Solve It! Building Motivation With Mazes and Odor Puzzles

Friday, Oct. 6

4:00PM - 6:00PM

Experience Level: Novice & Above

In order to solve complex odor problems in complex environments, a search dog needs a strong, “can do” spirit. Some dogs seem born with this spirit, but in reality, learning through experience is a powerful force for all. Mazes, 3D challenges, and barrier work provide fun opportunities for dogs to learn that there are many roads to success.

In this session, come give your dog the opportunity to learn that persistence pays off, and pushing a little harder to get to source is always worth the effort. Dogs should already be on odor.

Presenter Bio

Sarah Owings

Sarah Owings (she/her) is a long time educator. She specializes in the practical application of learning principles, transforming the lives of challenging dogs, as well as the lives of the humans that care for them. As an international speaker and regular contributor to both online and in-person conferences, she is known for innovative approaches to tough behavior problems and her compassionate and insightful teaching.

Sarah has written for Clean Run Magazine on topics such as stimulus control, release cues, and reinforcement-specific cues. She currently gets her fill of what she calls “brave learning” as a member of the ClickerExpo faculty, and as a curriculum designer and instructor for several online training platforms.

In the past she has advised the Glendale Humane Society in Los Angeles, as well as the training team at Marin Humane Society in Northern, CA, where she now also teaches classes. Sarah is an avid Nose Work competitor, currently competing at the Summit level with her canine teammate, Tucker. She shares her life with her husband, Fred, Tucker, a small herd of pet cattle, a dove named Latte, and a tortoise named Bug on a fifteen acre ranch in Petaluma, CA.