Figure 1*0. Grade 2 — deadwood target. 



Section IV. WIND, WEATHER, AND TERRAIN 



66. Wind 



a. Wind is an important consideration in the 

 proper employment of mine and tunnel dogs. 

 During training, targets should^aTmosF~alway& 

 be emplaced so that the wind is blowing toward 

 the dog. During employment, the team should 

 be worked so as to take advantage of the wind. 



b. Wind produces what is known as a scout 

 (fig 41). The odors emanating from a target will 

 be carried by the wind. Strong wind will pro- 

 duce a narrow cone compared to a moderate, 

 steady wind. A light breeze will cause the scent 

 of drift weakly. To quickly and correctly report 

 his dog's alerts, the handler must be constantly 

 aware of the wind direction. 



67. Weather 



Weather can sometimes have a pronounced effect 

 on the employment of mine and tunnel dogs, or 

 even prevent their effective employment. Ob- 

 viously, mine and tunnel dogs are best employed 

 when temperature and humidity are moderate; 



in situations of little wind and high humidity 

 there may be little or no scent cone from a 

 target. The scent will be concentrated in the 

 immediate target area (fig 42). While this means 

 that a dog must pass very near the target to 

 smell it, it alM~in€reases the chances of detec- 

 tion due to the concentra^iotKofscent. This situ- 

 ation will also apply in light rain-~or^snowfall. 

 Heavy rain or snow will wash away or cover 

 odors emanating from the target area. Under 

 these conditions, the dog has little chance of 

 detecting a target, and usually will not be em- 

 ployed at those times. Shortly after a rain, how- 

 ever, conditions again become good due to the 

 humidity. 



68. Terrain 



a. Terrain is a determining factor in the direc- 

 tion and force of the wind and a necessary con- 

 sideration in the working of mine and tunnel 

 dogs. 



6. Flat, even terrain will allow the wind to 



46 



