Grothaus K9 Working German Shepherds

07/29/2025

Teaching, Training, and Proofing Tuesday:
Working the Arc to Find the Truth

Odor doesn’t lie, but it rarely tells the whole story up front.

TEACHING Phase – The Scent Picture is Real
You’ve set an elevated hide on a post, a shelf, or a structure 4–5 feet high. Airflow carries the odor away, wrapping it across the environment in a visible arc of behavior as your dog works the periphery.

We call this the "Odor Rainbow." Like the reading rainbow except for dogs!

It’s not an unproductive behavior, it’s exactly what odor is doing.

Whether you meant to or not, you’re teaching the dog that odor may first appear far from source, but if they stay in the game, they can find their way back to it. They may encounter it on either side of the hide, but not underneath.

TRAINING Phase – Build Odor Logic, Not Just Sourcing
This is the phase where dogs learn to triangulate:

- Let them explore the arc.
- Don’t redirect them too early.
- Reinforce the process, not just the outcome.
- Use patterns that reward re-approach, elevation, and persistence.

*** The dog that finds odor easily doesn’t always understand it.
The dog that works for it learns how it behaves. ***

Let them work the scent picture. Let them struggle a little. Let them learn how scent behaves in space.

PROOFING Phase – Arc ≠ Source
Now it’s time to increase challenge:
- Add competing objects that catch and hold odor
- Introduce HVAC, open air, or elevation variables
- Reward only at source, don’t reinforce arc sniffing

This is where they stop guessing and start solving.
They learn to step off the rainbow and go looking for the pot of gold.

Handler Awareness:
- Don’t interrupt arc behavior, observe and support it
- Look for that "re-entry moment" when the dog shifts from detection to decision
- Recognize the difference between busy and problem-solving

Be the handler that gives them space to figure it out, because confidence is built by solving hard things independently.

Odor understanding isn’t just about nose-on-source. It’s about understanding where odor starts and where it ends.

Let them follow the arc. Then teach them to find the truth.

07/29/2025

The Problem: Odor Isn't Always Where You Think It Should Be
In elevated hide scenarios with air movement, dogs often:

Work "the arc" of pooled odor downwind or laterally

Check objects with odor on them but not coming from them

Appear to be in odor for a long time without sourcing

This isn't failure, it's actually correct behavior if the dog is working scent logically.

->How Dogs Learn to Triangulate
Experience with Drift = Pattern Recognition
Dogs learn over time that odor at elevation doesn't always present from below. They learn it can drift, drop, and wrap depending on:
- Airflow
- Thermals or HVAC
- Items such as furniture, Obstructions, and walls
- Type of floor surface

Repeated exposure to drifting and arcing (Odor Rainbows as Caroline Kobe Oldham calls them) scent cones helps dogs start using movement and sampling to predict the source point.

They go from “it smells strong here but not there” to “I’ve smelled this pattern before, it’s probably up high over there.” They bracket to attack it.

->THE KEY: Handler Support Without Interference
Handlers play a key role:
- Don't crowd or redirect during the arc phase
- Let the dog map the odor field
- Encourage re-engagement with the area after a pass, especially when they’ve checked multiple drift points or angles without success
- Picking a pattern and staying committed to working that versus working the dog

*** A well-timed pause or reposition at a clean angle can help without stealing the dog's problem. Support them solving it, don't just solve it for them. ***

-> Training Progression: Build the Triangulation Skill
Use a hide that forms an "Odor Rainbow" (e.g., elevated on a post or shelf with airflow behind it). Then:

Phase 1 – Teaching the Drift Picture
- Let the dog explore the arc freely
- Observe and watch as they move toward the origin of odor
- Use accessible elevated hides first (4’ or so) with minimal cross-contamination

Phase 2 – Reward Only for Sourcing
- Reward only at the true source (not at the odor “cloud” or arc)
- Use known environmental anchors/bumpers (walls, pillars) to help guide their odor mapping
- Let them fail and re-approach, this builds the odor understanding and anticipation (be mindful of frustration)

Phase 3 – Proofing with Complexity
- Add competing objects and surfaces that catch odor
- Hides at various elevations and locations where odor collects in misleading ways
- Use environmental setups where working back is the only route to source

-> Dogs Learn Through Pattern Exposure, Not Repetition
Let the dog build their own database of odor behavior. The more they encounter odor arcs, scent curtains, lofted cones, and downward drifts, the more confidently they’ll:
- Work the arc
- Pause
- Reorient
- Climb the scent ladder back to source

Your Training Mantra:
Let them learn the air flow. Let them learn the wall. Let them learn the climb.

You can try and teach triangulation. The best approach is to build the conditions where the dog discovers it themselves.

This post was inspired by my friend Gary Strickland. Hopefully I did it justice.

03/05/2025

❤️🐾

Dog People 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

10/18/2024

🖤🐾

From my book, Dog People.

07/17/2024

It’s hard to express how happy we are with how many people are on board with the conceot of rapid cooling for canine heat injury. 12 years ago when we published our systematic review “Rethinling Heat injury in the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Canine” where we concluded there was no scientific evidence to support that slow cooling was better than rapid cooling, and that there was no scientific evidence that cold or ice water cooling was detrimental to chances of survival, we were attacked with an angry mob of villagers with pitchforks and torches (okay, not really, but that’s what it felt like. ) After more research by multiple universities and private entities, now in the working dog world rapid cooling is accepted and practiced as the standard. It’s saving dog’s lives! Thanks to all of the working dog professionals who did the follow-on research that was needed in this topic. More research is still needed, but we’re off to a good start.

03/29/2024

03/28/2024

Kong ball origin story!
How the Kong ball was invented…

The Kong toy was invented by accident more than 40 years ago when Joe Markham needed a way to prevent his German Shepherd Fritz from biting on rocks and sticks. Fritz, who Markham adopted as a shelter dog, had worn down his teeth to one-third of the size they should have been.

He was working on his vehicle and tossed an axle stop with an attached bracket on the ground. His dog got hold of it and loved it. He was playing with it joyously, much to Markham’s amusement.

He said to his friend, “What do you think of my new dog toy?”

His friend replied, “Actually, it’s not too pretty. It looks like an earplug from King Kong.”

And the Kong toy was born☝😉

03/18/2024

All the time… I think people forget that it’s completely fine to admire a working dog, while understanding that they are not always a good fit for everyone’s lifestyle.

02/28/2024

Absolute facts 🙌🐾

02/14/2024

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕🐾😜

02/11/2024

😉🇺🇸🐾

02/01/2024

💕🐾💕🐾💕🐾💕
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Wide selection of high quality supplies for you & your pup to succeed at this fast growing dog sport.