So True!

 

Why rewrite something that already says it so well? 

READ THIS:

https://sniffingaroundscentwork.com/2023/09/11/read-this-before-you-go-to-your-next-trial/

What to train AFTER a trial

You just got home from a sport detection trial and now are planning your training for the week. 

You DO plan your training, right? 

You're not just throwing hides out and running them, right? 

So what should you train after a trial?

Go through your trial notes and analyze your TEAM performance, dog AND handler. What went well and what needs improvement. 

You DO keep a trial journal, right? 

You take notes after every search, right?

Did you have a great weekend and qualified in every search? Congratulations! Plan some higher level challenges for this week.

Did you have some non-qualifying searches? Was it a dog error? Was it a handler error? Watch your video (you DO video your searches, right?), watch the debrief video, watch the walk-through video*, re-read your trial journal notes. Take some data and make a plan for setting up those challenges this week. Set easier versions if you think your dog needs to work through the steps of learning the challenge. Set some harder versions or figure out some proofing exercises if that's what's needed.

Train for your weaknesses. Train to fill the holes in your team's performance. In order to train for those weaknesses, you need to identify them!

For example, Dash struggled with some very high suspended hides in a recent trial. I've been setting up various versions of those hides several times per week, starting with some pretty low suspended hides. I'm gradually working up to placing VERY high suspended hides with converging odor, more challenging than we will likely encounter in a trial.

*If you are competing in AKC scentwork, make your own walk-through video. 

I Like To Watch

 

"I like to watch" is a line from the great 1979 movie "Being There" starring Peter Sellars. 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/being_there

I like to watch dogs work, and I especially like to watch dogs work detection. The more I watch, the more I learn about how odor moves and doesn't move, and about how different dogs solve puzzles and work out challenges. I learn about handling that is effective and helpful to the team, and I learn what handling is not so great. The more I know about how other dogs and handlers work helps me be a better handler in trials.

I'm fortunate that teaching classes allows me to watch a LOT. I am a little mystified by people who don't take every opportunity to watch the dogs work at class or at trials. In NACSW, competitors are never allowed to watch after they run, but AKC allows competitors to spectate after they run. You can also watch other searches in AKC. Watch the searches in the levels you aren't running! Watch the handling, watch how the dog approaches the search, watch the teamwork. Watch the whole class if you can, so you can see the different handling styles, different abilities, and different teamwork.

YouTube is an amazing tool for watching detection. Thousands of hours of video are available. It's not all great video, and you don't have to spend every waking moment watching, but check it out sometime and watch a search or two. It's free and very educational, especially the unsuccessful runs. Try to determine what went wrong. Did the handler make a mistake? Did the dog make a mistake?

My trial video playlist is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcMQBLdTF_ORivOvoX01eR6IkT3Pb726X

Watch and learn!

Cross training for scent work

One frequently asked question I get is "I want to do _________ (insert dog sport here) but will it mess up my nosework?"

The quick answer is NO, doing tracking/barn hunt/Utility/NASDA*/shed hunting**/etc is not going to mess up your nosework. In fact, I'm pretty sure that doing multiple scent sports enhances skills for ALL the scent sports. 

"But will my dog get confused and look for rats at a nosework trial?" No, probably not, because a Barn Hunt trial ring looks and smells completely different from a nosework search area (although I did a trial at a school once that had a rat cage in the science room). A tracking test field looks and smells different from a Utility ring. Visual context is important - straw bales or a lineup of vehicles, but I think dogs can smell what sport they are playing when they arrive at a trial or test. Or they quickly figure it out.

During July and August, my dogs take a little break from sport detection. There are no nosework trials, so it's a great time to do some cross-training. This year, I played around with beginning tracking. Antler shed hunting is another great energy-burner. For more ideas, check out "A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell" by Anne Lill Kvam. Train your detection dog to find your lost keys!

*NASDA - North American Sport Dog Association https://nasda.dog/

**North American Shed Hunting Dog Association https://www.sheddogtrainer.com/