Seeing Through a Dog’s Nose – Canine Nose Lecture #5

We have only just begun to unlock the potential of a dog’s nose.  We use their amazing ability to detect just about everything from bombs and drugs to mold and bed bugs to essential oils and even cancer.  Training for canine scent searches requires a high level of skill from the dog and even more so from handler who is going to be observing those changes in behavior indicating the presence of a target odor. But just like some buildings that reach high into the sky, they are only as good as their foundation. If it doesn’t have a solid base, that building will come crashing down. The same happens in the wonderful world of detection work if a solid foundation hasn’t been formed.  The more advanced the K9 team gets, the more important a solid, and constantly reinforced, foundation is.  This is done through training, testing, and on-going maintenance training.  Pete will discuss the absolute need for patience, something we as humans often lack, and the pitfalls of moving too quickly.  

In addition to the foundation, what are we searching for when training for canine scent searches? Target odors come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and amounts.  Can your dog get you to the source no matter how much odor is out there? Odor thresholds are often forgotten as part of both foundational and on-going training.  The importance of varying the amounts of target odor from very small to overwhelming is another key element for a K9 team to be successful.  Pete has some techniques to allow you to be successful at both ends of the spectrum.

Speaker: Pete Stevens

When: May 22, 2019
Time: 8:00-9:30 PM EST (1:00 AM UTC)
(To be recorded and available OnDemand after the lecture) 
You will have access to both the Live lecture and the recording. 

****Due to the nature of these webinars being recorded live, at the speakers home or office, there will/may be some technical issues that can not be helped or edited without losing important portions of the lecture.

In this webinar, we will discuss:

• Foundational training:
  • The key element of foundational training is patience!
  • What are the pitfalls of moving too fast or too slow?
• Reinforcing the foundations:
  • No matter at what level you are, you are never too good to reinforce your foundational training.
  • The higher your level, the more important the foundation!
• Odor thresholds:
  • You never know just how much odor is out there for your dog’s nose to get into.
  • Small amounts of odor vs “odor bombs” and everything in between.

Cost: $25.00 USD

CEU’s:
CCPDT – 2 (2 CPDT-KA; 1 CBCC-KA)
IAABC – 2 
PPAB/PPG – 2 CEUs
NADOI – 2 CEUs
IACP – 2 CEUs

Pete Stevens,CA POST K9 Evaluator, CNCA Certifying Official, Trial Judge NACSW/ USCSS, is a 29 year law enforcement veteran in Southern California.  He has been handling and training dogs professionally and for sport since 2000.  Pete has handled 3 Police Service Dogs during his career.  Two single purpose (Patrol Dog “Bob” KNPV Ph1 Dutch Shepherd and Narcotics Detection Dog “Snitch”  Black Lab) and one dual purpose (Patrol/Narcotics Dog “Turbo” Belgian Malinois).  Pete is a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) K9 team evaluator (patrol/narcotics) and a Certifying Official for the California Narcotic Canine Association (CNCA) for Patrol and Detection. He is also a trial judge for NACSW and USCSS. Pete is one of the Founding members of The Scentsable K9 which conducts scent detection seminars and workshops using real world instructors.

Seeing Through a Dog’s Nose – Canine Nose Lecture #4

Training the Nosework Dog

Competition detection is different than other canine sports in that the dog already knows how to sniff and to some degree, search.  Dogs are born as Harvard graduates in Olfaction.  However, by utilizing what we know about air flow and scent, we can help mold them into Rocket Scientists in Olfaction.  The key is in using odor itself to educate the nosework dog.

The key to training an efficient and effective search or nosework dog is to systematically expose the dog to as many scenarios as possible.  We can use odor to teach the dog what to expect and how to draw conclusions.  In the beginning of the dog’s training, he learns that following the scent plume of an essential oil back to the source of the scent, results in a reward.  Training helps him to truly understand how to work odor.  Over time and through the proper exposure, the dog learns how to “connect the dots” and make the proper assumptions that result in a “hide” being found more quickly.  After all, this IS a timed sport!

Speaker: Stacy Barnett, SMT-NACSW

Available as a recording.

****Due to the nature of these webinars being recorded live, at the speakers home or office, there will/may be some technical issues that can not be helped or edited without losing important portions of the lecture.

In this webinar we will talk about:

• The aspects of Scent Theory that influence how odor moves
• Knowing when your dog is correct…. Challenging the perspective of “precision”. 
• How we can manipulate the search in order to make a search more or less challenging
• How we can challenge our dogs assumptions in such a way that they can learn by discovery
• What do we do if odor acts in ways that we don’t predict?

Cost: $25.00 USD

CEU’s:
CCPDT – 2 (2 CPDT-KA; 1 CBCC-KA)
IAABC – 2 
PPAB/PPG – 2 CEUs
NADOI – 2 CEUs
IACP – 2 CEUs

Stacy Barnett is a top nosework competitor, being one of only a handful of teams titled through the Summit Level (SMT) in the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) with her dog, Judd. Stacy is also a popular international clinician for seminars across the US, Canada and Europe.  She is a licensed Judge for for AKC Scent Work where she has also been retained in an advisory position as an AKC Contractor for the AKC Scent Work program. Stacy is the author of the popular blog, Scentsabilities Nosework, and hosts weekly educational webinars.

With her degree in Chemical Engineering and her understanding of fluid flow dynamics, she has developed many tools in her toolbox.  She believes in utilizing Scent Theory and odor to educate and craft the competitive nosework dog.  She prides herself in being able to bring creative solutions to build odor obedience, confidence, drive and motivation for the sport. Her mantra is CONFIDENCE, MOTIVATION, SKILLS and STAMINA.  Her specialty is getting teams ready for competition!  

Stacy loves helping others and her enthusiasm for the sport is contagious. Even greater than her love for the sport is her love of teaching.  She prides herself on being a highly creative, enthusiastic and caring instructor, easliy able to teach all levels of Nosework students.  Stacy loves seeing teams flourish in the sport and enjoy what has become an extremely popular outlet for all dogs.