24/08/2025
❓Are we accidentally setting our dogs up for frustration in scentwork?❓
I’ve just seen a colleague share her concerns about teaching passive indication using a Kong, because it can cause frustration in dogs, almost defeating the purpose of scentwork.
And I have to agree. I see this a lot too: dogs mouthing, grabbing, or pawing at the hide, which are all signs that they’re feeling frustrated.
Now, I don’t necessarily want to create frustration in a scentwork training environment. Yes, learning to manage frustration can be valuable in real life, but that’s very different from setting up an exercise that leads to frustration.
For me, a lot of this comes down to the method we choose. There are many different ways to teach a passive indication, and it’s not the indication itself that creates frustration - it’s how it’s taught. Like with everything in dog training, we need to adapt the method to the individual dog we have in front of us.
I say this with no judgment, as the way I taught in the beginning is very different from how I teach now. That change has come with years of experience and the privilege of working alongside operational trainers who use kind and ethical methods with their dogs.
Scentwork doesn’t have to cause frustration.
A lot can be done with motivational searches using toys or food. Something as simple as hiding food in boxes or around the environment, progressed step by step and adapted to the dog, can be hugely fulfilling and fun.
In fact, many of my advanced students like to go back to food searches now and again, because they’re such a great confidence and motivation boost.
I also notice a tendency to expect dogs to be searching whole rooms within just a few weeks of training. But like any sport or skill, scentwork requires time, precision, consistency, and repetition. Introducing odour or complex searches too soon often leads to exactly the frustration we want to avoid.
The way I train is all about preventing that frustration and setting dogs up for success. Of course, there will always be little blips along the way - that’s normal.
But my goal is to make the experience enriching and fulfilling for the dog first and foremost. When their emotional needs are met and the training is adapted to them, everything else falls into place. They build confidence, they enjoy the work, and yes, they learn to search and indicate on odour without frustration, often much faster than if we’d rushed.
