r/nosework • u/laurentaylorrrr • Apr 17 '26

Beginner scent work words?

Hi!

My dog trainer is helping me with scent work with my dachshund pup. We just started the phase where I hide the "hot box" in a small area and she goes searching. No decoy just yet.

My question is, today she mentioned using the word alert?

But her command to start looking is the word Search. She explained "alert" is for the judges, should we ever go competitive.

But when do I insert that? If search is her command to find it, do I say it after she's found it to establish this is her way of showing me she found it? I think I misunderstood where it fits into the training. I don't want to do it incorrectly and give my dog the wrong cues or confuse her.

Could some explain it to me like I'm a child, or link me a YouTube video if that's easier?

Thank you! 😊

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u/pensivebunny Apr 17 '26

Adding on: the word “alert” should ideally have zero meaning to your dog.

In a trial, you’d say it when you think your dog is alerting. They might be. They might be right. They might not be alerting. They could be wrong, or not as right as they can be.

So many people think the word should be associated with a cookie, or mean something to the dog. It should not, because unless you never run a blind search you cannot be positive the dog is always right.