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ALERT!
There are multiple components to your dog’s search – commencing the search on your cue, searching for odour, finding odour, then finding and pinpointing the source of the odour and indicating to you, the handler, that he has found the hide or ‘source’. As well as your dog undertaking those behaviours, you need to learn to read your dog and what he is telling you about his search.
You will typically observe a ‘change of behaviour’ (such as a head snap, a head movement, a tail or body movement) when the dog finds odour, and then a specific alert (the response you have trained him to give to indicate source) when he finds the hide. The ANKC Rules state:
“Change of behaviour”: Behaviour by the dog which makes it clear to the Judge that the dog has found the odour, and as a result the handler calls an ‘alert’.
There is no specific ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ behaviour that the dog should/must use to give his indication. But you must know what that behaviour is for YOUR dog, so that you can give your alert call.
You will typically observe a ‘change of behaviour’ (such as a head snap, a head movement, a tail or body movement) when the dog finds odour, and then a specific alert (the response you have trained him to give to indicate source) when he finds the hide. The ANKC Rules state:
“Change of behaviour”: Behaviour by the dog which makes it clear to the Judge that the dog has found the odour, and as a result the handler calls an ‘alert’.
There is no specific ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ behaviour that the dog should/must use to give his indication. But you must know what that behaviour is for YOUR dog, so that you can give your alert call.
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Timing of the search finishes when you give an ‘alert’ call. It is therefore important that your alert call is loud so that both the judge and the Time Steward can hear you. It is also recommended that you raise your arm, again to ensure that the judge knows you have given your alert call. If for any reason you are unable to give a verbal call, you should notify the judge before starting the search, and an alternative method of your indicating that the dog has found the hide will be agreed with the judge.
Once you have given your alert call, the judge will indicate whether it is correct or not correct. You can then reward your dog (see Rewards)
In Advanced and higher level classes, where there is more than one hide, you need to call alert on each hide that your dog finds, and you can reward after each one. However, at these higher levels (including where there are blank areas and no hide/s for the dog to indicate on), you also need to call ‘Finish’ to indicate that your dog has found all the hides in that search area. Again, your Finish call causes timing to stop and you should ensure that it is loud and clear. Failure to call Finish within 15 seconds of the Official Timer calling that full time has expired will result in the team receiving a fault and the maximum time recorded for that search.
Once you have given your alert call, the judge will indicate whether it is correct or not correct. You can then reward your dog (see Rewards)
In Advanced and higher level classes, where there is more than one hide, you need to call alert on each hide that your dog finds, and you can reward after each one. However, at these higher levels (including where there are blank areas and no hide/s for the dog to indicate on), you also need to call ‘Finish’ to indicate that your dog has found all the hides in that search area. Again, your Finish call causes timing to stop and you should ensure that it is loud and clear. Failure to call Finish within 15 seconds of the Official Timer calling that full time has expired will result in the team receiving a fault and the maximum time recorded for that search.
