30/04/2026
Today we was the first time we introduced Ember to a live search venue šµļøāāļø
There were a lot of distractions. Different odours, dogs, people and a completely new environment.
And not a single drop in the quality of her indication or the search itself.
We focus a lot of the indication as you will often see detection/search dogs migrating away from hides, turning to look at the handler or uncertainty.
So what causes this?
Rushing the process, poor reward placement and not introducing distractions in a controlled environment before visiting the real world.
Within our search dogs we want accuracy šÆ we want to know exactly where the āhideā is.
Yes, it depends on what you are looking for but either way a good indication should be focused, determined and unbroken.
So how can you improve an indication? Try rewarding at the hide and not asking for too much. Asking for a 20+ second indication without building it up first can cause confusion within the dog and a tendency for them to ask for handler for reassurance.
Precision is š
