I set three different groups of two Birch hides; the first
two groups were set out at the same time and the third set after the others
were found. In the past, Tarot has
focused on the furthest hide and works her way back to where she started, which
is not good if we have to work a large area.
The two searches were far enough apart and there was a good breeze, so I
thought this would be interesting.
First Area
Two hides were
placed upwind from where we started to be fair to a dog that had been sitting
in a crate waiting and need to mentally shift gears to work mode. A metal container was placed on the table
mid-area and the other was in a drinking straw next to a large brick. With a strong wind, I suspected this would not
create an issue with converging odor, but I could only guess what scent was
doing.
I am not sure
which location Tarot caught first, but she choose to cut through the search
area and work the grass line to her first find.
Afterwards she had to circle around to pinpoint where the other one
was. At about 55 seconds, at first when
Tarot stopped under the table, I thought she was problem solving. I realized she was *crittering and stepped
away with her following to return to work.
Later at 1.30, she stopped again to re-investigate ground litter. My initial thought was crittering, but almost
immediately she slowly tracked back to the table and followed the edges
straight to source. Although Tarot did not
stick her nose on the hide, she knew it was there and I decided to encourage
her to jump up for her reward.
Never sure when
something really is useful in this sport.
Second Area
I realized this
covered area was similar in layout to the one we just worked, but it was
isolated by bordering overgrowth. When
we approached, it was from upwind and Tarot put herself on the opposite side where
she picked up scent. After finding the
first plastic tube Hide, the overgrowth appeared to capture odor and it was
patience as she figured out where the metal canister was.
I love the nose bonk and look on Tarot’s face when she
finally found it as it shows they really are searching with their noses.
Third Area
I was mean because
could not pass up the opportunity to set a Hide on the Porta Potty. The building we train in is heavy with
chlorine from the swimming pool and disinfectants from the kennels which
sometimes cause a distraction. I figured
this Porta Potty was not used much and would offer another chemical scent to
work through.
One Hide was placed upwind on the ground and covered with
small rocks and the other downwind on the door hinge of the Porta Potty. Tarot chose to go left and surprised me by
coming back along the overgrowth to suddenly make a sharp right to the first
hide. From there, it was moving downwind
far enough to refocus and pick up scent.
I was not sure if Tarot was using the high grass to track to source or
if it was crittering again, so she went deeper than I liked until it was
confirmed. From that point it was about
me keeping moving to let her catch scent again and work it back to source.
Video is just over four minutes of searching for six
hides.
Enjoy!
Joyce
**Crittering = Dog is not following designated scent/odor,
but something of its own interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment