So Sheriff Lobo finds a scrap of cloth torn off of Rufus’ prison uniform on a barbed wire fence. He lets Flash the bloodhound sniff it for a second, Flash bays, then takes off over hill and dale and finds Rufus cowering in a tree.
How?
How does the dog KNOW that he is supposed to be looking for that particular smell again? For that matter, why doesn’t Flash just keep looking in Sheriff Lobo’s pants pocket where the cloth was stuffed after he sniffed it?
Much of it is instinctual with the breed.
They train them as puppies. They probably start with a very, very obvious scent trail across a lawn or something and reward them with treats when they do well. The tests get gradually more difficult.
Only the best of the best dogs make it out of training and get sold to the police. The rest are sold as companion dogs. The best of the best make it look easy.
The handlers of the dogs are trained as well. If a dog loses the scent, the handler will move them around until they find it again. Notice that they are always on leads.
Haj