You have all heard about a sewer gas leak detection method that is an alternative to a smoke test: peppermint oil. I think it would be cool to train a dog to locate a toy daubed with a very diluted peppermint oil smell -- the same way they train drug or bomb sniffing dogs. Then add the peppermint oil down the vent line of a house, and bring in the dog. If the peppermint is strong enough, a human can detect it... that is the norm for the peppermint oil test. https://www.google.com/#q=vent+"peppermint+oil"+sewer However a dog's brain is programmed to locate things by smell. Humans are not only not nearly as sensitive, they are not able to determine the direction a smell comes from.
Dogs like the game. It could be useful. This would not be enough to keep a dog for the purpose, but the family pet could be a business asset.
Dogs like the game. It could be useful. This would not be enough to keep a dog for the purpose, but the family pet could be a business asset.