Do You Want to Reinforce Sniffing During a Search?

What to listen for:

In today’s episode of K9 Detection Collaborative, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing discuss the keys to cleaning up your dog’s behavior chain to help them stay on track and avoid distractions in the field.

When it comes to reinforcing behavior, it’s just as important to get clear on when not to train particular habits. Their rule of thumb? Avoid reinforcing tactics during moments of frustration in your dog. It’s important to be systematic when training for search & rescue scenarios, setting clear boundaries and expectations for your dog, all while respecting their autonomy so that they can make snap decisions with confidence in high-stakes situations.

With Deb Jones's Focus Unified Field Theory as their guide, the Dames of Detection navigate the complexities of canine focus in four areas—external, self, trainer, and task focuses. Understanding these focus types is crucial for managing distractions and maintaining a dog's attention during challenging search tasks.

They dive into strategies that build a strong reinforcement system, allowing dogs to handle complex searches without becoming overwhelmed. They also explain why it’s crucial to actively train blank areas with the intention of striking a balance between engagement and overwhelm for both handler and dog.

Finally, Robin, Stacy, and Crystal define “self-employing” actions, and why it’s a good idea to steer clear from reinforcing such behaviors, as well as the keys to nurturing understanding when building on and optimizing your dog’s behavior chain.

Key Topics:

• Why You Shouldn’t Try Reinforcing Behaviors During Moments of Frustration (00:00)
• Systematic Searching and Maintaining Your Dog’s Autonomy (05:51)
• When and When Not to Praise Your Dog (10:53)
• Four Types of Focus (17:52)
• The Importance of Actively Training Blank Areas (25:50)
• “Don’t Reinforce Them For Self-Employing” (29:30)
• Building the Desire to do the Job Right (35:13)
• Building Understanding (41:03)
• Dames of Detection Takeaways (50:48)

Resources:

• Deb Jones and the F.O.C.U.S Dog Training System: https://k9infocus.com/shiny-new-thoughts-on-focus/ | https://k9infocus.com/
• Join Robin for her winter webinar series!
• FENZI Webinars
• FENZI Camp

We want to hear from you:

• Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!
• K9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!
• Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!
• Crystal Wing K9 Coach can be found here at CB K9 and here at Evolution Working Dog Club. Also, check out her Functional Obedience Class here.
• You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at