Embracing the Power of Choice

No matter your preferred Scent Work training methodology or school of thought, we must grapple with a stark truth: we cannot force our dogs to use their nose. They must choose to do so. Attempts to “force” the dog to scent when we demand it is often met with displacement behaviors, disengagement behaviors or worse.

“But I imprinted them on the odor, that should be enough!”

Think back to your field trip searches or trial outings. How often did the environment win? In what context and what did this look like? Was the dog simply enamored by something or were they afraid of it?

Our dogs are inquisitive and curious creatures. They will notice novelty and often wish to investigate it, even from afar. This interest can spring from a place of excitement, worry, concern or even fear. In that moment, your dog is expending all of their attention and energy on the “thing”, not what you asked them to hunt for.

They have chosen, in that moment, that the best option for them is the “thing”. Understanding why is crucially important!

If our dog is excited and playful with the novel “thing”, we should ask ourselves some questions. Does the dog enjoy playing the sniffing game the way we have designed it or has it become stuffy, boring, overly challenging or icky? If the novel “thing” is eliciting a more excited and engaged response than our search, that is a problem!

What if the dog wasn’t excited by the novel “thing”, but rather bothered by it? Once again, this should fire off all the alarm bells. If our dogs do not feel safe, they cannot work. Period. What is it about this novel “thing”, the environment it is in, or the situation overall that is making them feel uneasy? How can we help them feel more secure and confident? The answer may very well exist entirely outside the context of Scent Work to start, but it must be addressed if we wish for our searches to be more successful.

Yet the downfall for many teams is the misconception that the dog MUST search, denying them any agency and choice, and thus overlooking these critical assessments while assigning incorrect and ill-suited solutions. 

How often have we responded to “distracted searching” by declaring proofing as the sole and only answer? Proofing alone is not going to make the sniffing game more fun and engaging nor will it build the dog’s confidence.

“What am I supposed to do then?!”

Wholeheartedly grant your dog the choice to work a search and openly listen to their answer. If they say, “No”, instead of insisting, “OH YES YOU WILL!”, ask “Why?”

Shift from shouting decrees in your searches to asking questions, making suggestions and having an honest two-way conversation with your dog.

For example, let’s say you design an exterior search and your dog clearly tells you the hole where the bunnies live is WAY more exciting and fun than that silly ole hide you set. Can we really argue with that? Moving, breathing, furry creatures far surpass boring stationary tins.

Your dog chose the bunnies. Your job is to get creative. 

How can you make that boring stationary metal tin of yours more closely resemble fun scurrying prey? Can you do some exercises where the tin moves? Perhaps attaching it to a string and having an assistant pull it away as the dog closes in on it. Maybe having the tin in your hand, showing it to the dog and tossing it out for them to chase. 

What does your reinforcement sequence look like? Is it prompting the same type of adrenaline rush your dog must feel as they are closing in on a fleeing creature? If not, what can you change so it does? This doesn’t necessarily require using toys! Consider how to make your treat delivery more dynamic, energetic and engaging for your dog.

Think about your environment. Do you need to be searching next to the bunny hole right now? What about building a deeper history of your dog choosing the hide over all else in less enticing environments first? Then progress to where the bunny hole is way off in the distance and slowly lessen that distance over a period of time.

If all goes well, then offer a choice point: here is a hide that you can clearly find and a bunny hole, which one will you choose? 

Be earnest with this choice and truly listen to your dog.

If they choose the hide, come alive with your reward. Make it clear this was the best option and they won the jackpot with their choice.

What if they opted to investigate the bunny hole instead? No worries. Simply end the run with a “NICE TRY” said in a kind tone of voice, put them up without any negative emotion and make an adjustment. 

For some dogs, you can leverage jealousy. If your dog is comfortable watching other dogs work, place them inside of a crate at a distance from the search area. Run another dog on the same problem, making certain the hide is very straightforward. The moment Dog #2 successfully finds the hide, reward them with a ridiculous amount of treats, praise and play. 
Dogs do not like to share and your dog just watched another pooch get all their cookies and loving, the nerve!

Wait a few minutes and then run your dog again on the same problem. The prior dog clearly demonstrated what the right choice was, was the lesson learned? If the answer is yes, heavily reward your dog and end the session with a huge play party. 

If your dog still opted for the bunnies, end the game and go back to the drawing board. How can you increase the value of the game and the value of the reinforcement while lessening the allure of the environment?

Essentially, the dog’s choice is information, providing essential data necessary to make informed decisions when we are either training or trialing.

At no point should we throw up our hands and declare, “My dog can never search near bunny holes!” Instead, we should ask our dog what they need for the bunny hole to be the less desirable choice. This can be cemented in day-to-day life. When you are out in the yard with your dog and they notice the squirrels in the tree, do they look back at you? Reward them! They chose to engage with you instead of rushing over and obsessing over the squirrels! 

Yes, this approach can absolutely work with terriers, as my tiny terrier can attest. It is about always listening to our dogs, granting them choices and rewarding them when they make choices we like. 

Now let’s consider the opposite end of the spectrum. 

You set an exterior hide and your dog chooses instead to become invested in the environment, not with excitement but due to concern.

We must individualize our approach. Blanket suggestions are ill-advised. Where it may be appropriate to redirect some dogs in other situations the only appropriate response is to immediately end the search and get the dog to where they feel safe.

The important part is assessing what concerns the dog. Was it something within the search itself or outside of the search area? Was it a single trigger, such as a noise, type of movement or being touched by something or a confluence of factors? How can you address these concerns in training away from Scent Work and separate from odor?

As an example, if your dog startled over a sudden loud noise and jolted into a nearby object that touched them, you may need to address both sound and tactile sensitivities. These exercises should also focus on offering the dog agency and choice, to CHOOSE to engage in an activity while they hear sounds or CHOOSE to be touched by something. 

The possibility of poisoning the activity of hunting and Scent Work is very real, so this type of work should be done outside the context of Scent Work altogether to start. Listen to what the dog is telling you. If they are no longer concerned about the noises or being touched by things, perhaps you can offer one of those factors in a reduced form in a search. Grant the dog the choice: can you do this search or not and honor their answer.

Dogs who are actively choosing are more engaged in the search. The fluid back-and-forth conversation between dog and handler, asking questions, making suggestions and heeding responses is a thing of beauty we should all aspire to reach.

Consider your own searches, both when training and trialing. Are you granting your dog choice? In what ways? Can you offer more choice opportunities? If so, how and when?

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

• Be Brave: Using Scent Work to Build Confidence Webinar
• Building Endurance in Container Searches Webinar
• Components of Scent Work: Value of Odor Webinar
• Decoding Toy Obsession in Your Searches Webinar
• Find Your Hide - Proofing for Crittering Webinar
• Masterful Mazes Webinar
• Sighthounds and Scent Work: Does It Work Webinar
  

Dianna has been training dogs professionally since 2011. She has done everything from teaching group training classes and private lessons, to specializing in working with fearful, reactive and aggressive dogs, to being a trial official and competition organization staff member.

Following a serious neck and back injury, Dianna was forced to retire from in-person dog training. But she was not ready to give up her passion! So, she created Pet Dog U and Scent Work University to provide outstanding online dog training to as many dog handlers, owners and trainers possible…regardless of where they live! Dianna is incredibly grateful to the amazingly talented group of instructors who have joined PDU and SWU and she looks forward to the continued growth of PDU and SWU and increased learning opportunities all of these online dog training platforms can provide.

In June 2021, Dianna and her business partner, Sean McMurray launched Cyber Scent Work, an organization that operates in the gray space between training and trialing in Scent Work. With Cyber Scent Work, handlers have the opportunity to earn Qs, titles and ribbons while also receiving helpful training advice regardless of whether they qualify or not! The advent of the Cyber Sniffing Games, Traditional Cyber Scent Work Program, in-person and online assessments have been met with much fanfare! Be sure to check out Cyber Scent Work, you will be happy you did!