Yesterday at training we had 1-2 false alerts in about 25 repetitions.
The one false alert that I remember was very interesting. Griffin returned to where the scent had been on the previous rep, and indicated without actually checking.
When I did nothing, he stuck his nose in the block to check, started to Down, then realized he was incorrect and moved off to find the right one.
Later, we went to a larger set up (cement blocks with jars inside and PVC tubes set out) and he was doing a LOT of sniffing and searching. It only took us two months, but now he is actually working and understanding the game!
We also used a different sample than previously and he very quickly realized it was also correct.
I’m hoping that as he now knows scent can provide information in training contexts we will be able to return to scent articles with more success than previously. I’ll wait another 4-6 weeks before trying again, to get his current work better accomplished.