Post by oksaradt on Nov 16, 2008 14:56:39 GMT -5
Last month I was invited to go play with long-time friends, dog handlers who like mysel have been at the HRD game a while. They had gathered for the National Doberman Conference in Topeka, KS. The first two days were filled with torrential downpours from a wandering hurrican. We worked dogs out in the grass and in an empty horse barn on the convention center grounds. On the third day, the clouds parted and we were escorted onto an abandoned military installation courtesy of the local police department. I was asked to set up a decomp problem and some skeletal problems. The decomp problem you'll see part of was a large enclosure/garage next to an old blast lab. In it were four overlapping scent sources. Overlaps are important in that the dog learns to distinguish the different scent sources and to locate/target them for the handler. Think about being blinded by lots of white lights and being asked to point out each bulb in the glare.
The sources for this problem was decomposed adipose tissue on one side of the entrance in an enclosure with air coming in the open bay door. This scent flooded the west wall and laid down upon a water puddle along the west wall. Going clockwise, the next source was a partial cavity wipe wedged slightly above nose height behind conduit. Out in the middle of the rear was one of my "little angels", a doll I've stuffed with human remains (I have other angels with animal remains for fun-filled training exercises). I hung my angel from a rope hanging down. The point of this is the source is out in the open and wind could swirl about it with a mix of the other scents. Continuing clockwise to the east wall was charred HRs behind a vertical I-beam. The last scent source was a deer bone near the SE corner opening in some piled hose on a pallet.
I also set up several skeltal problems for problem solving and one especially to slow down a young puppy (not my own) by placing a historic level femur in rows of downed used utility poles. This forced the dogs to walk the poles and to go up and down between them to locate the source.
Recently, one of my friends sent me photos of Murphy working the overlap decomp problem and the utlity pole skeletal. I wasn't aware they were being taken, but after Tempe died I relish any photos of my dogs working that I can hold on to.
So, below you get to see five photos of Murphy working. At the end I'll make a point of what is missing from all the photos and why.
Murphy has located the adipose tissue at the base of the particle board box where there is a gap between the box and the wall.
Murphy locates the cavity wipe behind the conduit.
Murphy inspects the Lil Angel as the scent has brought him to it.
Murphy gets up close and personal to confirm there is charred HRs behind the I-beam support.
Murphy is working the skeletal outside in the utility poles and locates the scent source.
Murphy looks to the handler to let him know he has a find.
The last caption is your clue. No where do you see the handler working the dog. Unless I'm having to work a directed building search, I'm normally 30,40, ....100 feet away from my dog as he works. There's no lead. There's no body language to talk my dog into a false alert. My job is simply area management at this point...............as it should be.
The handler is missing from the find equation. Murphy is comfortable working on his own performing the task he loves. For him, it's the greatest game in town.
Jim
The sources for this problem was decomposed adipose tissue on one side of the entrance in an enclosure with air coming in the open bay door. This scent flooded the west wall and laid down upon a water puddle along the west wall. Going clockwise, the next source was a partial cavity wipe wedged slightly above nose height behind conduit. Out in the middle of the rear was one of my "little angels", a doll I've stuffed with human remains (I have other angels with animal remains for fun-filled training exercises). I hung my angel from a rope hanging down. The point of this is the source is out in the open and wind could swirl about it with a mix of the other scents. Continuing clockwise to the east wall was charred HRs behind a vertical I-beam. The last scent source was a deer bone near the SE corner opening in some piled hose on a pallet.
I also set up several skeltal problems for problem solving and one especially to slow down a young puppy (not my own) by placing a historic level femur in rows of downed used utility poles. This forced the dogs to walk the poles and to go up and down between them to locate the source.
Recently, one of my friends sent me photos of Murphy working the overlap decomp problem and the utlity pole skeletal. I wasn't aware they were being taken, but after Tempe died I relish any photos of my dogs working that I can hold on to.
So, below you get to see five photos of Murphy working. At the end I'll make a point of what is missing from all the photos and why.
Murphy has located the adipose tissue at the base of the particle board box where there is a gap between the box and the wall.
Murphy locates the cavity wipe behind the conduit.
Murphy inspects the Lil Angel as the scent has brought him to it.
Murphy gets up close and personal to confirm there is charred HRs behind the I-beam support.
Murphy is working the skeletal outside in the utility poles and locates the scent source.
Murphy looks to the handler to let him know he has a find.
The last caption is your clue. No where do you see the handler working the dog. Unless I'm having to work a directed building search, I'm normally 30,40, ....100 feet away from my dog as he works. There's no lead. There's no body language to talk my dog into a false alert. My job is simply area management at this point...............as it should be.
The handler is missing from the find equation. Murphy is comfortable working on his own performing the task he loves. For him, it's the greatest game in town.
Jim