---
title: 'How to Escape a Police Sniffing Dog'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=md75n8cyenA'
video_id: 'md75n8cyenA'
date: 2026-07-23
duration_sec: 1656
channel: 'Mark Rober'
---

# How to Escape a Police Sniffing Dog

> Source: [How to Escape a Police Sniffing Dog](https://youtube.com/watch?v=md75n8cyenA)

## Summary

In this video, Mark Rober tests the capabilities of a bloodhound named Zinka by attempting to evade her using various traps and strategies. He explores common myths about bloodhounds, including their ability to track scent over long distances and distinguish between identical twins. The video culminates in a final challenge where Mark sets seven traps to avoid being found within an hour.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Bloodhound Myths** [00:00] — Mark Rober introduces the video's premise: testing five common myths about bloodhounds by attempting to evade a trained search-and-rescue bloodhound named Zinka.
- **First Test: Scent Article** [01:08] — Zinka successfully finds Mark after sniffing his watch, demonstrating her ability to track a specific scent even when Mark uses unconventional routes like a fireman's pole.
- **Multiple Scent Test** [03:10] — Zinka identifies Mark's scent from a paper towel touched by multiple people, then picks his trail out of 16 decoy trails, showcasing her ability to isolate a single scent.
- **Identical Twin Myth** [04:49] — Zinka correctly identifies the right twin from a pair of identical twins, busting the myth that bloodhounds rely solely on DNA. She actually detects unique scent molecules from environmental factors.
- **Outdoor Campus Test** [05:46] — Mark attempts to evade Zinka on a college campus with a 45-minute head start, but Zinka finds him despite his efforts to mask his scent, including hiding in a parking garage.
- **Consulting Adam Savage** [09:21] — Mark visits Adam Savage to discuss bloodhound capabilities. Adam explains that humans shed 40,000 skin cells per minute, creating a unique scent trail that dogs can follow.
- **Myth 3: Bloodhounds Are Better Than All Dogs** [11:14] — While bloodhounds are exceptional, they are not superior in all areas. For example, other dogs may have better scent detection for certain tasks, but bloodhounds excel in tracking over long distances.
- **Final Challenge: Seven Traps** [12:58] — Mark sets seven traps including a drone with a sock, a taxidermy squirrel, a scent-trail rover, a leaf blower, a water stream, a meat trail, and a fan array to overwhelm Zinka's senses.
- **Traps in Action** [20:06] — Zinka navigates the traps: she is briefly distracted by the squirrel and the drone sock, but ultimately follows Mark's scent despite the leaf blower and water stream.
- **Final Outcome** [24:55] — Zinka finds Mark with 15 minutes to spare, proving that even with multiple countermeasures, a trained bloodhound can track a human effectively.
- **Conclusion and Reflection** [25:39] — Mark reflects on the experience, acknowledging Zinka's superior abilities and the importance of search-and-rescue dogs in reuniting families.

### Conclusion

Mark Rober's experiments demonstrate that bloodhounds are remarkably adept at tracking human scent, even when faced with numerous obstacles. The video busts several myths while highlighting the incredible partnership between dog and handler.

## Transcript

as I'm being hunted by an animal Because today, not only are we gonna discover the five most common bloodhound myths.
but what she doesn't know is I've done my research against her unfair, superhuman advantages.
in order to understand the limit of the dog's capabilities, to run through some basic tests starting off with a simple challenge involving just my hat.
Now what makes Shay so cool is she's been working as a volunteer, expert, search-and-rescue handler she and her dogs have pretty much seen everything.
I mean, could you find me Because all I see is a guy Now, as for Zinka, after checking out all her options,
(Zinka barking) (Mark laughing) It was me all along Shay. (Shay laughing) First was that even an expertly-trained human hunter-
Still enjoys the game of fetch like any good girl. - This is a German shepherd. - That's what I thought. these days, bloodhounds are almost never used.
because research shows they're just as good but they're also extremely intelligent. is like Zinka finding the puzzle pieces,
And now that we've cleared that up, All right, Shay, the hiding test. Everyone's dispersed out there.
- What works is a scent article? How about my watch? - Your watch would work. - So I was off to my killer hiding spot,
I threw my first curve ball by using the fireman's piston instead of the stairs to get to the lower level. under a blanket of cubes in the foam pit.
See if she can find me in here. Then it was Zinka's turn. to sniff my watch to lock in on her target. - [Shay] Don't eat the pizza.
I had somehow just teleported away. And while this might have tripped up Zinka, to my trail below, which meant from that point,
as you might have guessed, my fate was sealed. (Zinka barking) (Shay and Mark laughing) Well, I'm gonna get you on the next one.
How good? - This good. I wanted to test something Shay mentioned to me - If multiple people touch an article,
- I need some volunteers. onto a single paper towel with a brief arm rub. and went to hide throughout the lab.
apparently she could do the math, then identify it among 16 decoy-scent trails which is just certifiably bonkers.
is where that puzzle-solving intelligence, Comes into play. (Zinka barks) That was nothing short of magic.
- Which honestly I took as a challenge. on that single paper towel to 12, the single missing person from the 11 others,
amongst all the remaining decoys. - Lets go search. - Dude. No way. And honestly, this one somehow seemed even easier for her.
No way! Actually bad work. You got found. I wanted to investigate the potential myth
is because she's actually detecting trace amounts That hypothesis would also explain all smell totally different, even to my untrained nose,
The problem was that to test the myth, with exactly identical DNA, but as chance would have it... from one identical twin but not the other
To remove any doubt, we have the wrong twin exactly along the path to the right twin. And there was no question Zinka skipped the twin
Which meant the DNA-sniffing myth was busted just picking up on complex scent molecules And at this point, while I was clearly outmatched,
in Zinka's armor that I could exploit But I can only learn so much inside CrunchLabs So what if I could find several thousand volunteers
And this beautiful college campus in Berkeley, California My thought was that having now moved outdoors, might obscure my own scent trail.
I had some opportunities to covertly pass around before finally receiving the word it was go time. What do you need from me?
- Me or her? (Mark laughing) with a generous 45-minute head start. It's like really windy today.
Keep my scent down wind. There was barely any time to waste. all around campus.
to ward off Zinka and Shay, but whatever it was... She'll never figure this out. I guess because that's exactly what's happening.
once I saw the number of people gathered in the quad just to express some heartfelt appreciation. who subscribe to my channel.
this was kind of my checkmate move. A dog might be chasing you in a second. Be cool. I'm being hunted by a bloodhound.
There is no possible way this dog is gonna find me. I'm actually parked up here in a garage. I'd made it to my final hiding spot
This is basically a massive Ziploc bag. I feel the need to whisper, But not long after, the timer was up.
And right outta the gate, I tripped her up But eventually she realized I was more than just a bench I don't really have any inclination as to whether or not
the same can't be said for the campus squirrel population. - I'm gonna pull a dirty trick.
And unfortunately for me, she just totally short circuited my clever loop maneuver. near the parking garage.
This is terrifying. I thought I might actually be in the clear after all, could overcome her lock on my dirty socks.
What the crap? No way! How is that even remotely possible?
So while I did have some very minor victories I knew I needed to consult someone who had been here before. and the true OG when it comes to busting myths.
The cave! - You have been here, The organized chaos of it all. his incredible Cave of Wonders,
I'm here, Adam, because I need help. - That was one of my favorite sets of episodes - In addition to talking about everything he's learned
for even understanding how Zinka's brain works. you leave behind a trail of scent molecules. or even standing still, you shed 40,000 dead skin cells
the trail of all those skin-cell scent molecules But instead of six unique colors like you see here,
since she can ostensibly tell everyone on the planet apart, and then you used a different soap for that day she would still know you as your exact same color.
but to give you some sense Do you recognize this person? but your brain also just identified Steph Curry
out of 8 billion people on this planet, which is pretty cool that same unique identifying capability And furthermore, just how Zinka's nose can pinpoint me
even if he's wearing a hat or sunglasses the way her brain catalogs my unique scent from a sock
a unique face from a missing person flyer. for myth number three, it's actually not true at identifying smells, cuz in a few areas,
you can practically smell this footage here, right? that enter the air after freshly fallen rain That's 100 times more sensitive than a shark's nose
We know in the desert, camels rely on its scent it provided an evolutionary advantage Now, as for Adam, I'll return to some additional advice
my original MythBusters blueprint, I might take a few things on my way out. Here we go. Ah!
from all our tests from every angle, I'd pinpointed a few of Zinka's weaknesses, you might have picked up on a few of them as well,
was exploit those weaknesses with a 12-second build montage. (intriguing music)
it was time to head out to meet up with Shay and Zinka But before we get to that, I just wanna know,
(explosion blasts) 'Cause if so, oh boy, And it's called Camp CrunchLabs.
featuring weekly videos with mega experiments that I do, And the best weekly challenge submission to come out right here
(air blasts) (Mark laughs) where we build a really fun toy together comes every month.
weekly videos and challenges, - Yes! Look! where you can learn to think like an engineer
with 0% chance of sunburn or mystery-meat casserole, where you can reserve one of the limited spots All right, Shay, I got my bag of tricks.
Here we go. It's game on. My plan was to lay seven traps for Zinka and Shay And the rules were, once I'd set all my traps
And if she couldn't track me down in less than an hour, not having checked the weather forecast... I was ready to set my first of seven traps.
so I would tie one of my extra smelly soccer socks and then I would sneak off down a side path. way more scent molecules than my sock,
that when the drone flew the pre-programmed flight path, from the server motor in the bushes, for Zinka to hopefully follow.
And now that I was off the main road and into the woods, I knew for reviewing the Berkeley footage Taxidermied squirrel. Not fat, guys, for the record.
and let it slip it was a combination of their quick movement So between train-track squirrel and taxidermy squirrel, Now obviously, this trap wasn't going to trick Shay.
and their one-hour time limit, After that, I continued up the trail for a few hundred yards perfect for my third of seven traps.
in case the drone sock didn't work out. I was going for a three-pronged approach. would've one of my sock in a compartment
and then another sock in a liquid container... in case the scent molecules would bond well with the water. (sighs) The part I'm not looking forward to.
I harvested some actual pieces of meat it would slowly leave behind and overwhelming trail of me And by the way, these weren't just Hail-Mary ideas
showing she could easily isolate my scent You got earth, wind, and water. The trifecta. So with everything set and the rover timer counting down,
And this next one is a doozy. just without the plane. (engine turns over) cuz my scent trail just seemed to stop.
I noticed the reason she got caught up blowing my scent off the sidewalk. with some 95-mile-an-hour, hurricane-force winds?
Ah! (hard rock music) Yeah!
but I also lost a lot of skin cells hopefully. to follow my scent off the road I picked a random spot to sneak off in the other direction
And there was a stream running alongside the trail, that dogs can't track you if you're stepping in water Which was super awesome
From there it was all about agility and stamina With five of my traps set and only two to go, on the task at ha- Ooh.
Oh, wow! (laughing) (gentle music) Which was good timing because having exited the forest,
I've got some big plans for this meadow right here. The idea is to overwhelm this area with my smell. The genesis for this idea
where I spent a long time waiting. versus the relatively small amount of scent molecules I had a special surprise.
every day at NASA as I tested and integrated my hardware the purpose of those bunny suits is to keep in so we don't send the rover headed to Mars looking for life
I would practically become invisible I held my breath as I ran away. I had two final tricks up my sleeve.
because she would go for any morsel that was left out. In one of our conversations, Shay let it slip but I just stumbled upon a bunch of chicken and cheese.
That's gonna take her the wrong way down the path. And then if somehow she tracks me all the way up here, so all my scent goes out into the valley.
All right, team, I am in position. - Good to go. - Okay. She has an hour to get through all my traps.
my drone had taken off right on schedule And exactly as I'd hoped, Zinka got to the fork in the road as she starts heading right towards the sock bush.
that it wouldn't be a typical search. She went right by. I was dealing with the true professional,
I could throw off her game - [Team Member] Well, she loves the squirrel. What's not the love?
Did it throw her off? - It did. - [Mark] This actually brings us These dogs aren't working alone.
It is a partnership between the bloodhound and the handler. without the other. but it wasn't something that had occurred to me.
and if she's stumped, she can help think of different ideas and Zinka was sure I'd teleported Hopefully they lost valuable time there.
But Shay wouldn't be much help at the next fork in the path had initiated its time-delayed journey exactly as planned. a fresh trail of me as it roved all the way down the path.
which meant they were going to get so tripped up, - What do you mean it didn't work? But really where you were walking.
No way she gets my mega fan. I lost my jacket and one of my 37 hats to this monster And this time, I was not disappointed.
- [Team Member] She is moving in the same direction about what her nose was telling her Shay put two and two together
But then when Zinka hit on my actual escape route, And this is where you can really see Because eventually Zinka circled back as if to say,
At which point Shay understood - [Team Member] Oh, she's back on track. - Dang it. It sounds like a that was my closest one so far.
this could be my... This could be good. She's frolicking along. - Frolicking? (dramatic music)
- [Team Member] She's moving along the pot the fastest. I'm glad I have 12 blisters Shay would later confirm this as our final myth to bust,
meaning they stick strongly to the water than just a normal path on land. she had no problem keeping up the pace
cuz she was about to hit an olfactory brick wall. - Okay, I think this is where it's game over. just trudging around this clearing.
of my scent molecules behind... let me know and I'll come down the hill. which meant at least from the perspective of her nose radar,
- [Team Member] Wow. No hesitation. - What? Really? I think my minutes are numbered.
She's got about 15 minutes left. But if the chicken of cheese could just distract her enough, - Nope. Get to work.
- Yes. - Zinky. - [Shay] I know those are good. up the bowls of the chicken and cheese.
- Clock's ticking, Shay. I might have stood a chance, but as it was, It's nerve-racking.
as an 11th-hour salvation, the final three fans heading back down the path. - [Shay] Come here, Zink, come on.
she apparently was just flexing on me So with a full belly and the proud gait of a winner, she led Shay around the bushes to my final hiding spot.
(Shay laughing) Bad girl! And as I sulked in my loss
I asked Shay why she's been volunteering working with search-and-rescue dogs. to a very stressful time for a family.
I suppose my loss The best mammal won. You were a formidable opponent. Opa!
I built a fire-extinguisher-powered hovercraft. to make it across my human-sized glue trap. Now these are both part of Camp CrunchLabs,
to help you fight both boredom and summer brain drain. But it's also an example of the type of juicy content when you have a CrunchLabs subscription.
where we build a really fun toy together, of how they work, you also get exclusive access to stuff On top of that, CrunchLabs is a real place.
to slip in a platinum ticket, - Oh my God! (child cheering) to design with me and my team for the day.
whatever you can dream up, go to CrunchLabs.com Thanks for watching. (bubble pops)