Sunday, January 10, 2016

Nosework – 4 weeks!

Hard to believe it was the beginning of December when I decided to dive into NOSEWORK to give Jake a job and keep me semi entertained while recovering from a knee replacement…  and to get us through the COLD Wisconsin winter!!  I ordered boxes, set up a training area and finally got scent December 5th and here we are a month and a few days later posting a video of quite a few hides and jake’s searches.  I don’t videotape every day because I spend way too much time editing them and hence, less time training!  Anyhoo…  here it is About 15+ minutes cut down to 5!

Click here to watch video!

  • The beginning is a hide in white boxes in my bedroom.  I leave most training items out so these boxes were simply strewn about the room.  He identified the hot one where there were several Q-tips in a tin. 
  • At 39 seconds he starts the second search of the same boxes in the bedroom and identifies the source at 53 seconds.  When I say YES he jerks his head and looks at me and I lean over and treat him at the source of the odor.  Then I have him put his nose back again to extend the time at the odor.  If he looks back at me I say “uh uh” (or play the red light/green light game) and he puts his nose on source again.  When finished I say YES and ALL DONE.
  • At 1:18 he starts the 3rd search and he has to search the whole house.  It’s in a basket on the table and I thought he’d go on the couch to get it but he didn’t.  Nevertheless he found it at 2:43.  I hid it again at the same place and he did go on the couch then to get it and was very obedient to the odor.
  • The next search starts at 3:18 and as he passes it at 3:24 he does a head jerk and finds it.
  • In the next search at 3:32 he starts in and clears the living room but then finds it in the kitchen at 4:09 between the refrigerator and cabinet.
  • Right away at 4:10 is another search where he went by it and then did a head jerk and found it in the closet.
  • At 4:19 he starts a search in the training area and immediately goes to my boots where the odor is hidden.
  • At 4:29 he heads into the living room and clears that quickly before heading back and finding the odor (in a magnetic spice tin) on the pellet stove.  We then work on obedience to odor.

Notes:

  • I start every session by putting a wide collar on him and a 10 foot leash without a handle and tell him to go to his place (mat) in the training room. This is where he returns between searches which happen throughout the house.  His rewards (kibble – anything better is too stimulating for him) are on a table right in the room which he leaves alone. 
  • After I’ve hidden the the odor I go back to him by walking through the rooms where I did not hide the odor so he doesn’t track my steps and I always take a different route.
  • Sometimes I hold the leash when he’s searching but when I was doing the videotape I didn’t have enough hands.  Other videotapes I’ve done I set up a tripod but the way he is all over the house that is no longer practical.
  • He was a little spooked with me talking for the video which I normally don’t do AND I normally have treats in my hand that now held my phone so things were a little off for him.  Because of this I noticed that he didn’t focus quite like normal…  however…  we need to work on focus and distractions!!

2015.12.13 Jake at window

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Now I’m getting carried away…

Hide odor…  camera in one hand, treats in the other!  Jake searches and holds head to odor until I click the camera and say yes! 

20160104_20101120160104_201625-120160104_201816-120160105_17222620160105_17245720160105_17265320160105_173010

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Three weeks and more creative hides!

I’ve been hiding containers all around the house this last week and here are some photos from today’s hides in the bedroom.  I’ve hidden the containers in my sock drawer, under a basket, in my boots, in the cone he often has to wear on his head and under his deflated basketball!

jake searching 1jake searching 3jake searching 5jake searching 7jake searching 9

He maintained obedience to odor while I picked up my phone and took a few shots of each of this finds!!  What a guy!!