Understanding False Alerts.jpg
Word Cloud.jpg
Understanding False Alerts.jpg
Word Cloud.jpg

Understanding False Alerts: Variable Odour Strength

£15.00

Detection work does not take place in controlled training environments with fresh, powerful odours and perfect airflow. It happens where odour is moving, disrupted, strong, or weak. Without deliberate exposure to variable odour strength, we teach dogs that certainty always exists, that odour is always obvious, and that the indication is always rewarded. In reality, uncertainty is the norm; if we fail to train for it, the dog may give false indications.

Detection work does not take place in controlled training environments with fresh, powerful odours and perfect airflow. It happens where odour is moving, disrupted, strong, or weak. Without deliberate exposure to variable odour strength, we teach dogs that certainty always exists, that odour is always obvious, and that the indication is always rewarded. In reality, uncertainty is the norm; if we fail to train for it, the dog may give false indications.

In this 20-minute Scent Session, Dr Robert Hewings examines how inconsistent odour strength influences search behaviour and directly contributes to false alerts.

When dogs are trained primarily with strong, clean odour presentations, they learn that detection is easy and information is abundant. As odour strength decreases or becomes more complex, the dog may continue to indicate out of expectation rather than confirmation. These indications often appear confident, but they are based on assumption, not odour certainty.

This session explains why deliberate exposure to weak, variable, and ambiguous odour conditions is essential for reliable detection. You will learn how variable odour strength teaches dogs to slow down, problem-solve, and wait for confirmation rather than guessing. False alerts in these conditions are not disobedience or a lack of drive; they are signs that uncertainty has not been adequately trained.

Part of the Understanding False Alerts series, this session can be watched on its own or alongside the complete set, each building towards clearer training, stronger foundations, and detection dogs that remain accurate when certainty disappears.

Reliability is not built in perfect conditions; it is built in uncertainty.