Sniffer dogs and scent detection

When a sniffer dog is used to find a missing person, their sense of smell is crucial. Each person has a unique scent, and the molecules from that person's scent reach the dog's nose through the air. The dog's olfactory epithelium, which is the area responsible for smelling, is larger than a human's, allowing them to detect and track scents more effectively. The dog sniffs at ground level because the scent is less likely to be blown away by the wind. Humans can also track scents, although not as effectively as dogs, but they can pick up familiar scents close to the ground.