Does gold have a smell dectable by dogs?

Dear vandell-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.

The answer is no; gold is odorless. According to the UTAH GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY this is one of the means by which pyrite (fool?s gold) can be
readily distinguished from real gold. Pyrite emits a sulphurous smell
(like rotten eggs) while gold has no smell at all, even when rubbed
very hard against another hard object.

UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
http://www.ugs.state.ut.us/online/PI-50/PI50PYRT.HTM

I actually have quite an extensive background in canine training,
having certified as both a trainer and a handler for working law
enforcement dogs in two different states. As I?m sure you already
know, part of the training is scent training (tracking a known scent)
and also article searching (finding various unknown targets and
non-targeted objects). Contrary to what most people believe about
scent training, dogs are not easily trained to find specific objects
out in the natural world, because the training consists largely of
recognizing and alerting, not to what is sought, but on what doesn?t
belong ? something that is out of place for its surroundings. One
cannot confuse the hypothetical search for gold for a search for
something like marijuana, for example. Marijuana has an extremely
powerful smell and fairly easy for a dog to find under almost any
circumstances.

Since gold exists in such small quantities and is a naturally
occurring object in nature, it?s delectability, even if it did have a
scent (which I reiterate, it does not) it would be impossible for him
to find by scent alone.

Undoubtedly, if this were possible, hundreds of thousands of people
(myself included) would be a lot wealthier than they are today, and
thousand of other people who have lost their very lives in search of
gold over the years would still be here to enjoy them. On the other
hand, money (paper currency) has a strong odor and is fairly easy for
a dog to find; not because it has a unique scent, but because it
smells like human perspiration. Maybe you should work this angle
instead. One thing is for certain, you may only find a dollar, but
you?ll have much better luck looking for cash with a dog than you will
looking for gold ? I guarantee it.

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Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher


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Gold

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Odorless

Smell

I wonder where you heard about dogs and gold. Although it is hearsay,
I'm one of the many who believe that dogs can find gold.

I've heard several reasons for this, and would rather not go into the
particulars, but among the many reasons a dog might be able to find
gold are: a) gold is often involved in biological processes, prior to
being deposited, some vestiges of which might remain, b) gold
compositions are regional, so that one area's gold might be tracked by
impurities present, which also might make one dog less effective in
one area than another, and c) placer deposits, or quartz, which the
legendary prospector dogs would have gone after, probably have other
characteristics that a trusty dog could figure out.


Btw, tutuzdad, go ahead and answer my question if you like.

The truth is, dog do have a strong olfactory sense (sense of smell) by
human standards, but this doesn't give them supernatural powers. I
tell you what, you train a dog to find gold and I'll pay you
equivilent to his weight in diamonds for the secret. How's that? I'd
make far more money selling gold sniffing dogs than I would by using
them to find gold for me. While you're at it, train a few to find
diamonds too will you?

US official report: "diamonds are odorless ..."
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb081/is_200401/ai_hibm1G1115833830

tutuzdad-ga