The use of tracking/man trailing dog results as evidence in courts

Abstract

Results achieved by man trailers/trackers is often accepted as evidence in courts. To be used as such, the results should be founded on scientific proof. With respect to the uniqueness of human individual scent, there is sufficient scientific foundation, but with respect to animal learning and cognition we now know that great care must be taken to ensure animals are responding to the intended cue. A review of man trailing studies indicate that these do not prove the essential question: are the dogs responding to the individual human odor cue when matching a scent article to a track? A suggestion is made for testing individual dogs based on guidelines set by the Scientific Working Group on the use of Dogs and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines. Finally, points that should be addressed when assessing such evidence in courts are provided.