Choose your Scent Detection Line
A scent detection line often has a fairly quiet role. It may be required under search rules or used to provide an additional level of safety, but it should allow the dog to search without unnecessary interference.
This means that bigger and heavier are not automatically better. The aim is to choose a line that feels comfortable to handle, provides the security you need and remains as unobtrusive as possible while your dog works.
To keep that choice manageable, we offer three line types: Standard, Lightweight and Featherweight. Each combines an appropriate clip and webbing width. You can then choose the length, decide whether you would like a handle and replace the original clip with our Twist-lock Carabiner if required.
Standard
The Standard Scent Detection Line combines 20mm rubberised webbing with our largest conventional clip. It has a more substantial feel, both at the dog’s harness and in the handler’s hands.
It may suit a larger dog, or simply a handler who finds wider webbing easier and more comfortable to manage.
Clip weight: Approximately 80g
Webbing width: 20mm
Lightweight
The Lightweight Scent Detection Line uses narrower 15mm webbing and a smaller conventional clip. This reduces the overall bulk of the line while retaining a familiar clip design with a rated break force.
It is likely to suit many scent detection teams, particularly where the handler wants the line to remain light and relatively inconspicuous during the search.
Clip weight: Approximately 18g
Webbing width: 15mm
Featherweight
The Featherweight Scent Detection Line also uses 15mm webbing, but is fitted with our smallest clip. It has been developed for the smallest dogs, for whom even lightweight hardware can be disproportionately bulky.
The clip does not have a rated break force, so this option is intended for very small, gentle dogs. It should not be selected simply because a lighter line is preferred for a larger dog; the Lightweight line or Twist-lock Carabiner will be more appropriate in that situation.
Clip weight: Approximately 8g
Webbing width: 15mm
Twist-lock Carabiner Upgrade
If strength or attachment security is your priority, you can replace the clip on your chosen line with our Twist-lock Carabiner. This is our strongest attachment option and has a locking mechanism that helps guard against accidental opening.
Your initial line choice determines the webbing width:
Choose Standard for 20mm webbing.
Choose Lightweight or Featherweight for 15mm webbing.
Then select the Twist-lock Carabiner upgrade to replace the original clip.
This allows you to combine the carabiner with narrower webbing for a lighter, more streamlined line, or with wider webbing for a more substantial feel.
Carabiner weight: Approximately 25g
Strength rating: 4kN
3m or 5m?
The 3m line keeps the amount of equipment to a minimum and is straightforward to manage. It may be particularly useful in smaller search areas or where the handler prefers to work fairly close to the dog.
The 5m line gives the dog more room to search away from the handler. It may suit larger search areas or handlers who prefer the additional flexibility of a longer line.
The choice is primarily about how and where you work. A longer line provides more freedom, but also gives the handler more line to manage.
With or Without a Handle?
A handle provides a clear holding point and may be useful when the line has a safety function or while moving between search areas.
Without a handle, the end of the line remains smooth and simple. Some handlers prefer this because there is less material to catch or become tangled.
Neither design changes how the line attaches to the dog, so this choice comes down to how you prefer to handle it.
Bringing the Choices Together
For many dogs, the Lightweight line provides a useful balance of low bulk, strength and ease of handling. The Standard line offers wider webbing and more substantial hardware, while the Featherweight is reserved for the smallest, gentlest dogs.
The Twist-lock Carabiner is available when a stronger, locking attachment is wanted and can be combined with either webbing width. The final choice of length and handle can then be based on the search environment and how you prefer to work.
The purpose is not to create the most substantial line possible. It is to provide the level of control and security you need while allowing the line to remain a quiet part of the search.
