Scent Discriminate K9 Trailing with 520th and 901st Military Working Dog Units in Oahu, Hawaii

Scent Evidence K9 CEO, Paul Coley, had the honor of training with the 520th and 901st/Japan Military Working Dog (MDE) Units in Oahu, Hawaii in September. The MWD K9 Units worked in a variety of tropical locations and urban environments to enhance their scent discriminate K9 trailing capabilities they utilize to protect the United States. The Malinois and Shepherd breeds worked trails between .25 and 1 mile in length that were aged from 1 hour to 18 hours. “The MWD teams were eager to learn and push their capabilities as far as possible to accomplish future missions,” stated Coley. The K9 Teams trained through a high level of unique distractions including artillery and helicopters. “It was an honor to be in an area that has sacrificed so much,” stated Coley after visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial on an off day. The handlers were also certified to use The SEKR Scent Evidence Collection Vacuum as part of their advanced scent collection training.

The 728th Warfighters Instagram page posted the following after the event.

The 520th MP DET hosted the scent discrimination seminar to advance response systems that help safely recover missing persons, while also equipping combatant commanders with enhanced capabilities to detect and track enemy personnel in concealed environments.

Scent discrimination tracking and trailing is vital in law enforcement or tactical operations as it enables dogs to isolate a target’s odor from background scents and accurately follow their path across difficult terrain. These skills help locate enemies, missing personnel, or high-value individuals, enhancing force protection and mission success in complex environments.

Scent Evidence K9 thanks the 520th MWD Unit for their hospitality and hard work during the week.