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Training is a time-consuming and comprehensive process for both the dog and the handler.
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For the dog, training is best begun early in life (upon acquisition of a suitable puppy, 8–10 weeks) for deployment of the dog in 12–18 months and retirement at 5–10 years, depending on the breed and individual dog.
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Obedience training is essential for the dog's safety, order at staging areas, and to maintain professionalism in law enforcement and the public audience.
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Socialization and handler-canine bonding are especially important for air scenting dogs. Basic agility training is necessary, and advanced training may pay off unexpectedly.
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Scent training should be initiated early using a variety of methods and is often best accomplished by working with an experienced, well-established local training group that has a track record of working with local or state law enforcement.
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For puppies, expect to train obedience, socialization, and agility daily 2-5 times for 10 up to 60 minutes, and scent training 3-7 times per week for 5–30 minutes.
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As the dog's abilities improve, daily obedience training continues, with impromptu or planned agility and socialization sessions.
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Scent training frequency decreases (3-5 times/week) but duration increases (20–60 minutes per session). Search-ready dogs need once-weekly training sessions (4–8 hours) along with frequent focus sessions (5–60 minutes, 3 or more times per week).
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Training outside the dog's primary focus (eg, teaching an air scenting dog scent discrimination, cadaver, or avalanche techniques) should be done cautiously and only once the dog reliably performs in his primary training area.
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Usually training starts as a game played with puppies, starting with simple reward-based training (i.e. puppy is given a treat or allowed to play with a toy upon showing a simple skill such as retrieving the toy and bringing it back to the trainer) and expanding outward to "games" with more specific job skills (i.e. a well-loved toy is scented with the desired scent to find; when puppy finds the toy, he/she is allowed to play with the toy; later, scent and toy are separated so that puppy will search for the scent and is rewarded with the toy afterward).
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A more commonly used approach is to base training on herding, prey/pursuit, and pack instincts: initial training for puppies usually involves run-away games where the handler runs from the puppy and hides a short distance away. Basic instincts drive the puppy to locate the subject, initially by sight but with the association of human scent.
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To advance this training, the subject hides further away or longer times pass between departure of the subject and release of the dog.
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The dog is forced to rely increasingly on scent to locate the subject.
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Eventually, the dog can be transitioned to search without seeing the subject depart by simply giving the command used when he's released during basic runaway training.
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During all stages, finding the subject is reinforced by multiple means (praise, play, or food treats).
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