Intro to Scent Detection - Week 1
Marker Training
Marker training is a super important training technique. In scientific terms it is called operant conditioning. In simple terms it is a way to give us a clear way to communicate with our dogs. A marker is a word or sound that is paired with a reward. If you have heard of clicker training (like they use with Dolphins) you have heard of Marker Training. You can use a clicker, make a noise or have a cue word such as yes or good. When properly trained the dog will learn that when they hear this marker it means they have done something correct or good and that a reward is coming. Having a Marker that your dog understands allows you to have better timing when telling them they have done something correct and allows you to fade your food rewards as you continue your training.
Charging your Marker
In order to “charge” our marker and teach the dog it means good things are coming we will need a handful of treats and we will simply “mark” and treat so that we can pair the stimulus (marker cue or sound) with the reward (treat). Wander around the room or sit in a chair and simply mark (say your cue or click) and then give a treat. Do this for 3-5 mins a couple of time for a day or two. You should begin to see your dog get excited when they hear their marker as they know a reward is coming.
Charging your Marker
In order to “charge” our marker and teach the dog it means good things are coming we will need a handful of treats and we will simply “mark” and treat so that we can pair the stimulus (marker cue or sound) with the reward (treat). Wander around the room or sit in a chair and simply mark (say your cue or click) and then give a treat. Do this for 3-5 mins a couple of time for a day or two. You should begin to see your dog get excited when they hear their marker as they know a reward is coming.
Exercise 1 - Odour Pairing with a Scent Tin
This exercise is the very first step to introducing odour. In this exercise, we are pairing food with the scent so that the dog begins to learn when I smell this smell I get good things.
** Make sure you have lots of treats ready **
Step 1: Hold your scent hide in one hand (hidden from the dog)
Step 2: Offer the dog both hands
Step 3: When the dog smells or shows interest in the hand with the scent mark this behavior (YES! Good dog) and then reward your dog with the treat as close to the tin as possible
Step 4: Hide your hands and then reoffer your hands (do NOT switch the tin) and repeat the above.
Do this a few times until you start to see the dog consistently sniffing the odour tin. Once the dog is starting to offer interested behaviour and sniffing the tin you can begin to add your search cue.
It is completely up to you what you would like as a cue word for the search command.
Some examples are:
- search
- find
- where is it
- look
- seek
Video Example
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bbTGCQUd_HlC9jUOORv0yLBJxU4phXDq/view?usp=sharing
** Make sure you have lots of treats ready **
Step 1: Hold your scent hide in one hand (hidden from the dog)
Step 2: Offer the dog both hands
Step 3: When the dog smells or shows interest in the hand with the scent mark this behavior (YES! Good dog) and then reward your dog with the treat as close to the tin as possible
Step 4: Hide your hands and then reoffer your hands (do NOT switch the tin) and repeat the above.
Do this a few times until you start to see the dog consistently sniffing the odour tin. Once the dog is starting to offer interested behaviour and sniffing the tin you can begin to add your search cue.
It is completely up to you what you would like as a cue word for the search command.
Some examples are:
- search
- find
- where is it
- look
- seek
Video Example
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bbTGCQUd_HlC9jUOORv0yLBJxU4phXDq/view?usp=sharing
Exercise 2 - Odor Pairing with a Scent Box/Containers
Step 1: Tape your qtip to the bottom of a box/container (you can use an electrical box like in the demo video, a flower pot, Tupperware etc)
Step 2: Hold it at nose height and cue to search
Step 3: Verbally mark as soon as your dog's nose goes into the box and then treat in the box (keep reward close to source)
Step 4: Repeat repeat repeat
You should start to notice a building of duration of the nose hold and that your dog WANTS to put their nose into the box because it means reward. Try this at different heights and note the difference (if any), your dog should want to put their nose as close to source whether at nose height or on the ground.
Video example: this is Tori’s 2nd, 3rd & 4th attempt to play this game
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BNuo3C4fAUOyfoXy2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NK8xD1v73PV8b01H3
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mrBvbnTKT8nRU55W2
Step 2: Hold it at nose height and cue to search
Step 3: Verbally mark as soon as your dog's nose goes into the box and then treat in the box (keep reward close to source)
Step 4: Repeat repeat repeat
You should start to notice a building of duration of the nose hold and that your dog WANTS to put their nose into the box because it means reward. Try this at different heights and note the difference (if any), your dog should want to put their nose as close to source whether at nose height or on the ground.
Video example: this is Tori’s 2nd, 3rd & 4th attempt to play this game
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BNuo3C4fAUOyfoXy2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NK8xD1v73PV8b01H3
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mrBvbnTKT8nRU55W2
Odour Handling/Cleanliness
To set up your own "hide" - take a qtip and break it in half, on one end of the qtip place 1 singlar drop of essential oil onto the tip.
You can also create a "steeping jar". Take a glass jar and place some qtip ends into it. Add 5 - 10 drops of essential oil. Close the lid and shake. Shake before each use.
You should always to have your prepped “hide” in something.
- Things you can use are spice tins, gum packages, or straws (your imagination is the limit).
The reason for this is “naked” qtips or felt pads can transfer oil residue to the objects they touch which causes permanent residual in that place, as known as contamination.
It is also recommended to use gloves when prepping qtips/hides. This prevents you from getting YOUR SCENT on the qtip/hide (we don't want our dogs learning that our scent will always be there) as well as it stops you from getting oil on your finger tips and then potentially touching things and causing contamination.
You can use one prepped hide for over a month before you need to change or refresh it. It is always a good practice to work with different "ages" of hides.
You can also create a "steeping jar". Take a glass jar and place some qtip ends into it. Add 5 - 10 drops of essential oil. Close the lid and shake. Shake before each use.
You should always to have your prepped “hide” in something.
- Things you can use are spice tins, gum packages, or straws (your imagination is the limit).
The reason for this is “naked” qtips or felt pads can transfer oil residue to the objects they touch which causes permanent residual in that place, as known as contamination.
It is also recommended to use gloves when prepping qtips/hides. This prevents you from getting YOUR SCENT on the qtip/hide (we don't want our dogs learning that our scent will always be there) as well as it stops you from getting oil on your finger tips and then potentially touching things and causing contamination.
You can use one prepped hide for over a month before you need to change or refresh it. It is always a good practice to work with different "ages" of hides.
Common Terms
Ageing – The amount of time between placing a hide and when dogs begin searching. During this time odor disperses into the surrounding air, generally making it easier to find. Generally, try to age for at least 5 minutes. Train for short and long ageing so your dog is accustomed to different scent profiles.
Blind – A type of search where the handler doesn’t know the location of the target odor, since it was hidden by somebody else
Change of Behaviour (COB) - the physical responses a dog displays when they recognize and enter an area with target odour
Cold – A box or object without target odor (vs hot is a box that contains target odor)
Contaminated - when you get either food in area where the target odour is (causing it to be distracting to the dog) or when you get target odour in places it shouldn't be or permanently placing oil (such as directly on a couch cushion)
Commitment to Odor aka Odor Commitment – When the dog has value for odour, forms a positive association, and odor becomes rewarding
False Alert - when the dog performs the indication in an area where there is no target odour
Head Snap – The dog makes an abrupt change of direction when he picks up the scent
Hide - the target odour as it will be put out (can be a q-tip in a straw, cottonball or q-tip in a metal tin with holes etc)
Hot – Any spot, item or a container with the hidden target odor is called “hot”
Indication - The behaviour (or chain of behaviors) the dog displays when they have located the target odour. Also can be known as the Alert or Alert Behaviour
Pairing - the act of teaching our dogs to have a positive association with the target odour
Source - The “source” is the highest concentration of target odour
Residual - when target odour molecules are left in an area (such as right after you have moved a hide). These molecules still contain scent and your dog is not technically wrong if they indicate in this area even though it is not the source area any longer
Target Odour - the odour the dog is to find
Trained Final Response - the trained behaviour the dog is supposed to display when they have located the target odour
Some words can be used interchangeably, such as hide/source/target odour/odour as these all in a way are referring to what the dog is trying to find.
Blind – A type of search where the handler doesn’t know the location of the target odor, since it was hidden by somebody else
Change of Behaviour (COB) - the physical responses a dog displays when they recognize and enter an area with target odour
Cold – A box or object without target odor (vs hot is a box that contains target odor)
Contaminated - when you get either food in area where the target odour is (causing it to be distracting to the dog) or when you get target odour in places it shouldn't be or permanently placing oil (such as directly on a couch cushion)
Commitment to Odor aka Odor Commitment – When the dog has value for odour, forms a positive association, and odor becomes rewarding
False Alert - when the dog performs the indication in an area where there is no target odour
Head Snap – The dog makes an abrupt change of direction when he picks up the scent
Hide - the target odour as it will be put out (can be a q-tip in a straw, cottonball or q-tip in a metal tin with holes etc)
Hot – Any spot, item or a container with the hidden target odor is called “hot”
Indication - The behaviour (or chain of behaviors) the dog displays when they have located the target odour. Also can be known as the Alert or Alert Behaviour
Pairing - the act of teaching our dogs to have a positive association with the target odour
Source - The “source” is the highest concentration of target odour
Residual - when target odour molecules are left in an area (such as right after you have moved a hide). These molecules still contain scent and your dog is not technically wrong if they indicate in this area even though it is not the source area any longer
Target Odour - the odour the dog is to find
Trained Final Response - the trained behaviour the dog is supposed to display when they have located the target odour
Some words can be used interchangeably, such as hide/source/target odour/odour as these all in a way are referring to what the dog is trying to find.