On the Scent: How The Caddo K9 Team Train for Missions That Matter Most
- aorcutt8
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Inside a full training day with Caddo Nation's elite working dogs — two distinct specialties, one dedicated handler, and a trainer who prepares them for conditions no one can predict.
HANDLER Scott Anderson
TRAINER Matt Zehfuss
CONDITIONS High winds, open terrain
RESULT Gretel — successful live find
Hettie HUMAN REMAINS DETECTION (HRD)
Gretel SEARCH & RESCUE — LIVE FIND (SAR)
EXERCISE ONE — SCENT BOXES & HETTIE'S SPECIALTY
Training began with a discipline built on patience and precision. Small boxes were laid out across the ground most empty, one concealing a target scent. Hettie’s objective: lock onto the single marked box and pass every other without hesitation.
Scott Anderson was right there alongside both dogs for every repetition, observing each response, tracking their focus, and making real-time adjustments with Zehfuss. His presence isn't passive. Anderson is actively engaged at every stage, working with each dog individually and studying the subtleties of their behavior in the field.
For Hettie, this exercise is the foundation of everything she does. She is certified in Human Remains Detection — HRD — a discipline that tasks a dog with locating the scent of human remains, even in trace or buried form. HRD dogs are trained to detect a scent profile unlike anything used in live-find search and rescue, distinguishing decomposition from all other organic matter in the environment.
WHY HRD MATTERS ON NATIVE LAND
For tribal nations, HRD work carries profound significance. Indigenous lands across the United States hold unmarked graves, ancestral burial sites, and the remains of individuals lost to history some the result of forced displacement, boarding school tragedies, or violence that was never investigated. A certified HRD dog like Hettie can assist in locating these sites with a sensitivity and accuracy no instrument can replicate, helping communities recover ancestors, bring closure to families, and restore dignity to the missing. For Caddo Nation, having this capability in-house, trained weekly, kept sharp, is not just an operational asset. It is an act of stewardship.
Early in scent box training, treats are placed inside the target box to reinforce correct identification. As sessions progress, the treats are gradually phased out. The goal is a dog whose attention locks onto scent alone — no food motivation, no distraction — just a nose following the signal and a mind trained to ignore everything else. Anderson watches every pass closely, noting which boxes draw a second glance, and working with Zehfuss to sharpen the dog's commitment to the correct source.
"Routine and active diligence — that's what gives these dogs the best chance of success."
— MATT ZEHFUSS, K9 TRAINER
EXERCISE TWO — SEARCH AND RESCUE LIVE FIND (GRETEL'S SPECIALTY)
The second exercise belonged to Gretel, whose specialty is search and rescue live find tracking and locating a living person using scent alone. Where Hettie's work is methodical and ground-oriented, Gretel's is kinetic. She is built for pursuit.
A volunteer donned a worn t-shirt, establishing a scent profile. The volunteer then walked a route across the terrain, took cover, and waited. After a few minutes, Gretel was released with the shirt and the clock started. Scott Anderson was close at hand, releasing her on cue and watching her work, reading her body language the way only a handler who trains with his dogs every week can.
A search and rescue dog in the field doesn't follow a visual trail. She follows the microscopic traces left by footfalls, skin cells, body heat, ground disturbance an invisible map only she can read. On this day, the wind was strong. Scent plumes bent and scattered across the terrain. For a less experienced dog, conditions like these represent a real challenge.
Gretel didn't falter. Anderson, who has watched her work through dozens of training scenarios, noted what the team has come to count on: even when the wind carries the scent trail off-axis, the dogs find it again. "The scent may be blowing one way," Anderson explained, "but they'll double back and work through the wind even if the foot scent is momentarily lost." Gretel completed the live find without incident, with Anderson on the ground observing every step of the track.
"He's the best, hands down."
— SCOTT ANDERSON, ON TRAINER MATT ZEHFUSS
THE TRAINER BEHIND THE DOGS
Matt Zehfuss has built a reputation across the region for his no-shortcuts approach to working dog development. He trains in all weather not in spite of difficult conditions, but because of them. Real searches don't happen under ideal skies, and Zehfuss believes the dogs that perform best in the field are the ones who have already been tested in training and come out the other side.
Beyond search and rescue, Zehfuss offers obedience training and service dog development. His philosophy centers on what he calls active diligence, the consistent, owner-involved engagement that separates a good working dog from a great one. Scott Anderson embodies that philosophy, showing up every week, working both dogs, and remaining hands-on through every exercise Zehfuss designs.
ABOUT SCOTT ANDERSON & CADDO NATION
Scott Anderson manages the Caddo Nation K9 program with the kind of personal investment that defines elite working dog teams. He handles both Hettie and Gretel himself, training weekly with Zehfuss and maintaining the consistency that keeps both dogs sharp across two entirely different disciplines. His role extends well beyond the K9 program. Anderson also serves the Caddo Nation volunteer fire department, emergency management division, and has recently been appointed as the point of contact for four counties in the state's southwest region for the Wild-land Task Force.
Hettie holds certification in Human Remains Detection. Gretel has now formally earned her certification in search and rescue live find. Together, under Anderson's care and Zehfuss's training, they represent one of the most capable and purposeful K9 teams in the region.
