In scent detection, clarity is frequently confused with confidence. A dynamic sit, a sudden freeze, or a textbook indication reassures handlers and trainers alike. However, what if that clarity is not solely attributable to odour? What if the dog is responding not to scent, but to pressure? Today, we shall examine how excessive pressure during indication training systematically increases the likelihood of false indications, and why some of the most convincing alerts may, in fact, be the least dependable.
In scent detection, clarity is frequently confused with confidence. A dynamic sit, a sudden freeze, or a textbook indication reassures handlers and trainers alike. However, what if that clarity is not solely attributable to odour? What if the dog is responding not to scent, but to pressure? Today, we shall examine how excessive pressure during indication training systematically increases the likelihood of false indications, and why some of the most convincing alerts may, in fact, be the least dependable.
Scent Sessions are drawn from the teaching on The Scent Detection Programme, our City & Guilds Assured instructor credential. If this way of thinking is how you want to work, the full programme is where it lives — three weeks across the year, eighteen places, one cohort. See the City & Guilds Programmes.
