from Donna Hill
I didn't feel like walking Lucy tonight so inspired by Christy Hill we did scent work instead.
Trial 1: I placed the scent on the top of a storm drain pipe opening and cued the search about 30 feet away. Lucy dropped into the ditch and followed the scent all the way to the drain, sniffed in the drain but rejected it as the source, jumped up above the drain and quickly found and indicated the hidden scent.
Trial 2: I placed the scent in one of 8 holes along a cement traffic barrier. I cued a search at one end of the barrier and she chose to jump up on the barrier and walk across it sniffing. When she hit the scent, she dropped to the ground and found the hole it was in and indicated it.
Trial 3: As we went by, with her ahead of me and distracted, I placed the scent in the end of another cement barrier. We went on our walk and on the way back went by the same location. She hit on it and immediately indicated uncued.
Trial 4: I hung the scent in some blackberries, then cued a search. She started to scent, found a black berry and ate it. FAIL for food distraction! I restarted her, and tried again. The second time she found it, indicated and she got a ton of hand-picked blackberries on the spot.
Trial 5: Repeat above new location. Success! and another ton of hand-picked blackberries! The power of premack and using the distraction as the reinforcer! LOL!
She was happy and I didn't have to walk far to give her a workout. We haven't done scenting for awhile now. And this was done in the dark!