04/13/2026
Happy Monday!
In this shot from yesterdayās scent practice, Freya had just found the hide. But instead of keeping her nose to odor, she threw me a "check-in" look. My sister captured this exact moment, the moment where a training session either levels up or gets messy.
When we talk about "The Sweet Spot", we are balancing three critical factors:
1. Criteria (What exactly am I paying for?)
In scent work, the goal isn't just to find the smell; itās to indicate it clearly.
The Trap: If I mark (click or "yes!") while Freya is looking at me, I am rewarding the "check-in". Over time, this creates a dog that constantly looks back for help rather than trusting their nose.
The Fix: By waiting for her to re-engage her nose with the hide, I am reinforcing independence and a strong nose hold. Iām telling her: "The money is at the source, not in my pocket".
2. Communication (The Timing of the Mark)
Our mark is a bridge. It tells the dog, "The thing you are doing right this second is what earned the reward."
Early Mark: Rewards the distraction/look.
Late Mark: If she re-engages and then starts to walk away because I took too long, Iāve rewarded the "leave-it" instead of the "find."
3. The Stress Threshold (Building Confidence)
This is the most nuanced part. If we wait too long for the perfect behaviour, a dog can enter "frustration-based stress."
The Danger Zone: If the dog tries, doesn't get rewarded, and we keep waiting, their confidence can shatter. They might start "guessing" (pawing, barking, or quitting) because they feel theyāve failed.
The Goal: We want to push them just enough to think through the problem, but catch them with a reward the second they make the right choice. This builds a dog that loves to problem-solve because they know success is always within reach.
The "Sweet Spot" is the secret sauce for a reliable dog, whether youāre in a trial or just hanging out at a park in Olds. Think about these common moments:
1. The "Half" Sit
The Mistake: Your dog starts to sit, but their bum is hovering a bit off the ground and they are ready to āgo do the thingsā. If you reward now, youāre rewarding a distracted and incomplete sit.
The Sweet Spot: Wait for that split second where their bum actually touches the ground. Mark that! This is the behaviour you are actually looking to build.
2. The Stay
The Mistake: We often reward the stay just as the dog is starting to "pop" up or lean forward to break. Weāre accidentally rewarding the anticipation of leaving, not the act of staying.
The Sweet Spot: Mark and reward while your dog is still "heavy" in their postureātotal stillness. If you wait until they are vibrating with excitement to move, youāve pushed past the sweet spot into stress, and the stay may eventually crumble.
When we find this timing window, we stop training "robots" and start coaching "thinkers." It helps us to build the behaviours we are trying to achieve.
If we mark too early, the dog becomes a Guesser (throwing behaviours at us to see what sticks). If we wait too long, they become Stressed and check out. But when we hit that sweet spot, we build a dog that is Confident because they know exactly how to win the game.
