Join host Jeff Meyer and special guest Eric Stambro for a deep-dive into contemporary detection dog training. In this episode they unpack the concept of "pay on a sniff," marker training vs. direct reward systems, how to reinvigorate and shape reliable alerts, and practical tactics for vehicles, buildings, and large impound searches. 

Topics covered include: what paying on a sniff means and why it emphasizes odor value over formal final responses; direct vs. indirect reward systems and how both can be used; timing and use of verbal markers and squeaky toys as bridges to build dopamine-driven search motivation; intermittent and variable rewards; and specific approaches for fixing bookmarking, handler-influence, and false-alert problems.

Practical, street-tested examples and tips are discussed throughout: using blanks and unknown hide counts to build reliability on negatives; positioning odors in the middle of vehicles to prevent dogs from racing around cars; removing handler influence by having dogs work out of sight; charging a verbal marker and increasing sniff duration before teaching a final; and how to structure training to prevent performance drop-offs from the training lot to real deployments.

To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected]

To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net  

Thanks to this shows sponsors:

AceK9.com

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KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com

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Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/ 

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The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/ 

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For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/