Helfers NW Seminar, part 4

The last part of the seminar talked about training.  Fred has a four step approach to each training experience to ensure the dog has a successful and positive experience.

• Develop a Plan - You get greater consistency if you have a plan, short, medium and long range.  Still, be prepared to be flexible when things don't go according to plan.
• Conduct a Safety Check - Check all areas/equipment/etc for hazards to both dog and person.  
• Each environment has a potential to contain hazards, usually sharp or protruding objects.  Also watch for things that could tip over.  Remember vehicles could be dripping unsafe fluids, such as antifreeze.
• Also be aware that you don't put hides in places that will cause the dog discomfort, such as on a hot metal surface they might touch with the nose.
• Check the Environment - Check for air flow throughout the environment, air conditioning, temperature, distractions... which all combine to tell you what to do to make sure the search/training is successful.
• Air is always moving, even in interiors - kitchen & bathroom vents, doorways, windows, a/c, sun shining through windows, duct work, even switch plates and electrical outlets.  Know the wind direction and strength so you can estimate how the odor will flow around buildings and other items during exteriors and how it will flow under and around vehicles.  Whenever possible start from the downwind side - even if that means quickly passing straight through the search area to get there, though be prepared to follow the dog's lead.
• Temperature affects how much scent molecules disperse, humidity levels and how much water your dog needs before and after searches.
• Distractions are everywhere and not just for the dog - verbal and physical from other people, food, other animals, and new environments.  Handlers can be distracted by their own dog and forget to cover all the things they identified in their plan.
• Have a Plan "B" - Fred says that training and testing are two distinctly different things.  Always have a plan so that your training challenges don't unintentionally turn into testing.  Always end on with success.

 Make sure your training plan covers all the contingencies you can think of, such as:

• hot vs. cold
• dry conditions vs. humidity
• different floor/ground surfaces
• food distractions
• use of heat from a wall heater to convect air up to curtains (like in a hotel room)
• in the rain and snow
• high wind, low wind and no wind
• buried source odor
• low quantities of odor, normal and super saturated odor
• on and off leash
• be aware of even tiny amounts of scent transfer
• NOTE:  I often see this in practices where I try to stick a tin somewhere and it doesn't attach, so I place it elsewhere.  Still even though the odor/oil is safely contained in the tin, the dogs ALWAYS pay extra attention to those spots.
• odor may be intensified when placed in a patch of sunlight
• odor pools in cool spots

Distractions in Training - always know the answers to the following:

• What are you trying to accomplish?
• Are you trying to fool the dog? 
• Are you setting up challenge proofing?
• Are you conducting a test?
• Are you teaching the dog to work unfamiliar smells?
• ESSENTIAL - Are you training or are you testing?

Change of Behavior - Your job is to be able to tell when the dog is IN or OUT of odor.  You must learn to identify what your dog's "tells" are for when he is in odor.  There will be some change of behavior (COB).  The COB occurs when the dog first gets in the area of odor, but is distinctly different from his detailing behavior to get to source.  Some are readily observable, such as snap backs (don't we all love those easy ones).  Some body language indications include: tail flag, tail wagging faster, tail stiffening, body stiffening, change in body carriage/posture, change in mouth (closed vs open).  Know your own dog. 

Handler Error - is defined as "verbal or physical communication by the handler which when interpreted by the canine will lead it to manipulate or not detect the odors for which it was trained".  He gave numerous examples, including but not limited to:

• over detailing - guiding the dog too much so it learns to become handler dependent and only sniffs where the handler indicates
• handler belief creates subtle handler behavior that "sells" the dog
• insistence on working to a pattern and ignoring the dog's vote
• failure to work the pattern 
• cuing the dog
• poor detailing/guiding skills
• unable to read the dog properly
• little to no search pattern
• belief that the dog should do all the work
• poor leash handling skills
• lack of knowledge of odor movement
• handler doesn't hold dog accountable
• preconceived idea that odor is or is not present
• preconceived idea that odor is or is not in a specific place in search area

REMEMBER ALWAYS - the dog is the EXPERT.