Chin rest
The chin rest is one of the most versatile behaviours - it's a relatively easy method to teach dogs the concept of holding duration; you can then use it to improve your dog's scent indication; to teach heelwork and fronts; and for husbandry behaviours.
Here, I've transferred Magic's chin rest to a chair and we use it as a "Start button" for his nail trims - when he's ready, he rests his chin, I trim his nail, mark and give him a treat and wait for him to rest his chin again. This is particularly helpful with dogs like Magic, who don't like their paws being touched - giving them some control over the process makes it a lot easier for us both.
Magic's first (mock) scent trial. (2/3)
In the exterior search the (strong-ish) wind was coming roughly from where the camera is - and the hide is at the far end of the search area, meaning all the scent is being blown away from us - he missed it the first time he investigated that object, probably because he checked the up-wind side of the object. I need to make sure that we move down wind to give him a chance to pick up the odor.
A little search with Magic. There are 3 hides, all of which are fairly straightforward in themselves, but their proximity to each other means that the odor converges and makes it harder to find the source without getting drawn back into a hide he has already found. This is his first time doing this type of search with the hides so close together without removing the hides he has found. Really pleased with how he did :)
