Scent Training in Public

Rachel:

I have always advocated training with the end goal in mind: a dog that consistently and accurately gives a trained response to an olfactory cue . . . And if that is a behavior that is desired "anytime and all the time" AND "anywhere and everywhere", then that is how it should be trained. That is one reason that I LOVE the small test tubes and promote use of a spare screw top with holes drilled in. I take scent with me almost all the time. This enables me to present odor and reward on the playground, while shopping, while in car, etc-

If dog is in "stage 1, assigning value to odor", then a quick sniff and reward is simple. As the dog transitions to "stage 2, locate and discriminate", I can open a tube and position it for an easy find and big reward.

How I present and how I reward is dependent on the dogs progression in scent training.

Of course, I strongly push keeping logs : when did you present odor, where, what tjme, what was your body position, what was dog body position, distractions, BG number, etc

AND, "never waste a low" 

A low BG is a training opportunity no matter where you are and no matter what time of day