Home › Forums › (SAMFL) Activity Three: Dog Handling Observations and Discussion › (SAMFL) Activity Three: Dog Handling Observations and Discussion › Reply To: (SAMFL) Activity Three: Dog Handling Observations and Discussion
-
For my observations, I observed dogs and handlers at a training facility. I observed a nosework class as well as the change over of students and dogs between classes.
- Did you observe good handling practices when dogs were being leashed and/or walked? Describe your personal observations.
Yes, I observed good handling practices. The training facility has an entrance door and an exit door to avoid unwanted interactions. Handlers could easily see through the glass doors if there was an oncoming dog. I saw one handler step off into an empty ring to let another dog pass. I also saw one handler put their dog into a right side heel to put themselves between their dog and a dog walking with another handler. During the class, only the dog that was searching was allowed to be out of their crate. Dogs not searching waited crated with their handlers sitting nearby. As this was a beginning class, all dogs were on leash with their handlers during a search. Dogs wore collars or harnesses with long leash of approximately 8-10 feet.
- Describe two examples of how awareness was utilized by a handler.
One handler had a young GSD that had a missing eye that seemed very anxious. The handler selected a crate far from the other dogs.The handler also handled this dog on the dog’s blind side always placing herself between the dog and other dogs.
- Describe two examples of how positioning was utilized by a handler.
During the class, the instructor offered hints on positioning for the search. I watched the instructor tell a student to step back to the right to give the dog more space as the student was crowding the dog. When the student stepped back the dog stepped toward the hide. I watched another student doing a search and they went to the end of a longline while giving the dog control. The handler carefully followed keeping a loose leash and moving their body to the right or left staying out of the way of the odor drift.
- Give two examples of how contact with the dog was used in the handling.
Each handler had a different style to release the dog during the start of search. One handler held the dog tight by the collar and said find it!. The dog knew that was the cue to get to work. The instructor had “loaded” multiple buckets with treats. As the dog found and ate the treat in a bucket, the handler with swiftly throw more treats in while the dogs head was in the bucket. The dog was a quick learner and understood keeping her head in a bucket would generate more treats.