Toro did a very challenging scentwork search today at West Country Canine Therapy in North Devon. The humidity of the pool room and the strange air currents from the filters really made him have to stay focused. I asked a lot of him but he really pulled it out of the bag! So excited to be starting some classes at this amazing venue next month 😄 #scentwork #scentworktraining #scentworkdog #northdevondogtraining #soozdogtraining
When one of your dogs doesn’t retrieve the food toy you sent him out to find, and you’re too lazy to get it your self, it’s time to call in the spaniel 🤣 #springerspaniel #northdevondogs #soozdogtraining #northdevondogtraining
The answer is both of them!
I’m not sure if I’ve coined the phrase ‘elastic band training’ or if I’ve stolen it off someone else but it’s a useful way to think of training a new behaviour. I start as close to the end behaviour as I can. In this video I lured Toro into heel position and charge that position by giving him multiple treats. I think of this ‘goal’ position as my loose elastic band. I then use my reward delivery to stretch the elastic band and then mark when he snaps back to the goal position. If I put the elastic under too much tension, it won’t snap back, but as I gradually stretch it I can make it more malleable so I can increase the difficulty of my reward delivery. You may notice at one point he stops a little too far back. By tossing the reward forward it encourages him to come into the desired position on my next rep so I don’t have to wiggle around adjusting him. I want him to come into the correct position without relying on a wiggle. At the end I could have waited fractionally longer to see if he would bring his back end in a tiny bit more so he was straight before I offered the hand touch.
The power of scentwork. Mr Toro has always been nervous of new things. Watch how cautiously he climbs the steps compared to his second attempt. In the first video he knew the scent was at the top but was hesitant going to it. Second time he was straight up the steps and back down again when he decided it wasn’t there. Using his nose is really helping him grow in confidence 😃
Here’s an interesting video (well I think it is anyway!!).
I’ve been doing scentwork with Toro for a while now and he is really starting to get focused in the task of searching for the target odour.
You will hear in the background banging and crashing and men’s voices. This would normally send him into a barking frenzy but notice how focused he is on finding the scent.
I am seeing huge improvements in his reactive behaviour with the addition of scentwork to his daily life.
Helped by the wonderful Clare from 4 Active Paws he is now able to attend her classes without screaming at the other dogs in the hall. Something I thought would never be possible.
Sorry for doing this (I promised no ‘call to action’ marketing language) but I am genuinely interested - has anyone else found sniffing has helped their reactive dogs?
I don’t want to say this too loud but how good is this weather?!!
And now for something completely different! Proof that you don’t need a ‘sporty’ dog for dog sports.
Layla, my Pug X Jack Russel showing us how hoopers is done!
I’m using random (to her) rewards to keep her driving forward to the next hoop.
I do a whoopsie amd let her make the same mistake 3 times - my bad - but luckily she’s resilient and she pushes on despite MY errors.
Is she not just the coolest Jug out there?!!
Staying on the theme of boring videos, here is Shadow and Toro practicing their tuck sits.
A tuck sits requires the dogs to anchor their front feet and bring their back legs underneath them into the sit.
I’m using a chin rest (and a nose target for Toro) to help them shift their weight onto their front legs so they can bring their back feet forward.
The platform gives structure and for Shadow really helps him think about where his legs are and he’s actually keeping his right knee tucked in.
I love training!!
Here’s another potentially very dull, SEO free video.
Toro (the dog with the blue collar) likes to have a shout at dogs he doesn’t know. We’ve now got to the point that he can attend scentwork classes with the wonderful Clare at 4 Active Paws.
Up until now we’ve been working on him feeling comfortable in the hall in the presence of other dogs. I think he’s ready to start working on settling on a bed while the other dogs are working. I’ve done quite a lot of bed work BUT never really got to the point where it is reliable and he can stay on it around distractions. His sister Luna was very happy to be the distraction today!
I did a short session first with just Toro (if you want to see it I’m happy to share) where I explained the rules. That is, stay on the bed no matter what. We then added the whirling dervish that is Luna, into the equation.
Points to note:
• I am luring him onto the bed then feeding a few treats in the down before starting the exercise.
• I’m not feeding him in the down position on the bed.
• After I mark I’m luring him into a sit.
• I then wait for him to lie down before I go back to playing with Luna.
• When I first call Luna off the bed Toro joins us, no biggie, I just lure him back on and remind him of the game.
So him going into the down gets me to start the distractions and rather than waiting for food to miraculously appear in front of him, he is waiting for the ‘yes’ marker. I have found it much easier to build duration this way. When he lies down I start the distractions again.
If I ‘drip feed the bed’, which is what I have done in the past, I find that it is really hard to fade that out. Delaying the treats to the bed causes him to get frustrated and start barking or to leave the bed. This shows up more when he is anxious about unknown dogs being nearby.
I am not using a formal cue to ask him to go to the bed as he has enough to take in without having to think about that as well. I will a
As promised, here’s my first training video! I’m working on Shadow’s down from stand and trying to tidy it up. He tends to creep forward and stick his right knee out (he had an operation about 18 months ago). I got this exercise from Tromplo and it’s making a difference. The platform helps to keep his knee in (and prevents SOME of the spaniel wiggle!) so I can focus on the chin rest which is really starting to anchor his front feet. This is tough for Shadow, he gets weekly physio and hydrotherapy but this is a real workout! From working with lots of dogs, stand to down can be a sticking point for many. We often teach our puppies to sit first then down from sit second so down from stand can be tricky. Enjoy! Ps. Not putting a call to action in, a hook or a sinker, no SEO keywords or any other marketing stuff!! - just real training of my gorgeous doggies!
Have you ever heard of a play work sandwich? 🥪 Hide a bit of ‘work’ in the middle of a play sessions and watch your training fly! Your dog won’t even notice their learning. I’m not sure who’s having more fun here, Margot or Nick 🤣. Do you incorporate play into your training? Let me know in the comments below 👇 #northdevondogs #northdevondogtraining #northdevondogtrainer #northdevondogtrainers #Sooz #do #soozdogtraining
Roxy has attended just 2 scentwork classes and is already searching like a pro! Watch how she tracks the odour around the search area and is even starting to indicate when she finds it. Debbie is doing an awesome job of letting Roxy get on with it and keeping out of her way! I can’t wait to see how this fabulous team progress 😀 #scentworktraining #northdevondog #northdevondogtrainers #spaniel #spaniellife #Sooz #dog #soozdogtraining
