Big Boys Hobbies

Dogs to sniff out gold

Hotrod Tom said:
So I'm not crazy thinking I can smell silver! Now I just need to learn how to do it at distances.:lol:
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are you saying that I am crazy or just think I am? I've seen Antique dealers smell silver for purity...we can taste metal as its still a chemical such as fillings (which a lot are silver) or aluminum foil and I know when I eat with silver flatware so there for we can smell it...
 
DonVitoD said:
I work in Corrections, and we have dogs that can sniff out cell phones, no lie. Pretty sure it can be done.
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I'm thinking the dog is picking up the smell of chemicals in the battery, Lithium for example.

As a human, I can't smell plastic unless it is burning. Dog's might me able to smell the raw plastic tho.

Ask the handlers what the dog is picking up on when you get a chance.

If the phone is turned on, it would also give off heat.

I think it is the battery that he/she is smelling.

EDIT- I found this:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/cell_phone-sniffing_dogs_used.html
 
dogs can definitely smell copper

I've read stories of dogs trained to dig clad coins. Apparently they can smell the copper ... put a copper coin in your mouth and you can also taste the copper. Considering that a gold ring is usually part copper, they should be able to dig them (yes I have tasted gold rings too and I'm pretty sure I'm tasting the copper). To avoid digging endless clad, I guess you'd have to train dogs to reject the strong copper smells and dig the slight copper smells (that would take a smart dog!). Maybe they'd miss the 24k pure copper but that's a small price to pay.
 
CCartist said:
are you saying that I am crazy or just think I am? I've seen Antique dealers smell silver for purity...we can taste metal as its still a chemical such as fillings (which a lot are silver) or aluminum foil and I know when I eat with silver flatware so there for we can smell it...
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I don't think your crazy. Since I was a kid I always thought I could smell silver but was never sure. I haven't thought about it for years till I saw your post.
 
dog smelling gold

I've got a video of my Lab smelling down her rock under water. This all started when she went under and got that rock out of the water, I got that same rock from her and threw it in the stream and she went after it and got it. I then got the camera and threw the rock in again and filmed it that time. I'm thinking if she can do that, I might be able to train her to find gold.....???
Anyone know how to do such a thing?
http://youtu.be/-WObVbSS138
 
Dog digs cache for me -

Some years back I was detecting an abandoned house yard. I noticed a dog digging in the ground under a bedroom window nearby. He was going at it like crazy and after a while he left. As I worked my way over I noticed coins all over his dirt throw area. Long story short - I dug & eyeballed about 50 coins, none old though.

No doubt he smelled them underground as a lot of dirt had been removed. Steve in so az
 
Within the last few years the search was rekindled for a plane that went missing in 1960. I believe eye witness accounts showed that it had crashed into Montana's Flathead lake but no one knew quite where. It's a huge and very deep lake. The wreckage was located at a depth of 300ft by a cadaver dog handled from a boat on the surface......a half century later. Go figure.
 
Not sure about Gold, but silver...

Seriously, I have always felt I could detect a distinct smell that silver has. Particularly after I warm it in my hand and rub it a bit. I know, sounds crazy, but really...
 
RIHussey said:
Seriously, I have always felt I could detect a distinct smell that silver has. Particularly after I warm it in my hand and rub it a bit. I know, sounds crazy, but really...
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Yes, it's true: when you rub sterling or coin silver firmly with your fingers, your fingers stink. It makes an excellent "field test" at flea markets and the like when you suspect an unmarked piece may be sterling, or even to dismiss a bogus piece being offered as sterling.

I first discovered this as a kid when I had a pocketful of change which I liked to jingle with my fingers (and yes, that was back when coins were silver).

Since pure silver has no similar effect, I can only conclude that the main source of the odor comes from the copper that sterling/coin silver is alloyed with. But the odor is slightly different from that which comes from copper (which has its own stink); there seems to be a vaguely sulfurous overtone to it and I only have wild guesses where that may come from.

But the fact remains, you aren't crazy - sterling and coin silver stinks. :yes:
 
I think you could probably train your dog to sniff out copper, because the copper is oxidizing and should emit some sort of odor...right?:?:
 
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