We have a dog team consisting of an experienced handler with a very independent dog. They are an off-lead, air-scent
(area search) resource trained to find live/dead human scent. The dog is a 2 yo Male Mal (recently neutered) and
the handler has had this dog for about 4 months. The best attribute the dog has is its high drive to find the human
scent. The concern, and therefore my question, is what the handler can do to create more handler awareness
in the dog. He may range several hundred yards away without ever looking to where his human partner is, which can
be a problem. Also the dog is trained to bark and hold (not re-find). Obviously, the handler is looking for common
ground so as to not diminish the dog's commitment to the search. How can we develop the dog's awareness of its handler?
I have had some experience working tracking and trailing dogs off-lead and
have experienced canine personalities that will respond to developing more
awareness of the handler's direction. Other dogs are so intense toward
finding the object of their affection that they will not respond to the
degree you would like to see.
I approach the problem from two perspectives: 1) training to develop handler responsiveness, and 2) management of the
problem.
The training for awareness is to teach hand signals for direction while the
dog is on-lead (40'). As much as possible the hand signals should direct the
dog to his prize. The scent problem is set up so that the dog will
naturally err, and your hand direction is correcting or helping him. If the
dog is too hectic while working a scent problem, which I suspect is your
case, you will have to teach the hand signals separate from searching; then,
after the dog is proficient in this new skill, incorporate the hand signals
into your scent work.
The management of the problem is to use your obedience commands to stop the
dog while the handler is catching up. I prefer to use the "down" command
while I catch up. Working the dog in this manner also allows the handler to
maintain a better tactical position when necessary. Weak dogs may shut down
their scent work with these types of interruptions and, to some degree, all
dogs will be distracted and lose some degree of proficiency in working out
the scent problem. However, the type of dog that usually presents the
problem you complain of is not easily disuaded.
As a general rule in scent work, the more you make the dog concerned about
the handler (especially for handler approval or fear of his handler), the more
you take away from the dog's chance for success. Keeping this in mind, I
strive not to interrupt the dog if he is using his nose in a thoughtful
manner while having presence of mind. On the other hand -- if the dog is
running or searching in a hectic manner without presence of mind, I need to
use obedience to control him, or better yet take him from the field and build a
better foundation in his scent work.
