Beginner Scent

[Ashley]

OK, with all the homework (readings, practice training and tasks - such as going on 'scenting' walks and recording body language), I have lost track of all the steps that have been sent to me. I'll find some time this week to put it together so those that want to follow along at home can do so! I will say, it's getting complicated to keep the containers, gloves, scent, treats etc hidden, but apart from each other in the house. We got on email about marker on each container...and I'm completely lost. I have never heard or seen anything about marking the containers.
Anyway....
Currently, we are at two identical container searches, one has the spice jar of scent inside, one is 'clean'. Quinn keeps going to the last box she got right, and pressing her nose against it. No matter how I mix up the boxes or keep them the same. When I don't reward her (because she is not at the box with scent in it), she paws the box (something she learned in previous shaping exercises), then will start throwing other behaviours, like sitting at my feet. The other box with scent is literally RIGHT BESIDE the other box. I don't know how to move forward. I can't give her any clues of what to do, and she is obviously not using her nose. We're going to be behind the rest of the class if I can't get her to start using her nose....

 

[Boogie]

We are lucky with our scent work - all they have to do is bring the object to us!

 

[HAH]

@Ashley - these might be really stupid ideas so do ignore me if I’ve gone entirely left field, but two thoughts spring to mind; firstly, does it help her if the boxes are a bit further away from each other? If they’re directly next to each other it might be too close to discriminate easily (early doors), or for her to be clear she needs to choose the one with scent. And the other thought was can you do the task in low light or the dark? You could mark near one box with something like a glow-in-the-dark sticker so you’ll know if she’s got the right one, and it might just make sight slightly less easy than scent to nudge her into the right action.

 

[Ashley]

@HAH so one of the boxes is "clean" which means it has never had any scent in or on it, and the other always hold the jar, so would have the scent more seeped into. I've tried the boxes close together, and far apart, and different configurations, and standing different places. She is supposed to go to the hole in the box and sniff, and get rewarded with treats directly on the box with scent, to associate the smell with getting a treats. She seems to do the same on whichever box she happens to go to first...sniff, then look for the treat.

I think I just answered my own training dilemma...I need to go back down to one box for a few sessions to build back up her nose to hole/smell.

Thank you for getting my brain working!

 

[HAH]

excellent solution @Ashley! I'm glad to have witnessed the inspiration

 

[Ashley]

I haven't updated in awhile, as this class is pretty intense and each week is so much! I am 100% teacher's pet, because I've won 2 prizes for completing homework. The last class we had to show our handwritten training notes, and I was the only one who completed it (I even have a lab on the front of my notebook ). Then my dog goes and indicates at the wrong jar and starts throwing me a paw when she doesn't get rewarded

Anyway, I got an email on the weekend that Quinn and I are recommended to move up to level 2! Yay!

We've been working on increasing the number of boxes in an indoor search (we are up to 5, and 16 is the amount she has to search for a Started level trial). Still working on increasing drive with lots of feeding games associated with the scent. I've been working on my cue (I decided on Search, but lots of people are using words in another language. Like German 'suche'). Quinn still needs her release of 'ok' to get going though. When I say 'search', she looks at me like...um, what? This week we are starting a trained cue for when she finds the scent. Some are sitting, others are doing a down but Quinn hates down, so I think I'll go with sit. We have also been working on leash handling, because any leash pulling can interfere or give the wrong signal and take the dog off a container. We have to practice with long lines to find what works best with our dog's search style. Quinn isn't a runner or manic in her scenting...she's fairly slow and deliberate so not hard to manage on a shorter leash. She's doing super well at hidden scent stuff...she can sniff out a hidden jar in the house quite well, and seems more motivated and excited by that compared to the container search.

My goal is to enter a trial in the late Spring, but we have a long way to go before that! The best and most enthusiastic little scenter in our class in an English bulldog!

 

[Selina27]

Sounds like Quinn is doing very well, a great thing for you and her to be sharing. It's very interesting to read about.

 

[Charlie]

That's brilliant, up a class. Go Quinn xxx Good girl Ashley for doing your homework!! xx

 

[Ashley]

It's been awhile since I have updated, so as a log for myself we started Scent 2 last week. We won "most improved" in our last class since we missed 3 weeks due to surgery but caught up (and surpassed some ) to the others!

We missed the first class level 2 while on vacation and I only had a couple days to practice with Quinn before jumping in! Our class is smaller (some didn't progress to level 2) this time around. Our class has 1 new dog (who is taking level 2 a second time) and 3 dogs from beginner. We started with a tricky fan blowing scent through a pipe to work on our training. Basically, all the dogs were indicating at the end of the pipe, opposite from the vessel and we had to ensure they checked the whole pipe. Quinn indicated on the right spot quickly, so vacation did not bring her down! We are working on tougher search set ups, and at different heights. Bigger dogs don't have the same challenges as the little dogs with indicating scent high up, so Quinn can usually still get her nose on it, while the smaller dogs have to stand on hind feet - handlers have to ensure that no damage is done to the search area if dogs put paws up. On one of the harder searches, Quinn crouched down under a radiator and pulled out a piece of rawhide rolleyes and then continued on! Only the lab!!

I have to work on making practice searches at home harder...we have started using straws with q-tips of scent and hiding in more difficult locations like cupboard doors and other smaller places. Quinn is definitely more engaged in a search with hidden scent vs. the box search. I can see that she has improved a lot in the past month or so, and knows the 'search' cue. She has sniffed out scent in backpacks, inside a speaker and a shoe. She has stopped using her eyes and starts taking huge sniffs of the air and then is off. It's quite a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to moving to outdoor searches as well as the vehicle search!

I'm currently looking for a new harness that will she can wear to be in 'work mode'. The Julius K9 would have been perfect, but we can't use if because she walked in it for a couple of years. So need something that is easy on/off and not restrictive.

 

[snowbunny]

Quinn crouched down under a radiator and pulled out a piece of rawhide rolleyes and then continued on! Only the lab!!

Sounds like you're doing brilliantly well, thanks for the report

 

[HAH]

It's been awhile since I have updated, so as a log for myself we started Scent 2 last week. We won "most improved" in our last class since we missed 3 weeks due to surgery but caught up (and surpassed some ) to the others!

We missed the first class level 2 while on vacation and I only had a couple days to practice with Quinn before jumping in! Our class is smaller (some didn't progress to level 2) this time around. Our class has 1 new dog (who is taking level 2 a second time) and 3 dogs from beginner. We started with a tricky fan blowing scent through a pipe to work on our training. Basically, all the dogs were indicating at the end of the pipe, opposite from the vessel and we had to ensure they checked the whole pipe. Quinn indicated on the right spot quickly, so vacation did not bring her down! We are working on tougher search set ups, and at different heights. Bigger dogs don't have the same challenges as the little dogs with indicating scent high up, so Quinn can usually still get her nose on it, while the smaller dogs have to stand on hind feet - handlers have to ensure that no damage is done to the search area if dogs put paws up. On one of the harder searches, Quinn crouched down under a radiator and pulled out a piece of rawhide rolleyes and then continued on! Only the lab!!

I have to work on making practice searches at home harder...we have started using straws with q-tips of scent and hiding in more difficult locations like cupboard doors and other smaller places. Quinn is definitely more engaged in a search with hidden scent vs. the box search. I can see that she has improved a lot in the past month or so, and knows the 'search' cue. She has sniffed out scent in backpacks, inside a speaker and a shoe. She has stopped using her eyes and starts taking huge sniffs of the air and then is off. It's quite a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to moving to outdoor searches as well as the vehicle search!

I'm currently looking for a new harness that will she can wear to be in 'work mode'. The Julius K9 would have been perfect, but we can't use if because she walked in it for a couple of years. So need something that is easy on/off and not restrictive.

Fantastic, what leaps you and Quinn have made! Sounds like it’s really her element, and I can entirely see why hidden scent is more engaging than boxes. There’s a fair bit of harness chat over on another thread, but our fave is the Copenhagen Comfort Walk Pro. It’s pricey but comfortable and robust with good harness/handle points which might be handy as you get further into the scent work.

 

[Cath]

We won "most improved" in our last class

 

[Selina27]

Thanks for that update, it's really interesting to read. It sounds like it's very challenging and rewarding for the dogs, great stuff. I can well imagine that hidden is better than boxes.
For the first time today I hid a dummy in the garden that I had applied pheasant scent to (I couldn't smell anything much on the roller). Cass just walked straight out and found it in seconds, she was like "was that supposed to be difficult?"
Their noses are truly amazing, I'm endlessly fascinated by them!

 

[Naya]

Sounds like Quinn is doing amazing, despite her being poorly. Look forward to hearing more

 

[MellowYellow]

Thank you for the write-up, it is really interesting! Would this be good for dogs with restricted mobility, do you think? I am thinking dogs who have or are recovering from ED or HD, for instance.

 

[Ashley]

Thank you for the write-up, it is really interesting! Would this be good for dogs with restricted mobility, do you think? I am thinking dogs who have or are recovering from ED or HD, for instance.

Yes, we started out when Quinn was on restricted exercise and it was really good to keep her stimulated! We had vet clearance to start while stitches still in. It’s all on leash work and not high impact at all. Mostly slow - medium walking and sniffing when searching, and lots of the beginner training exercises are in place (no movement). We have several senior dogs in our class and it’s also ideal for reactive dogs as it’s all 1:1 work with handler.

 

[Ashley]

Another good class; the searches are getting more detailed and taking the dogs longer. I need to work on letting Quinn lead, as I am prone to detailed searching (using my hand as a guide to ask her to search certain areas) but she is actually so quick that she gets to the right area and doesn't need to detail where she knows there is nothing. We did a competition for fun with a distractor - it was an egg on the spoon for the human racing to scent. It was highly distracting (both egg and spoon = TREAT at our house). Quinn though won the first round, but was a bit behind in the finals. It really showed which dogs are easily distracted and need to work on drive, as well as how the human handler might be distracted/focusing on something else at competition and need to manage that. In higher level trials, there are toys and treats placed purposely that can act as a distraction to the dog. Overall, I am thrilled with how much Quinn likes scent work - her excitement increases every week. I think the early learning was boring to her because she likes to work/do something and doesn't easily relax. She now drags me to the start line when it's her turn and seems so pleased with herself once she makes a find. It has also helped with calm behaviours in comparison to agility and other dog sports where she just could not settle when it wasn't her turn and would bark/whine. That has totally stopped at this point in scent class and she settles on her mat and watches.

 

[Selina27]

That sounds great @Ashley . Do you mean that Quinn found the early scent work boring? Or training in general? I must admit that all that barking in agility would not be for me! I'm pleased I did a little bit though, as it means I can get really inventive with games when we are out and about, with whatever obstacles we come across.

 

[Ashley]

That sounds great @Ashley . Do you mean that Quinn found the early scent work boring? Or training in general? I must admit that all that barking in agility would not be for me! I'm pleased I did a little bit though, as it means I can get really inventive with games when we are out and about, with whatever obstacles we come across.

She found the foundation scent stuff a bit boring in class. There was lots of talking and shorts bits of practice, waiting, talking etc. took awhile for her to settle down because she’s used to doing something a full class in either rally, agility, tricks etc. scent is much slower paced so I think this has been very good for her!

 

[Ashley]

Last night we had an outdoor class, which was really fun. Outdoor is challenging for many dogs, as wind moves scent and many take some time to associate scent work outside of where they have been practicing up til now. Quinn did so well, I couldn't believe it, especially since it was very windy. Someone had dropped crackers close to the working area and she just goes into work mode and ignores every distraction. She's a fast fast learner and sometimes I think she should be an actual working dog as she has so much drive and focus. We also did our first vehicle search. To associate scent with the car, a box from interior searches is placed near the start - Quinn got it immediately. A few of the dogs had some trouble understanding where they were supposed to search, and those handlers need to work on their detailed search handling and cues. The car is interesting, because they have to search every crevice, and depending which direction you move around the vehicle, the scent is different (wind). Another challenge being outside is that dogs cannot pee/poo/vomit in the search area or it's immediate elimination. Most dogs are already trained to go on cue prior, but marking is an issue, especially with all the different possible surfaces (grass/pavement/wood chips/woods etc.). Once Quinn is in work mode, I cannot get her to pee (she sits and won't budge), so might have to work on this.