NW335: Nosework Handling: Insights and Improvements

Lecture 1-2: Evolution of Handling

This is my personal journey of how handling has changed over the years. When we were starting out, we made a lot of mistakes. Some of it was nerves, lack of skills or not having a clear approach for handling our dogs.  As we learned more about the sport, scent theory and how our body language affects our dogs, we started making changes and saw improvements.

Here’s what happened and what we learned:

Losing Confidence

One recurring issue was how our handling choices undermined our trust in the dog—or theirs in us.

Stopping at Hides and Holding the Dog

• What we did: When we knew a hide was present, we prompted the dog to stop or held the dog near it.
• What happened: This made the dog believe we could help them find a hide, and when we couldn’t on blind searches, it often resulted in false alerts during trials.
• What we tried: To fix this, we kept moving or had dancing feet while our dogs worked odor. 
• New problem: Our handling became noisy, and we acted unnaturally. When we tried to be “neutral,” we avoided hide areas entirely, disconnected from our dogs, and hesitated to follow them.

Moving Around Too Much

• What we did: We kept walking when the dog reached a hide to "proof" them and show that we didn’t "know" where the hide was.
• What happened: This created confusion, with dogs questioning their indications and thinking our movement was part of a test. If we didn’t trust them, they stopped trusting themselves!
• New problem: Our handling became noisy, and our attempts to proof turned into prompts for the dog to indicate.

Talking Too Much

• What we did: We got impatient and repeatedly cued “search” or “where is it” when the dog wasn’t finding a hide. 
• What happened: This made our handling noisy and distracted the dog. They began looking to us for direction instead of working independently.
• New problem: Some dogs would only start working if they heard these cues or assumed they weren’t in a productive area.

Outcome: These handling choices created a cycle of mistrust, where both handler and dog lost confidence in each other, resulting in more false alerts and hesitation. 

Disconnecting From the Dog

Another challenge was maintaining connection without over-controlling.

Anchoring Too Much

• What we did: We stayed still or moved out of the dog’s way to let them work independently.
• What happened: Disconnecting caused the dog to come back and check in, or lose confidence entirely. They struggled when we re-entered their space, creating a cycle of crowding and over-correcting our movement.
• What we tried: We re-entered the picture, but ended up crowding the dog, so we had to start backing up again.

Repositioning Behind the Dog

• What we did: We followed advice to stay behind the dog at all times. If they turned to face us, we moved to reposition behind them.
• What happened: This distracted the dog, broke their focus, and caused them to lose track of the search.

Outcome: We wasted time and energy redirecting the dog, which took their focus off the task.

Noisy Handling

Attempts to “help” often led to too much interference, causing more harm than good.

Crowding the Dog

• What we did: We stood too close to our dogs, giving us a feeling of control.
• What happened: Instead of helping, it encouraged over-reliance and false alerts.
• What we tried: Backing up, but this unintentionally became a signal for the dog that they were near a hide - even when they weren't!

Backing up

• What we did: We developed a bad habit of backing up - not only when we knew where hides were but also when we saw our dogs showing odor behavior. We even backed up when we were already far enough back!
• What happened: This consistent handling behavior started to become a prompt to the dog that they were at or near a hide. In some cases it could pull a dog off a hide as it influences a new direction.

Over-Guiding the Dog

• What we did: After finding a hide, we led the dog to the next area or stopped them from exploring “unproductive” zones.
• What happened: Dogs became dependent on our direction instead of independently searching for odor. As a result, we had to take on more handling to get better performance from them.

Outcome: Our handling distracted the dog, reducing their confidence and ability to work independently.

Key Takeaway

Handling is a balancing act. Small adjustments in how we support or guide our dogs can make a huge difference. The goal is to find the right balance between letting the dog work independently and providing the support they need. This class will look at the latest insights and improvements we can make with our handling to continue resolving the issues above. In the end, any approach you take needs to make sense to you and your team.