NW455 Converging Odor Deep Dive

This class is ALL about Converging Odor...

Course Details

This class is ALL about Converging Odor...

What IS Converging Odor? Converging Odor occurs when there is at least a partial overlap of scent cones from 2 or more hides. For a dog to work this skill effectively, they need to understand how to work GROUPS of hides without getting stuck on one particular hide for perpetual reinforcement. The dog also needs to have minimal latency in returning to the search process after finding a hide. This means that once a hide is found, the dog immediately goes back to searching. This requires FOCUS and ENGAGEMENT.

This class will use my signature method utilizing the dog's innate ability to pattern in order to create an expectation of a hide nearby. I introduced this method in my popular workshop "The Key to Convergence: Using Patterning to Build Expectation". This class replaces, overhauls, enhances, and upgrades my original converging odor class NW241: Nosework Challenges Series 2. You will learn my patterning method and then apply it in all sorts of scenarios that challenge your dog including the use of thermals and complicated air flow.

Watch the Trailer!

Teaching Approach

Lectures will be released weekly. Lectures will be relatively short and will include both theory and exercises. The exercises initially will be rather simple but will build over the course of the class and will ultimately require the learner to interpret the setup and create something similar. The setups in the first week only will be prescriptive. Videos will be included to demonstrate the lecture material. In general, most videos, at least in the early weeks, will be short (under 2:00). All information will be conveyed via written lecture. Videos will be examples only. Week 1 assignments will be easily done at home. After that assignments may require the student to work away from home. If you have questions as to how this can apply to your situation, please reach out to me via the instructor link.

This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining will be in the classroom after you register.

Syllabus

Week 1: Teach Proximity and Reduce Latency to Re-engage with the Search

Week 2: Generalize Proximity with Searching Away from Home

Week 3: Add Basic Convergence utilizing Drivers of Air Flow

Week 4: Increasing the Convergence Challenge with Thermals

Week 5: Changing up the Variables (# of hides, proximity, use of air flow, and more!)

Week 6: Bolting New Skills onto Full Searches

Prerequisites & Supplies

This is an advanced level class. All teams should be confidently working multiple hides in novel locations. The only specific equipment aside from a scent kit will be two identical chairs, preferably folding chairs.

Sample Lecture

We are going to start this training process with clear progression utilizing HOW a dog thinks. We are going to leverage both patterning and contextual understanding.

Our dogs understand Context. So we are going to pick something that they see hides on all the time... I like using folding chairs for this exercise. you can conversely use stools, waste baskets, or something similar that your dog is used to finding hides on. Please DO NOT use Containers or anything small and unlikely to be in a standard search area.

It's easiest to start this patterning in a fairly open area.

Start with something contextual in a non-cluttered area. Folding Chairs are PERFECT. Avoid using “Container” type objects. Set a hide on each chair and work off leash.
Add “clutter” around the chairs. Reposition the chairs before re-running the search to minimize the potential of the dog to search off of memory rather than the nose.
Replace the chairs with other objects in the same location as the chairs were in the previously run search.
Move the objects to different locations.

Here's a video of Brava going through these steps:

How quickly you advance through these steps will depend on your individual dog.

A fun application is to use this to pattern double thresholds!

Instructors

Stacy Barnett

Stacy Barnett is a top nosework competitor and trainer, with many Summit Level titles in the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), (Judd SMTx3, Brava SMTx5, Powder SMTx5). She is also a Wilderness SAR K9 handler with her certified dog, K9 Prize. Stacy has been a faculty member at FDSA since 2015 (Click here for full bio and to view Stacy's upcoming courses)...

Registration

Choose the plan that fits your goals and start learning at your own pace.

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