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I’m a little late to the party on this thread but I just wanted to add that ANSI/ASB Standard 092 (https://www.aafs.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/092_Std_e1.pdf) says that for room searches explosive detection dogs should take no longer than 1.5 min per 100 square feet searched (e.g. if the room is 500 sq. ft. it should take no mare than 7.5 minutes to complete the search). Teams are allowed 2 minutes per vehicle in a parking lot search. Open area searches are 1 minute per 1000 square ft (for a 30,000 sq. ft. search the total search time allowed is 30 min.) I did not try to look up standards for other types of detection, I have this standard saved for easy access, but would imagine they are similar. Generally speaking dogs are allowed more time if they are detail searching an area based on a change of behavior called by the handler. That should give someone rough guidelines of how long it should take to complete searches.
Detection is a team sport, its the handlers job to asses and plan the search to get the most out of the dog they have, the conditions at the time of the search and the amount of area they have to clear need to be considered. The target odor in question may even need to be taken into consideration when planning a search. Something like explosives with very little vapor pressure means the dog may need to get closer to source compared with narcotics which are easier for dogs to find. It’s likely the explosives dog will require a little more prompting to make sure it fully searches all areas. Part of the handlers job is to know what their dog needs to complete the task at hand.
I do agree with Mike, when I have a larger area I tend to default to a more structured search in order conserve the energy of the dog and make the search more organized.
