Friday, December 25, 2015

Two weeks of training!

More of the same!  He’s going to be a ROCK STAR!   3-4 sessions/day and 4 hides each session!

Here is the 2 week video.  I started with 15 min. and cut it to under 2 min.  He generally keeps his nose on the source (odor is birch) until I say “yes” and then he lifts his head.  Sometimes I am saying it quietly so it just looks like I’m rewarding him after his head is up but I’ve marked it when his head is down.  I started using a leash and moving it around over his back as he sticks with the source.  His obedience to odor is really good for only doing this for 2 weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w_uY_nLZ3Q 

And the training room is getting slightly more chaiotic!

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Here are some of the containers I’m using for hides:

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

One week of training!

It’s going well and Jake clearly gets it!!  Here are 2 videos from the first week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7KkeIK-sE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L602QUj_UKs

Here’s how the training room looked first…  and then the boxes came!

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Fenzi it is!

The DVDs arrived and I spent lots of time watching them but, oh my…  the method of training requires the assistance of another person.  Hmm….  what to do???  Talked to more folks and was directed to the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy that offers online classes in quite a few topics including nosework!  What did I have to lose?  NW 101 – Introduction to Nosework - $65 for a course at the bronze level.  It uses marker training which is so ingrained in my training that it would be hard to break me of it even if I wanted to stop using it – which I don’t.  Here is what they said about it:

This course is unique in that your dog will NOT learn to search for food; instead, we use the proven training method that produces the nation's top drug and bomb detection dogs! Our backchaining method is effective on almost all dogs, from insecure and unfocused dogs to highly driven and intense workers. The proof is in the pudding; dogs going through only one or two levels of our courses are earning their ORT and NW titles in record time! Even if your dog has failed using other methods, we can help you succeed!

In this class, you will learn about the basic concepts in searching for odor, proper use of equipment, how to handle odor, how to make and place hides, and how to teach your dog the importance of odor obedience.  You will also learn how to make the search for scent extremely important to your dog.

The Syllabus seemed like it was very straightforward and it was a course that was being offered right now and I could get started immediately!

Week 1:

  • What is Nosework / Explanation of training method image
  • Preparing/handling odor & avoiding contamination
  • Introduction to odor

Week 2:

  • Introduction to hunting
  • Developing value for odor source
  • Emphasizing the importance of rewarding at source
  • How to address false alerts
  • Generalization of containers

Week 3:

  • Building stay at source behavior using games
  • Handling & body language - how that can affect your dog's search
  • Introduction to mild proofing at source
  • Generalization of searching in new familiar locations 
  • Hunting skill building games / adding more containers and challenges in search area

Week 4:

  • Nosework gear and leash handling
  • Elevated & High/Low container games
  • Adding distractions with containers
  • Introduction to the concept of aging your hides

Week 5:

  • Startline Routines
  • Introduction to Interiors
  • Introduction to “ORT” boxes

Week 6:

  • Preparing for your ORT
  • Mock ORT