You are building a puzzle. You do not have all the puzzle pieces when you begin. The puzzle cannot be completed without the slow process, taking over a year’s time, as development gives you more pieces to continue building the puzzle. Trying to train a puppy as if it were an adult dog is like […]

https://youtu.be/bzZLj6dLX-M   Many people ask, why can’t I just throw the ball and create play? The answer is that you can, but it all too often leads to problems. Most people that want to throw for a reward will quickly add many rules to otherwise fun and easy play. The dog must heel or sit […]

Do dogs respond to play signals given by humans? Nicola J.Rooney, John Bradshaw, Ian H.Robinson Specific actions used by humans do communicate a playful context to dogs and can be described as interspecific play signals. Why do adult dogs ‘play’?  John W.S. Bradshaw, Anne J. Pullen and Nicola J. Rooney “We suggest that the domestic […]

https://youtu.be/bzZLj6dLX-M   Many people ask, why can’t I just throw the ball and create play? The answer is that you can, but it all too often leads to problems. Most people that want to throw for a reward will quickly add many rules to otherwise fun and easy play. The dog must heel or sit […]

The detection dog capable of working undistracted from its task in any environment is a very rare dog. European vendors selling dogs to the United States government, with many years of experience, often have an acceptance rate under 50%. In a government supported breeding program for detection dogs, the acceptance rate was under 20% for […]

1. Understand the end goal for a detection dog. This is where behavior assessments and statements of work for purchase are very important (more info available on the website). 2. Use the educational resources on this website. – The blog is short snippets of information that should inspire questions via email or via the Face […]

You are building a puzzle. You do not have all the puzzle pieces when you begin. The puzzle cannot be completed without the slow process, taking over a year’s time, as development gives you more pieces to continue building the puzzle. Trying to train a puppy as if it were an adult dog is like […]

When developing a dog for a detection task, we must make behavioral measurements associated with olfactory acuity. To do that you must have an odor source. Without knowing the dog’s final disposition in a working role, a dilemma is created in finding an odor source. The Australian Customs Service (ACS) used towels with Vegemite in […]

In December I blogged on Generalization and Specialization. Training dogs to recognize odor requires patience and a watchful eye from the trainer. You must be careful to reward the correct response. Too slow or too fast and you will see the pup quickly shaping behavior in a direction that may not be productive. For example, […]

1. Understand the end goal for a detection dog. This is where behavior assessments and statements of work for purchase are very important (more info available on the website). 2. Use the educational resources on this website. – The blog is short snippets of information that should inspire questions via email or via the Face […]