# Focused Scenting for Disaster Search Canines



## Konnie Hein

A friend of mine (also a FEMA canine handler) and I have been tinkering around with a new method for training disaster search dogs. After going to a few Randy Hare seminars (and my friend also went to his trainer's course), we decided to adapt his method to train our dogs. The method requires high drive dogs, and no corrections are used in the training. The dog is allowed to make mistakes to learn for itself what actions bring reward. 

Lucky me, I'm the training coordinator for CTTF-1 and we just so happened to get a new bunch of handlers and dogs at around the same time I wanted to start using this method. They were willing guinea pigs and the experiment has really paid off. Here's some of what we're doing...

This Malinois has been worked in this method since the end of January. He's already doing searches on the rubble with ease, despite only doing search training once a week. This video was taken for demo purposes the other day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZMD-g9njEc

This Dutchie has only been worked on the barrels a handful of times. Nice, high-drive dog who learns fast. The Lab is my FEMA certified dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ceKISNJSlE

All of the barrels usually contain distraction items and, as you can see, we try to add distractions on the outside too.

We're giving a seminar this weekend here in CT to a few fellow FEMA and SUSAR folks. Hopefully they'll be as excited as we are about our new method. 

(and, for those of you who don't know, disaster search dogs are air-scenting dogs who search for live humans buried in rubble - thus the training with the person in the barrel)


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## Nancy Jocoy

Thanks for sharing. How is this different than what you normally do? 

It looks like a detector dog drill problem. I like the dog ignoring the distraction of its own handler.


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## Konnie Hein

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Thanks for sharing. How is this different than what you normally do?
> 
> It looks like a detector dog drill problem. I like the dog ignoring the distraction of its own handler.


There are a number of differences - most of them not shown in the video. USAR training varies from team to team, individual to individual. The first major difference is that most people only use one barrel to start. The dog is taught to bark at a person standing in the open and then that is transferred to the single barrel. The dog is taught to bark for a long duration at a single barrel (which is part of the certification process as well). Then that barrel is put on the rubble and the dog is taught to find the person in the barrel. Scentwork, distractions, etc. are not introduced in the beginning. 

The second difference is distractions. We add distractions from the beginning. The dog immediately learns to find the human scent and ignore other distractions. We don't correct the dog for focusing on distractions either. We manipulate the environment to allow the dog to learn that distractions have no meaning. A dog with the right drives for the work will learn on its own that distractions do not produce what it really wants, which is the game with the person.

In our method, the dog receives very few cues (runaways, help from the helper, etc.) and zero handler help during the training. As a result, we have fewer cues to fade as we progress and the dog does not depend on its handler to do the work. This is essential for a disaster search dog who must work completely independently of its handler.

The clarity and speed of learning is huge compared to what we were doing in the past. The dog becomes obedient to the odor and trusts only his nose, not his eyes or ears. When working in a very distracting environment such as a disaster, this trait is essential.

The major problem with the method is that it only works with high drive dogs. A dog with medium drive does not want the game with the helper badly enough to choose the game over distractions. That being said, a medium drive dog has no place in USAR training, whether using this method or traditional ones.


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## Nancy Jocoy

Have a question for you on high drive dogs

How do YOU slow them down so they don't wind up killing themselves on the rubble?


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## Konnie Hein

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Have a question for you on high drive dogs
> 
> How do YOU slow them down so they don't wind up killing themselves on the rubble?


We don't! They slow themselves down. We also try to introduce them to rubble gradually, starting with easy rubble and progressing to more difficult rubble. And sure, they might do a face-plant here or there in the beginning, but they have enough sense to learn how to move safely, to a degree. I say "to a degree" because it is my job as the handler to do all I can to keep my dog safe. That means directing them away from seriously dangerous areas.


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## Nancy Jocoy

Ah, I was wondering about that - it is a challenge I am facing for cadaver work is slowing the dog down and working closer in large areas with very small scent sources.

[not like detailing an area when you hit scent but rather close searching a large area]

We are working on that with some onlead pattern work, anyway, enough off track. Thanks for sharing the disaster approach with distractions as part of the foundation training.


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## Carol Boche

Interesting discussion. 
Method sounds REALLY close to what I use and yes, I wholeheartedly agree that HIGH drive dogs are the way to go, in any venue of SAR. 

Mediocre driven dogs have no place when it comes to looking for and saving human life. 
My Mal bitch is quick, and works large areas at a pretty fast speed, but she is methodical in her search patterns. (cadaver)
I notice that with the detailing and smaller areas, she does slow herself down. I usually do a hasty first and then ask her to detail and this works wonderfully. 
And my Dutch is the same way. 

I truly feel that utilizing the dogs speeds is necassary, and to take a dog with the correct drives and ask them to slow down right out of the crate can be an issue. 

For pile work, Rock is allowed to run around and "get the bugs out" before asking him to work on the pile. This is a safety issue for him. He is really good about gauging himself once he starts his search.


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## Nancy Jocoy

I think I will come back and add a new post on slowing down cadaver dogs.

Grim details fine when he hit scent but it takes him a long time to go from bat out of hell to methodical when we have a large open area with small scent sources (e.g., old scatter-or old grave). I realize, too, as they get more experience they get more methodical. 

We, too, usually do a hasty then go into a pattern.


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## Konnie Hein

Carol Boche said:


> Interesting discussion.
> Method sounds REALLY close to what I use and yes, I wholeheartedly agree that HIGH drive dogs are the way to go, in any venue of SAR.


Close to the method you use for live humans or HRD?

My friend who is teaching the seminar with me uses Randy Hare's detection training method and specialized boxes to train her cadaver dogs. She has a lot of success with it. I think the core differences between Randy's method and most of what I see in civilian HRD training is "the game (tugging with the toy is not done by the handler initially, allowing the handler to stay out of the picture)," allowing the dog to make mistakes without corrections or cueing, and lack of handler help/cues.

Do you use Jonni's method? It's been a long, long time since I've seen her teach HRD. However, the time I saw it, she was using a series of coffee cans or cinder blocks to contain the scent source. The dog was directed to each can and then rewarded at the correct can. That's hugely different from Randy's method, but her method probably has changed a lot since then.

Carol - I think you would love Randy's DVDs. They're very well done. His method is explained in great detail and I found them to be very informative, even after attending one of his seminars. 



> For pile work, Rock is allowed to run around and "get the bugs out" before asking him to work on the pile. This is a safety issue for him. He is really good about gauging himself once he starts his search.


What would you do in a deployment where safety issues prevent you from being able to run him around in this way? In general, the behavior you're describing is something we don't allow. I'm not being critical at all, just wondering how you would address this issue.


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## Carol Boche

I do not use the can or box method at all. I do use boxes, but they are sporadically placed and are used to keep critters out of overnight or buried hides. 
I do work with Jonni sometimes, but we agree to disagree on things if we feel strongly enough about it.  

For cadaver I use scented toys at first to imprint while working on a passive command...."platz, reward" "platz, reward"....gradually working on the command until the dog will do it anywhere they are at no matter where I am at. 

While I am teaching the command seperately, I place hides out and let the dog find them while on a walk...."good fish", "find the fish", "show me fish"....this way the dog learns that the command to find cadaver is "go fish". 

Once the dog is finding source when asked to do so I them implement the trained behavior I want as a final response. Platz. sitz or whatever. I do not believe in having an aggressive alert with HRD dogs. 

This is brief I know, but I do not agree with box training as a whole. Might be a time and a place in training to use it, but as an entire method....mmmmm doesn't trip my trigger. 

Similar methods used for live find as well......
As far as Rock....maybe run around was too broad for me to use with him...if I get him out and do a couple "catch" throws with the ball at about 6 feet, or walk him briskly he is also fine. Anything to take a little edge off of being crated, and knowing he gets to do wha he LOVES to do. 
I believe is giving the dog a chance to "do their business" before working as well, so this falls into the category for me as well. 

I probably would like Randy's videos, feel free to send me some more info on them.


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## Nancy Jocoy

I remember the days when Jonni taught the cans [she used paint cans] I hear she has moved to the scented tennis ball throw method - Chris Weeks worked one on one with us [he taught her bomb detection, I believe at the Raleigh airport where she worked] and we did a lot of throws - not with the tennis balls which he did not like, but with pvc tubes with material in them. 

Grim was imprinted on cadaver by Dan Reiter of K9-BSD [he was owned by him as a demo dog before I got him, but his other dog to which he had formed a relationship, Milo, had a death wish for Grim - anyway- I wound up with him - maybe 2 intact males under the same roof not a good idea] - anyway - he used the remote ball popper and I would love one of those - it has better aim than I do.


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## Konnie Hein

Carol Boche said:


> I do not use the can or box method at all. I do use boxes, but they are sporadically placed and are used to keep critters out of overnight or buried hides.
> I do work with Jonni sometimes, but we agree to disagree on things if we feel strongly enough about it.
> 
> For cadaver I use scented toys at first to imprint while working on a passive command...."platz, reward" "platz, reward"....gradually working on the command until the dog will do it anywhere they are at no matter where I am at.
> 
> While I am teaching the command seperately, I place hides out and let the dog find them while on a walk...."good fish", "find the fish", "show me fish"....this way the dog learns that the command to find cadaver is "go fish".
> 
> Once the dog is finding source when asked to do so I them implement the trained behavior I want as a final response. Platz. sitz or whatever. I do not believe in having an aggressive alert with HRD dogs.


So the foundation of their training isn't done in while they are in high-drive mode? How do you get them to work in high drive mode then? Obviously your dog works in high drive mode because I saw her doing so in a video you posted ages ago on leerburg.com. Just wondering how you transfer from obedience mode to crazy mode.

I know my friend and Randy both do not agree with scented toys. You'd have to talk to them to get the low-down on why though. I would probably not explain it as well as they can.



> This is brief I know, but I do not agree with box training as a whole. Might be a time and a place in training to use it, but as an entire method....mmmmm doesn't trip my trigger.


Definitely look into Randy's videos then. By far the best detection method I've ever seen, but that's my opinion.
http://www.randyhare.com/randyhare_staging/?/rh/entry/68/

He starts with boxes and quickly graduates to other forms of training. I've honestly never seen dogs learn so quickly as I have seen when his method is used. The means by which to obtain reward is very clear to the dog.



> As far as Rock....maybe run around was too broad for me to use with him...if I get him out and do a couple "catch" throws with the ball at about 6 feet, or walk him briskly he is also fine. Anything to take a little edge off of being crated, and knowing he gets to do wha he LOVES to do.
> I believe is giving the dog a chance to "do their business" before working as well, so this falls into the category for me as well.


That makes sense. Warming a dog up before having it sprint all around is probably a good thing.


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## Konnie Hein

Nancy Jocoy said:


> I remember the days when Jonni taught the cans [she used paint cans] I hear she has moved to the scented tennis ball throw method - Chris Weeks worked one on one with us [he taught her bomb detection, I believe at the Raleigh airport where she worked] and we did a lot of throws - not with the tennis balls which he did not like, but with pvc tubes with material in them.
> 
> Grim was imprinted on cadaver by Dan Reiter of K9-BSD [he was owned by him as a demo dog before I got him, but his other dog to which he had formed a relationship, Milo, had a death wish for Grim - anyway- I wound up with him - maybe 2 intact males under the same roof not a good idea] - anyway - he used the remote ball popper and I would love one of those - it has better aim than I do.


Can you explain the purpose of throwing pvc tubes containing the scent source?


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## Carol Boche

Absolutely LOVE Chris Weeks. Have worked with him a few times and would kill for him to be closer.


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## Nancy Jocoy

Carol Boche said:


> Absolutely LOVE Chris Weeks. Have worked with him a few times and would kill for him to be closer.


Before he moved away [cries big tears] we contracted with him to set up our training program for the trailing dogs - and he worked with the cadaver dogs too - he is still working with us but not monthly like he was. We had him down this summer. He is a real decent human being too. Straight as an arrow, no ego, and good with people.


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## Nancy Jocoy

Konnie Hein said:


> Can you explain the purpose of throwing pvc tubes containing the scent source?


The throws are for motivational and imprinting. Chris built his career after the military teaching airport security how to train bomb dogs [went all over the country] and starts them all with the aggressive searching and retrieving. [and stakes his life on transitioning over to passive alert] - you start with throws for imprinting then - start throwing int bush etc dog has to search - then advance to placing tube in search area -[several steps in progression from seeing you leave with tube to just being taken to area] -- all of our dogs are passive alert and don't have any problems with mouthing at this point in their training.

I don't think it is really different than what a lot of detection dog handlers do. 

Many ways to skin a cat.


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## Konnie Hein

Absolutely, there are many ways to effectively train an HRD dog, but I wonder if the "imprinting" that you're talking about is even necessary. 

I'm pretty sure you're right, it's what a lot of detection handlers do.


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## Carol Boche

Konnie Hein said:


> So the foundation of their training isn't done in while they are in high-drive mode? How do you get them to work in high drive mode then? Obviously your dog works in high drive mode because I saw her doing so in a video you posted ages ago on leerburg.com. Just wondering how you transfer from obedience mode to crazy mode.


Well, I am not sure how to explain this clearly, but here it goes. 

I did not do a lot of obedience work with Jesea as a pup, she got to run around and just be the crazy pup she was, and she is still like that, although she now knows, sitz, platz, heir, place, fuss, speak, nay...ect (most commands from a distance as well). 
I guess she is always in drive if you want to go that route, everything is done at 100mph unless she is on lead or I ask her to detail. 

I hope that makes sense. I am really lucky as I have really drivey dogs. Sometimes it drives me nuts as I would love to have a dog lay at my feet while I watch a movie, but Rock will do that although he is usually staring at a ball while doing it. 

To be honest, if a dog is crazy for a ball or tug, then I love to work them. I do not care for having dogs of my own that can be or need to be turned on and off. 

If I want that, I will get a cat.


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## Carol Boche

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Before he moved away [cries big tears] we contracted with him to set up our training program for the trailing dogs - and he worked with the cadaver dogs too - he is still working with us but not monthly like he was. We had him down this summer. He is a real decent human being too. Straight as an arrow, no ego, and good with people.


I am bringing him in in October this year....YAY YAY YAY!!!!!


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## Kevin Cramer

I think the key to the Randy Hare videos is the "positive fight drive", the desire for the dog to fight for his prey object. I like how using his method, the dog learns that the only fight is at the source odor, thus the dog stays at the source instead of looking back at the handler or leaving the source odor for his toy.

I have to watch his videos again but I believe he doesn't scent his toys because the dog is not to indicate on the smell of tennis balls, towels, etc... By not scenting the toys, you have less proofing to do later on and the dog learns the only satisfaction comes from source odor and not ball odor, towel odor, etc...

All this being said I've never trained a detection dog in anything though I'll be starting in the next few weeks, once I get some of his scratch boxes made. I'm just not sure what I'm going to use as source odor. I'm just fooling around with his method at this point for my own experience.


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## Jennifer Coulter

Konnie,

I appreciated the videos. I like the idea of the way you are working in the distractions. Teaches the dog to ignore the stupid humans right from the get go.

My air scent dog has never seen a barrel in his life. We do start the avi dog pups with multiple above ground snowcaves so it is somewhat similar. For us we are looking for the digging instead of the barking so the progression is somewhat different. 

Look like some nice dogs you are working with.:grin:


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## Carol Boche

Kevin Cramer said:


> I have to watch his videos again but I believe he doesn't scent his toys because the dog is not to indicate on the smell of tennis balls, towels, etc... By not scenting the toys, you have less proofing to do later on and the dog learns the only satisfaction comes from source odor and not ball odor, towel odor, etc...


Makes sense, although I have done and still set out proofing aides, (dead animals, plain gauze, new tennis balls, rolled towels, meat or other food, ect.....) and Jesea finds the cadaver. I have had no problems with her indicating or picking anything up after asking her to "go fish" (when she was young she got a firm "leave it"). This tells me that the tug reward is worth more to her than anything else. 

I have also been at trainings where others hide the source and then set out stuff that we, as handlers are not aware is there (my hubby likes to do this too) and have not had an issue that way either. 

Big thing for me is that the handler NEEDS to be able to "read" their dog both when in odor and when not so that they can positively correct for unwanted behaviors. 

Do I ever have to say "leave it" to any of my dogs? 
Well, of course, they are dogs after all, but the important thing is that it is not all that often and they get right back to work without any prompting from me.


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## Kris Dow

A question which popped up after watching the videos: How much trouble do handlers with search dogs (not just SAR, but also cadaver, avalanche, etc) have with making sure the dog isn't reading the handler for cues but instead following the scent?

I'm thinking of the fact that we unconsciously give away a lot in our body language, and a handler may think one area of the search grid is more likely to be fruitful than another, and so be unintentionally discouraging the dogs from searching in an area. 

Obviously, part of the point of methodical search is to avoid missing things, for whatever reason, and SOME determinations about the likeliness of a find are made before the dogs even go out (when someone decides where to search and in what order to search areas, based on chances of a find) but I was wondering how much that kind of subtle distraction is a problem.


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## Konnie Hein

Carol Boche said:


> Well, I am not sure how to explain this clearly, but here it goes.
> 
> I did not do a lot of obedience work with Jesea as a pup, she got to run around and just be the crazy pup she was, and she is still like that, although she now knows, sitz, platz, heir, place, fuss, speak, nay...ect (most commands from a distance as well).
> I guess she is always in drive if you want to go that route, everything is done at 100mph unless she is on lead or I ask her to detail.
> 
> I hope that makes sense. I am really lucky as I have really drivey dogs. Sometimes it drives me nuts as I would love to have a dog lay at my feet while I watch a movie, but Rock will do that although he is usually staring at a ball while doing it.
> 
> To be honest, if a dog is crazy for a ball or tug, then I love to work them. I do not care for having dogs of my own that can be or need to be turned on and off.
> 
> If I want that, I will get a cat.


I don't think you're "lucky" to have drivey dogs - you chose the dogs because they were drivey. That's not luck, that's being smart!

I guess what I'm getting at is that when you're commanding or training a dog to do its indication, you're teaching it to perform the indication while it's not working in the top 20% of its drive. I've always felt that if you allow the dog to learn the indication while working in the top 20% of its drive, then you'll get a stronger indication from the dog during training or actual work. For some very high drive dogs, it probably won't make a huge enough difference to affect their work. But for others, the drop in drive might put them out of drive totally (or drop their drive enough to allow distractions or nerve issues to interfere with their work). And, I always want my dog working and indicating while being as high in drive as possible regardless. 

2 examples of training a dog to bark for its toy. The difference illustrates my point. The first clip is training the dog. Note how he takes the toy and tugs. Note that I corrected him for jumping on me, so he immediately goes into obedience bark mode. He is not working in the top 20% of his drive. The second clip is where he's jacked up into drive and is learning that a bark and forward lunging gets the reward. He's definitely working in the top 20% of his drive (although I didn't want to jack him up too much because he'll flip himself over or break my line) and he's being rewarded for being in that state of drive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdAKNhSasxU

There's a lot of detail to what I'm saying, and it's tough to convey all that detail in the context of a discussion forum. Hopefully I'm getting my point across. It might be that I mis-read your post Carol - maybe the platz-reward is done in such a way to elicit that state of high drive. 

Either way, whatever you're doing obviously works! However, just thought this was a good topic for discussion.


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## Konnie Hein

Jennifer Coulter said:


> My air scent dog has never seen a barrel in his life. We do start the avi dog pups with multiple above ground snowcaves so it is somewhat similar. For us we are looking for the digging instead of the barking so the progression is somewhat different.
> 
> Look like some nice dogs you are working with.:grin:


Thanks!

We actually start with letting them dig and rewarding them for it. We're rewarding their heightened state of drive really. We quickly fade that (within one training session usually) by only rewarding on the bark.


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## Konnie Hein

Carol Boche said:


> Big thing for me is that the handler NEEDS to be able to "read" their dog both when in odor and when not so that they can positively correct for unwanted behaviors.
> 
> Do I ever have to say "leave it" to any of my dogs?
> Well, of course, they are dogs after all, but the important thing is that it is not all that often and they get right back to work without any prompting from me.


For the most part, I don't give corrections in scent work training. I figure I can't see scent, so I don't know if they are truly in scent or not (or if it is the target odor they are scenting or distraction odor or ?). You can't always rely on body language. A dog will not look like he's in scent if he really doesn't care about the scent at the moment. Tough to tell whether he's purposefully ignoring the target odor or if it's just not blowing his direction. 

Although, if my dog starts running off to chase an animal, then I can be sure he's not in target odor. That's a different scenario for sure. Maybe that's what you're talking about.

I had a really great discussion with Lou Castle recently about corrections in scent work. Maybe he'll chime in if he has time. The discussion was centered around e-collars, but it applies to different types of corrections as well.


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## Konnie Hein

Kris Dow said:


> A question which popped up after watching the videos: How much trouble do handlers with search dogs (not just SAR, but also cadaver, avalanche, etc) have with making sure the dog isn't reading the handler for cues but instead following the scent?
> 
> I'm thinking of the fact that we unconsciously give away a lot in our body language, and a handler may think one area of the search grid is more likely to be fruitful than another, and so be unintentionally discouraging the dogs from searching in an area.
> 
> Obviously, part of the point of methodical search is to avoid missing things, for whatever reason, and SOME determinations about the likeliness of a find are made before the dogs even go out (when someone decides where to search and in what order to search areas, based on chances of a find) but I was wondering how much that kind of subtle distraction is a problem.


Handler body language can be a huge cue if the trainer allows it to be one. That's something we also work into our distractions. Notice that the dogs don't look back at their handlers in my videos. We also incorporate the handlers into the distractions by having them come up and walk around or bang on the barrels or whatever. The dog quickly learns the handler is of no help in determining the location of the target odor.

I think most detection trainers work pretty hard at proofing their dogs off cues.


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## Carol Boche

Konnie Hein said:


> For the most part, I don't give corrections in scent work training. I figure I can't see scent, so I don't know if they are truly in scent or not (or if it is the target odor they are scenting or distraction odor or ?). You can't always rely on body language. A dog will not look like he's in scent if he really doesn't care about the scent at the moment. Tough to tell whether he's purposefully ignoring the target odor or if it's just not blowing his direction.
> 
> Although, if my dog starts running off to chase an animal, then I can be sure he's not in target odor. That's a different scenario for sure. Maybe that's what you're talking about.
> 
> I had a really great discussion with Lou Castle recently about corrections in scent work. Maybe he'll chime in if he has time. The discussion was centered around e-collars, but it applies to different types of corrections as well.


mmmm, maybe I should have said, if my dogs mouth is moving or looking like they are trying to chew, they get a leave it. 

If my dog is "stacking" and showing interest in something but not going to final indication then that warrants me to walk that way and see what is going on. I trust my dog to do what she is trained to do, so therefore I follow up on things that seem different, however she has always been very reliable with her body language and the way she works cadaver odor. 

As a handler, I really try and stay out of her way while working. She could care less if I am there and rarely looks back at me unless she is at source, performing her indication and expecting her tug. IF she throws an indication and is incorrect, I do nothing, except stand quietly and wait her out. Have not had that in a while, and it was more so when she was young and testing her limits and seeing if she could get the reward on "the edge" of scent rather than working into it and getting as close as she could.


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## Carol Boche

I think this is a great discussion and am glad to be involved, as I learn from discussions like this. 

For the record....I use a passive sitz, I used platz for an example. 
Jesea sits quick and with absolute determination. I can definitely tell her "found it" from her obedient sitz command. 

I agree Konnie, it is hard to discuss this stuff sometimes.....need to get the video on here...


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## Konnie Hein

Carol Boche said:


> I think this is a great discussion and am glad to be involved, as I learn from discussions like this.
> 
> For the record....I use a passive sitz, I used platz for an example.
> Jesea sits quick and with absolute determination. I can definitely tell her "found it" from her obedient sitz command.


I remember from your video on leerburg that she does sit quickly. 

I'd like to visually see your training progression. You should put it all on video and post it here (kidding!!!).

I've only seen a few methods for training HRD or other similar detection work and I didn't like the results of any of them until I saw Randy's method. I liked it so much that I re-vamped our entire CTTF-1 canine training program to model it. Like Nancy said though, there's more than one way to skin a cat.


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## Carol Boche

I will have to do a search and find some of his videos...I am assuming he has them for sale somewhere?


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## Konnie Hein

Yep - www.randyhare.com


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## Carol Boche

Thanks Konnie. 

I will be putting in an order when I get home from work.


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## Konnie Hein

I'll be putting all my Focused Scenting videos on my new youtube page:

www.youtube.com/focusedscenting

So far I've uploaded 2 vids - one showing a few characteristics of a dog with the "right stuff" for our method of training a dog for disaster search work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuiw8nbCuM4

and another showing what we call "obedience to odor." This is when the odor takes over the canine's motor skills so he is driven by his sense of smell and ignores his visual and auditory senses. The barrels are full of distractions including food/garbage, the dog's own tug toys, balls-on-ropes being bounced up and down, etc. The dog had been training on the barrels for the past few days (this was his 3rd time total on the barrels) and the "helper" he was seeking had been previously located in the barrels. We changed it up and put the helper (which happened to be me) in the box. You can see the moment he catches my scent and whips his head around to follow his nose to the box. His drive for the game (playing tug with the helper) overrides all the distractions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsvYDKT3MCM#


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