Canine Crime Walks: An Interview with Author Eva Pretscher

Krimiwanderung mit Hunden book cover, courtesy of the Kynos Verlag.

People love crime stories. They also love their dogs. Why not combine the two?

That is exactly what German dog trainer and author Eva Pretscher has done with her new book on canine crime walks. Krimiwanderungen mit Hunden (Kynos Verlag, 2017) will appear at the end of September, but you can learn more and pre-order it at the link above.

Frau Pretscher has developed a series of walks in which dogs and their owners have to work together to solve a fictional crime – a murder mystery, a missing person or animal case, and the like. She sets up scent trails for the dogs and leaves clues for the humans along the trail.

I haven’t seen a more entertaining idea for canine-human activities in a long time.

These canine crime walks have proved so popular in Germany Pretscher is publishing her canine crime walks manual in October. She joins us today to talk about dogs, sleuthing, and having fun. If you prefer to read German, scroll down to the bottom to read the original interview.

Wenn Sie lieber auf Deutsch lesen, finden Sie das ursprünglische Gespräch auf Deutsch ganz unten.

Welcome, Eva Pretscher!

Author Eva Pretscher with her own dog. Courtesy of Eva Pretscher.

Why is it good to engage a dog with its sense of smell?

Because it’s the most natural activity and occupation for a dog. A dog has fun sniffing and uses smell to perceive its world – when I look at my dog, he would prefer to sniff uninterrupted on a walk.

Your canine crime walks simultaneously engage the dog’s owner with a murder mystery. How does that work?

Exactly. The people have to solve a case following a short introduction to the story, and then it starts. The dog sniffs out the trail and the clues that are necessary to solving the case and the people have to logically connect them to solve the case. Without the olfactory performance of the dog, it would be hard to find the clues, so the people have to rely on the dog’s talents.

With your book, can a dog owner put together canine crime walks him- or herself?

 Well, not exactly. There should be a third person to set up/plan the canine crime walks. Otherwise the fun factor would get lost, because if I myself would set up the clues, then there would be no challenge in finding them.

The boxed set of clues you’ll receive when you purchase Eva Pretscher’s book. Courtsey of the Kynos Verlag.

What kind of murder mysteries do you use? Can you give us an example?

 They are completely different cases. In the book you’ll find instructions and all the material for 10 cases. They are similarly structured. It always starts with a description of the crime; then comes an inspection of the crime scene, and then the relevant clues that solve the case must be found in the vicinity. And there are various additional puzzles (anagrams or questions to consider…) that always fit to that particular case.

 What do you use as an odor to lay the trail for the canine crime walks?

 The simplest solution is liverwurst water – it’s easy to prepare and even “inexperienced” noses can smell the trail and follow it well.

Do the dogs also learn something?

 Well, of course!