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!