Sniffing Around Scent Work

 In 2022, I posted a blog about an easier way to train for the buried element. Back then, there was a lot of complaining about not being able to train because it was too hard to set up bins with water and sand and grates, everything was too heavy. Which was true! My post was about a shortcut to make training easier, which was to use smaller containers to train with. (If you missed it, you can see it here: Making the Buried Element Easier)

I stand by that method, at least for introducing the dog to the element at the novice and advanced level. And for some dogs, this will work all the way up through Masters. My first AKC dog, Astra, had no trouble training with the small containers all the way through the levels. But for others (ahem, Yeti), you may run into problems as you move up into Excellent and Master.

If you are one of those people and your dog is regularly fringing and falsing on bins, here are some tips that will help.

Move the Bins Far Away from Each Other

The rules state that the buried bins must be at least three feet apart. For some reason, everyone (including most judges) reads this as “put the bins ONLY three feet apart.” But actually, the farther apart the bins are, the easier it is for the dog to locate the source.

If your dog is having trouble sourcing hides, move all the bins at least six feet from each other. This generally allows enough room so that there is less convergence of odor on cold bins and the dogs can source more easily.  If your dog is still having difficult, move the bins even further away (try 10 feet). After several practice sessions you can gradually start moving the bins closer together until they are three feet (or less) apart.

 I will sometimes start a session with the bins six feet apart, do one run, and then (if the dog is successful) move them five feet apart, do one or two runs, then move them three feet apart. After several sessions, you can go back to starting the session the bins three feet apart and see if the dog is successful.

Use Full Sized Bins for Practice

 In Excellent  and in Master the odor picture is a lot more complicated than in Novice and Advanced.

 First, there are hides in both water AND sand. The availability and possibly the quality of the odor are very different in these two media. And second, there are three hides (or possibly four in Master) and more bins. These means the sourcing issues are exponentially more difficult for the dogs.

Some dogs will be able to work out the puzzle in both small and large containers, and other dogs will stall at this level. For those who are having difficulty, I recommend moving to practice with full sized regulation bins.

Why? The odor concentration is changed somewhat with the size of the container.

However, you can probably get away with only putting an inch or two of sand and/or water in the bottom of the bins—this will make them less cumbersome to set up and move around (regulations require four inches of sand or water at trial).  Just make sure the q-tip is completely buried in the sand. You can also experiment with putting the full four inches of sand or water in the hot bins, and only an inch or two in the cold bins.

Practice in Different Temperature/Weather Conditions

The buried element is much more affected by temperature than the other elements.  In Buried, the odor has to percolate through a medium (sand or water), which will hold on to heat or cold and affect the odor availability. This could potentially cause problems during a search.

If you are trialing inside, and you have been practicing inside, temperature probably is not a problem (unless you are inside a building with no heat/AC). You have a nice temperature controlled environment that probably does not vary more than five or ten degrees.

However, if you have been practicing indoors and go to a trial outside where the temperature is significantly warmer or colder than your practice area, your dog may struggle.

The cold will make the odor less available to the dog. The heat may make the odor more active and possibly cause more convergence (although truthfully, I have seen fewer instances of heat causing issues than cold.) Either way, the odor “picture” that your dog has been practicing with will not be present, and this may cause the dog to miss the hide.

If your dog is experienced in searching sand and water in different temperatures and conditions, then they will be able to adjust their expectations of the odor picture and be able to find the hides. So be sure to practice both indoors and outside, and make sure you get out and work buried when those cold fronts move in.

Practice Different Configurations

The configuration of the bins can dramatically affect how much the odor is converging on the bins, and therefore will contribute to dogs alerting on the wrong bin.  I originally wrote about this last year (More About the Buried Element) but need to mention this again.

According to the regulations, the bins at the novice level must be in two rows of three bins each, but in the upper levels, the bins can be in any configuration. Generally, judges will arrange them in rows or a large U or circle shape.

When the bins are arranged in rows, especially three or more rows, the odor can spread and hit three or four other bins, depending on conditions. Therefore the dog has to do more work to figure out which bin has source. (Unless the bins are very far apart, as discussed above. )

When the bins are in a circle, or U shape, the odor does not spread to as many bins, so it is much easier for the dog to figure out where source is.

You will often find that dogs will be able to pass searches where the bins are in a U or circle shape, but will fail when the bins are configured in rows.

If you want to pass no matter how the bins are arranged, you need to practice different configurations.

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