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Tamara Champagne

007 - Odor Theory: Sport Detection Odor Concentration, Availability and Aging


In this episode, I discuss odor concentration, availability, and aging. These concepts continue to come up with my students and I often see these three things impact teams' outcomes at trials.


Understanding these concepts is crucial for successful sport detection training and trialing!


Key Concepts


- Odor Concentration and Availability: I explore how the concentration and availability of odors impact a dog's ability to detect their target odors.

- Aging: I discuss the importance of aging hides beyond the minimum requirement to create more realistic trial scenarios.


Factors Affecting a Dog's Ability to Detect Odors


I examine several factors that influence a dog's scent detection capabilities, including:


- Breed: Different breeds have varying levels of scent detection proficiency.

- Individual Differences: Each dog has unique strengths and weaknesses.

- Training Experience: The level of training a dog has received plays a significant role in their detection abilities.


Building Hides and Hide Containment


I also provide insights into constructing hides and discuss how hide containment impacts odor availability. I includes tips on creating hides that challenge and develop a dog's scent detection skills.


Impact of Weather and Environment


I also share valuable information on how weather and environmental factors affect odor availability:


- Temperature: Higher temperatures increase volatility, creating larger scent cones, while colder temperatures suppress odor release.

- Wind and Airflow: These elements can disperse or concentrate odors, making it more challenging for dogs to locate hides.

- Aging Hides: There are benefits to aging hides, such as creating larger scent cones and working through pooling odor challenges.


Overall, this episode aims to provide practical information and tips for scent detection and noseowork trainers and handlers. Join me as I explore these critical aspects to enhance our understanding and improve our training techniques.

In this episode we discuss:

00:00 Understanding Odor Concentration and Availability

06:14 Residual Odor vs. Lingering Odor

09:33 Distractors and Proofing Items

13:30 Factors Affecting a Dog's Ability to Detect

16:12 Training Experience and Odor Detection

19:04 Building Hides for Maximum Odor Availability

26:53 The Impact of Hide Containment on Odor Availability

33:19 The Impact of Weather and Environment on Odor Availability

34:56 Understanding Scent Cones and the Role of Wind and Airflow

36:00 The Benefits of Aging Hides in Training and Trials


Click here to listen on Apple and Spotify


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odor concentration, odor availability, aging hides, residual odor, contamination, scent detection training, hide building, hide containment, odor availability, weather, environment, odor concentration, aging hides, scent cones, wind, airflow, trial scenarios, young dogs, pooling odor

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