What does a potential detection dog need most?

Confidence, focus and a strong desire for a reward

What is a detection dog actually learning?

Which scent pattern matters and which ones do not

To teach the team to finish without forcing an alert

Airflow can carry the odor away from its source

Sitting, stopping or staring near the source

A glance, a pause or a change in leash tension

Hides move to new heights, depths, places and distractions

Odor moves, environments change, and reliability must be maintained

Question 1 of 8 Score 0

What does a potential detection dog need most?

Finding the target has to make something the dog loves happen.
What is a detection dog actually learning?

Repetition builds the link between the smell and the game.
Why do trainers set up blank searches with no target odor?

Tempting distractions are also placed nearby, with no reward.
Why might a dog change its behavior before it reaches the hidden odor?

You may see the pace change or the head turn as it closes in.
Which is a typical final response that says "it is here"?

For explosives, a passive response helps avoid disturbing the area.
How can a handler accidentally steer a dog?

Good training tests both members of the team.
What happens once the basic behavior is reliable?

The goal is to find the odor in places the team has never searched.
Why do certified detection teams keep training?

Passing once is not the finish line.