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")

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

repeat while turn the scent wheel

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.

SCENT TRAINING SESSION FORM

DOG:	7
DATE:
SCENT TYPE:  (clothing/saliva/swab/other)
ORIGIN:
DATE OF CAPTURE:
AGE WHEN USED:
SAMPLE CONDITION: (frozen/refrigerated/room temp/other)
SAMPLE STATE: (gauze/dental cotton/cloth/hydrated/other)
SESSIONS:	1	2	3	4
INTENSITY:  (# of holes)
CONTAINER TYPE:
# of CONTAINERS:
# of SCENT OPTIONS:
MODE of PRESENTATION: (hand/surface/wheel/other)
Description: (2 shakers, 5 shakers, etc)
Reps:
% Success Rate:
Time:

Baseline Criteria Met:  (Date)

COMMENTS: