Blog by Stu Phillips
Maintenance of Motivation Versus Operational Realism
After spending some time this week training Customs Detection Dogs at a Border Crossing Point, I wanted to share a few thoughts in this short blog. One of the Customs dog handlers I spoke with โ not from Moldova โ explained that they had been trained to place a hide on vehicles after every search. This was the method taught in their system. In my view, this approach is far from best practice, and hereโs why.
In detection dog training, especially within customs environments, there is a fine balance between keeping a dog motivated and preparing them for real-world conditions. Both are essential, but focusing too much on one can damage performance in the field.
โธป
๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
This involves keeping the dog enthusiastic and driven by ensuring frequent rewards and regular โsuccesses.โ Some customs handlers place a training sample after every vehicle, so the dog always finds something. While this keeps motivation high short-term, it teaches the dog to expect a find every time, which is NOT realistic.
โธป
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐
โข The dog becomes frustrated during blanks (when no odour is present).
โข False alerts increase as the dog pressures the handler for a reward.
โข Dogs rely on the handlerโs routine instead of genuinely searching.
โข Endurance drops during long, real-world searches with no finds.
โธป
๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐บ
Real operations are unpredictable. Many searches are blanks, with no target odour. Dogs must learn to stay focused, search thoroughly, and not lose confidence even when no reward comes quickly.
โธป
๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ:
โข Mix blanks and finds in training.
โข Use varied, unpredictable rewards, including after correct non-alerts.
โข Keep motivation high without sacrificing realism.
โข Build dogs that can work independently, for extended periods, under real conditions.
โธป
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ: Constant reinforcement through predictable patterns may look like it works โ but it ultimately harms a dogโs operational reliability. Accuracy and trust in the search process must come first.
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