Review: Steps in Training Scent Wheel

INTRO TO SCENT WHEEL

Goals:

• dog successfully indicates correct target on the scent wheel using his indicating behavior (nose or chin resting on correct container/can for 3-5 seconds)
• dog responds to your selected search cue (Lily's search cue is "Which one?"; Cathy's search cue is "Search")

Preparation:

• place sample containing odor into a shaker
• have 6 empty cans (containers) on scent wheel

for clarity, the word "container" = "can"

A. present shaker to dog in hand 

B. gradually move shaker towards scent wheel

• with dog watching, place target shaker into a scent wheel container
• ask dog to search and indicate target odor 

• with dog watching, begin turning scent wheel either L or R
• ask dog to find and indicate target odor

• with dog watching, place target shaker into different cans on scent wheel
• ask dog to find and indicate target odor

• with dog watching, place target shaker into different cans on scent wheel
• AND turn the scent wheel between each rep
• ask dog to find and indicate target odor

C. place an empty shaker into one container on the scent wheel

• with dog watching, place target shaker into a scent wheel container
• ask dog to search and indicate target odor

• keeping the target shaker in the same can, move the dummy shaker into different cans
• ask dog to search and indicate target odor

• turn the scent wheel and repeat 

• repeat while changing position of target shaker and dummy shaker between session, both while the wheel is stationary and also when turning the wheel between reps

• gradually add dummy shakers to the wheel, switching positions and turning wheel between reps until the dog is able to find and indicate the target odor with 5 shakers and the target shaker in any position on the scent wheel, whether wheel remains stationary or is turned

D. now we are going to add a generic substance to the dummy shakers and re-introduce the dog to this new scenario on the wheel in the same slow manner

(if your target odor is a teabag, place tissue or something similar to the teabag itself into the dummy shaker)  Cathy placed a drop or two of Almond Extract onto a Q tip as her target odor, so she put a clean Q tip into each dummy shaker; Jan used sterile gauze pads.

TRAINER PROBLEM:  Overcoming the "trainer ego" - the urge to try it one more time.

"Once is a fluke, twice is a pattern.”

In SAP training, we will assume that one False Positive is an emerging pattern, and train towards accuracy. 

Following this protocol, at any time during training the dog indicates a false positive, we will assume that one false positive is an emerging pattern and stop the training and go back to where the dog was successful and re-teach from there.