When searching for buried odor in sand or water, odor moves over the side of the container, so you'll often see dogs sniffing along the sides of a buried hide. The odor can catch on the next bin over or on another object if the air is moving or it's windy. Often, buried searches at trials are outdoors.
If your dog identifies a hide and you call alert and the dog moves away from the nose hold, just freeze and wait them out until they return to the nose hold then pay at source. If after identifying the odor and the handler calls "Alert" your dog moves away from the hide, just go with them to continue the search.
Sometimes trials are held on slippery footing, such as polished or finished concrete, which can be tricky for some dogs. It's a good idea to consider boots or special paw protector stickers and practice with them before you need to use them at a trial. Jackie's coach uses RC Pets sport socks for dogs, and Aqumax non-slip paw protectors.
Here's a clip of Jackie playing three searches this week: containers, buried water, and buried sand:
