Today Jackie played multiple Interior Container Searches with distractions, Interior Blank Search (a search with no hides), Exterior Vehicle Search, and Exterior Multiple Hides. Jackie's developing a reliable nose hold, and we are continuing to proof food distractions and study wind theory.
Pearls:
- When a blank search is completed, be sure to have a big celebration with lots of play and cookies so Jackie is doubly rewarded when there is no hide to find.
- The judge at a trial will DQ if they think you are trying to see the hide yourself, rather than relying on your dog. So just rely on your dog to do the job!
- At a trial, Jackie must alert within 12 inches of source. It's optimum if Jackie nose holds directly on source, especially while training.
- When a hide is placed inside an object where the source is physically inaccessible, the dog must nose hold alert within 12 inches of the source.
- Often on inaccessible hides, the dog will go to the object's left, right, and center since she cannot physically access the source for a nose hold.
- The Tin Game is a good way to proof food distractions: Fill several tins with bacon, cheese, beef lung, or any delicious and smelly food and only pay when the tin with scent source is alerted. Keep rotating the source tin each round of the game. Toss a reset cookie, say "Get it!" and re-shuffle the tins while the dog is chasing the tossed cookie. Then cue "Search!" and pay when the dog nose holds at the source tin each round.
Jackie successfully finds multiple hides in Interior Containers, Exterior Vehicle, and Exterior Multiples:
Go Forward * Move Ahead * It's Not Too Late
Sniff It Good
