, Credit Cards, Emergency Instructions for EMT personnel.
Respond to Panic Attacks by redirecting you to something else like stroking the dogs fur.
Assist Emotionally Overwhelmed in workplace or at home.
Public Fear Management Tasks.
Reduce fearful state of mind or hyper-vigilance.
Helping you cope with living alone and fear of intruders in home or on way to work or to parking garages.
Increase feelings of safety in Public
Provide emotional and spiritual support.
Lower your stress level leading to better health mentally and physically.
Before you jump on the Service Dog band wagon, ask yourself:
Am I ready for my medical disability to be public? By having a service dog and taking it everywhere with you and the sign on its pack that says, "Medical Alert Dog" you are saying to the public, "I have a disability".
Am I ready to care for a living, breathing thing each and every day of its life until death do us part?
Do I have the financial means to support the feeding, vetting and life of my service dog?
Am I willing to take the time to learn the training commands, scent work, Public Access Work, required canine manners that it takes to work a service dog in public?
Am I willing to keep the work up each day?
Do I want to live with a 3 year old for 14 - 18 years even though it can learn 300 plus commands and help change my life for the better?
The only 2 questions a facility may ask you:
If you are entering a restaurant, they can ask you, "is this a service dog".
You say, "yes it is".
They can ask you, "what does it do for you"?
You say, "it mitigates my medical disability".
End of story. They do not have the right to ask you what the mitigation is. That is telling them what your disability is and crosses over to your right to privacy.
If you do not care who knows what your medical disability is you can put TMAU Medical Alert Service Dog or Trimethylaminuria Medical Alert Service Dog. If you care about your privacy just go with Medical Alert Service Dog.
Examples of your rights under ADA vs. the Publics Rights:
You have the right to take your dog to hotels, motels, etc. You do not have to tell them it is a service dog coming. They can not charge you a pet room fee. It is not a pet. They can not charge you a cleaning fee. However, if your dog chews up the tables, eats the dresser, tears down the window sash, then you pay the bill and they have the right to charge you.
You have the right to take your dog into a restaurant and thru a buffet. Your dog does not have the right to get up, shake hair into my plate and slobber into my water glass. It must lay under the table out of site.
You have the right to take your dog to work with you. You do not have the right to let it jump on me, slobber on me, run around the office, etc. It must lay under your work station out of site and be invisible as possible.
You have the right to take your dog to school. You do not have the right to let it sniff people, nudge people, or interfere with anyone else in the school system.
You have the right to live in the same apartment building where I live (even if pet animals are not allowed, this does not matter. You have a service dog), but your dog does not have the right to leave poop all over the lawns and dig holes in the lawn or bark all night and keep me awake.
You have the right to shop in grocery store with your Service Dog, but it does not have the right to sample food, pee on things, eat off the displays, etc.
Liz is a former U.S. Air Force K-9 unit trainer, including search & rescue (SAR), cadaver detection, drug detection, and K-9 obedience. She has also trained Malamutes as sled dogs, shown on the AKC circuit, been an AKC judge, and has volunteered with her own dogs in multiple SAR missions...
Liz Norris is the founder of Pawsibilities Unleashed. She is an official tester for the Therapy Dog certifications and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) tests and Service Dog Public Access Test.
...When we train a starter pup for our diabetic or seizures, the donation fee is $5,000.00 which is a reasonable amount for most people to afford and we can make it this affordable by putting the beginner training on the pups and teaching the owners how to do it from there. Keeps the expense down and they learn how much work is involved. Do you think this is foreseeable with producing Trimethylaminuria Service Dogs? Do you think there will be a demand for them? I think once people realize that they can get this help, there will be a core amount of folks that would definitely want this type of help.
I am very excited about this prospect and the more I research it, the more excited I am. We/Kentucky Labs have a litter of service dog pups coming up. I would highly recommend one from that litter.
We breed with Cheryl Moore who has lines going back to Westminster show ring and they have been excellent to train for diabetic and seizure work. We have no failures. 100% as of today!
Would you [MeBO] want to be part of this and do a joint project with us? I have some ideas I would be willing to toss around with your organization. Maybe your friend would want to be the "test subject":)
This is just so neat. What a great new avenue to use service dogs and help so many other people. I would love to do a sit down with you/your interested bunch and tell you how scent work with dogs happens and show you the potential. Lets us do as test subject ASAP.
First of all, dogs "scent" like we "see". They walk into a room and smell everything...we walk in and "see" everything. They do not acclimate to scent....instead they put in the background (like we do background noise) the scents they are not focused on at the present time or scents they are not being, "paid" to focus on:)
Dogs can filter scent under water. They can not breath water, or intake water, but the Jacobson Organ in their nose area allows them to filter scent under water and tell which rock you threw into the pond is yours and which are not. Just a little FYI to let you see how good they are at the job...
Throw away choke chains, prongs, slip collars or shock collars. A service dog must trust you and work from trust. Instead of correcting the dog all the time and using, "No" over and over, you encourage the dog to work through a problem and problems solve....in other words if it goes to the wrong scent vial, then you say, "keep working"...not No, jerk it off its feet, etc. You let it know it needs to keep going until it hears the Click of the clicker and then it gets a Treat. A service dog can not take the Public Access Test in those devices either...
Hey there. Nice of y'all to come. I’m Dray and I'm from Kentucky. I'm learnin' to be a TMAU Service Dog. You can read about my progress in this here blog.
Liz Norris, Master Trainer with over 34 years of dog training experience, is the founder of Pawsibilities, with a “train the trainer” approach.
Liz is a former U.S. Air Force K-9 unit trainer, including search & rescue (SAR), cadaver detection, drug detection, and K-9 obedience. She has also trained Malamutes as sled dogs, shown on the AKC circuit, been an AKC judge, and has volunteered with her own dogs in multiple SAR missions... She is an official tester for the Therapy Dog certifications and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) tests and Service Dog Public Access Test. http://puptky.giving.officelive.com/aboutus.aspx
