Hello,

I was wondering if a scent dog should get some verbal encouragement while searching with the nose?
Is it better for the dog to be automatically motivated by an inital word like "seek"?
I have seen some k9 handlers saying "good boy" and "where is it at" while the dog is searching and this seems to get the dog searching even harder.

the way we do it in CARDA is to issue the command once ( experienced dogs ) and then leave the dog alone to do his work . only if the dog is demonstrating that he is not searching would you re-issue the command . other than that , the handler may give some directional cues if required .

searching is one of the " self rewarding " behaviours so if you have trained your dog and given him the opportunity to " practice " that behaviour , he is rewarding himself as he works .

we've seen that random comments / encouragement can be distracting to the dog .

after the dog has made a reliable indication on the quarry / article , then we might do some prompting in a rewarding tone to elevate the dogs' excitement about the find itself .

i'd suggest that if your dog needed verbals to keep his work rate up than he is either tired , bored , or not that motivated on that day , in which case it might be time for a break .

i'd also add that using verbals throughout the search other than directionals could develop into a habit where the dog won't work unless he hears the handler issuing commands / encouragement .

in short , if he's working , leave him alone . . .

sorry , just saw that the OPs' question pertains to narcotics searching .

my response refers to avalanche and general ground search training as we do it up here ( canadian avalanche rescue dog association ).

sorry if that created any conflicting / confusing input .

More later, but my rule is:


"If the dog is working, STFU!"




Start with short venues, and gradually add length and complexity. Lots of frequent finds early in training, stretch it out as the dog shows it will work longer. Throw in a party day of frequent finds on occasion to keep it fun.

Thank you for the quick replies.