Inside the Indication

The 9 skills underneath a reliable indication.

Saturday, 30 May 2026 · 11:00 EEST (10:00 CEST · 09:00 BST)
90 minutesEnglishLive + recording included

Curated event, apply-first. Approved applicants receive an invitation to register. Hosted by Vadim Likholetov — see the home page for background, dogs, and deployment history.

Most "indication problems" — drift, scanning, premature break, weak alert — get treated as motivation problems and answered with reward escalation, or as obedience problems and answered with corrections. They are almost always neither.

Indication is a chain of nine trained skills. When it breaks, one of those skills was never built or never generalised. Diagnose the missing link before you reach for a correction.

You can't change complex behaviour without structuring it.

This webinar gives you the framework to run the structural diagnosis on your own dog.

The chain, named

Social engagement with the helper
Luring & reverse luring
"Keep the distance" — defined distance from the source
Ignoring external stimuli
Keep position under arousal
Bark on cue, sustained
Continuous action at the find
Markers
Generalisation across context — rubble, forest, vehicles, night, multiple victim profiles

What you'll get

The minimum learning theory that changes how you train — classical vs operant, reinforcer vs reward, Premack.
Why the helper is the most underestimated lever in SAR training — and how reward geometry shapes alert distance.
The nine skills underneath an indication, named and mapped to the chain — what each one looks like when missing.
The two-stage diagnosis: first decompose the chain to find the broken link (the work most handlers skip), then apply don't know / no motivation / not healthy to that specific link to pick the response. Walked through on live examples from registrants.
The pre-chain check: what changed in the picture the dog is reading — airflow, contamination, area saturation, hide accessibility, your own line tension and body language, reinforcement history for this problem class. If the picture changed, the dog isn't broken — the question is.

Who this is for

Operational SAR handlers building or rebuilding indication
Instructors and helpers who train other people's dogs
Sport SAR (IPO-R / IRO) competitors preparing for tests

Who this is not for

Pet-dog owners with no SAR or sport context
Total beginners — you should already have a dog working scent in some form

Format and price

Format: Live webinar on workingdog.fi · 90 minutes · English
Date: Saturday 30 May 2026, 11:00 EEST (10:00 CEST · 09:00 BST)
Recording: Included free, posted within 7 days. Watch live or watch the recording — your choice.
Price: €25 flat. Same price for everyone, no early-bird, no discount codes.
Refund: All sales final — the recording covers a missed live session.

How it works

Fill the questionnaire. Apply via the form below.
Vadim reviews your application within 3 working days.
If approved, you receive an invitation email with a payment link. Stripe, secure.
Complete payment to confirm your seat. Webinar link follows by email.
Join live on 30 May, or watch the recording in the week after.

Curated event. Not all applications are approved. The session is targeted at handlers and instructors with active SAR or sport SAR work. If your application isn't a fit for this session, you'll be added to the list for the open course later in 2026.

FAQ

I can't watch live. When do I get the recording?

Within 7 days of the session, sent to the email on your application. Once it's sent it's yours — no expiry.

Can my training partner watch with me?

One application per handler. If you want a partner in the room, have them apply too — applications from the same club are welcome and reviewed together.

My dog isn't at an indication stage yet. Should I apply?

If you have scent foundation but the indication is breaking, yes — that's the audience. If there is no scent work yet, the open course later in 2026 is the right format. Note that on the application and you'll go on the list instead.

Why apply-first instead of just selling tickets?

Your answer to "the single hardest indication problem you have right now" goes into the live Q&A bank. Curating the room means the questions worked through during the session map to dogs in the audience — useful for everyone, not just the asker.

Apply for a seat

10 questions, ~3 minutes. Your answer to "the single hardest indication problem you have right now" goes directly into the live Q&A bank.

Open application form

Privacy

Your application data — name, email, dog and training context, country — is used only to review your application, deliver event materials, and contact you about the live event and recording. Not shared with third parties. Not used for ads. You can request deletion any time at vadikas@workingdog.fi.

If we have to cancel

If the event is rescheduled for any reason, paid attendees keep their seat at the new date. Recording delivery commitment carries to the new date. If the event is cancelled outright (no reschedule possible), you receive the recording of an equivalent session — live or pre-recorded — instead.