Lily's Blog: Nosework Challenges

Week 1

We went to Home Deport tonight for our interior searches. I went in and placed all the hides, but didn't take into consideration setting up a camera, so only 2 really turned out well enough to share. And Edge was intrigued by the camera on another one and knocked it over, thank goodness the camera was okay as it was our very first search.

In the video, in his first search, his "nose at source" was cheating a little as he was trying to remove it. But the second search was much better nose (and paw) at source as it was inaccessible.

Lesson one is perfect timing as I was just thinking we needed to work foundation games. We played better than a cookie, following by attractions and distractions (with salmon kibble, turkey meatballs, and a toy) and then Up the Ante with peanut butter and a chocolate donut. I thought he did great and had a pretty good nose at source behavior.

Edge does get a little "aggressive" with the boxes and retrieves the hides, but for Edge, this is FABULOUS!! I have worked to make him "pushy" so I cannot fault him for it. He stresses down, so it is not an issue at a trial, so I do not think it is a problem with him.

Week 2

We are a little behind in our homework, so here is our exterior for week 2 homework. Hopefully we will get week 3 submitted this weekend.

I placed the hide in the crack between the sidewalk and the foundation and it was covered with some leaves and a small yard fence that was part of the distractions blocking his path.

1:43 definitely on source, rewarded with nose on source
1:59 he acts like he is searching again, not sure if me changing positions made him think we were done?
2:06 he looks at me and then goes back to source

I am not sure if it was just a communication issue? And he thought he was to find another one? But when I didn't move or reward, he then went back to source. let me know if you see something else.

For our first week 2 assignment, I copied your setups. I did a threshold (on the tall bin) and then the second one is on the back of the chair behind the boxes. I thought I would have to hold him at the threshold a while before he found it, but not at all, he was on it! I also knew the boxes would be a challenge for him, but know he can push through them for odor. He surprised me, he moved the chair!! Thresholds have never been a strong behavior so I did another threshold and put it on the baseboard just inside the room, well, he nailed that one too. So I guess the first one wasn't a fluke :) (Please accept my apology for my future nose work star, he is obviously very jealous that Edge is playing and he is not.)

I probably waited too long to call alert on the chair. It was on the back side, right at the edge of the chair. He had his nose at the right spot, but not on the side and not the back. he did pull the chair out and put it right on the odor, so it did not frustrate him, just made him push a little harder. but then when he pulled it off, I put it back on the chair and he is not used to me doing that, so I confused him a little. The good news is, it never frustrated or stressed him, as well as he never lost intensity. So one of those that I am lucky, but shouldn't do it again.

Week 3

For our large exterior search I worked a threshold and then duration, followed by a corner hide. I held him back a little on the threshold, but he also was on it pretty quick, so I do not think my attempt to hold him back influenced his ability to find it.

On the threshold hide, he flicked the lid off the tin with his tongue. Pretty amazing as I seem to have a heck of a time getting them off when trying to get Qtips in and out. Then he was going to eat the qtip, so that is why I panicked.

Week 4

Edge and I went back to Home Depot tonight to work on our homework before heading out to our trial. Unfortunately there were only 2 smaller trucks today. That is the only downside to training there, you don't always a lot of choices.

I wanted to work on thresholds and multiple hides. On the first search, after the threshold, the wind was blowing the odor to the other side of the truck. After the first hide, he picks it the second one on the opposite side and then eventually works it around to the other side.

Week 5

Here is our first video for Containers. I just did a very simple indoor search (it gets dark too early now!) no distractors. I thought he did a very nice job and great nose at source behavior. So I went ahead and did the handler distraction search as well. He did come off the odor with cookies on the ground, but I covered so he could not get them, and then he left them alone once I moved my hand. So I guess he just needed a reminder :) Sorry I am blocking the camera on the rewarding, need to plan better placement for my videos.

Week 5

Here is our second container search. I was only going to submit one search, but Edge so appropriately demonstrating a false alert, that I had to include the second one. If you watch the first video, he checks it out, I was just getting ready to ask him about it when he moved on. Our second search was more for fun for him after our homework, but he false alerted and I asked him if it was his dope and he was a good boy and communicated properly to me. There must be something with that suitcase as it has caught his nose more than once.

We also had pot roast gravy, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and coffee grounds as three separate distractors. I thought for sure the gravy would at least get a long sniff, but he never paid much attention to any of them.

1:04 he was actually at the second hide and I assume the wind was pooling it in the grass, I thought he was going to alert, but he moved on.

1:34 he hit the first hide again, it took my pat and "move on" to get him to go find the second one. He very rarely hits the original hide again, so my signal (patting side) means more than the verbal now. Need to work on that.

2:22 I almost asked him if the first hide was "it" -bad mom. Luckily I caught myself

The next short search with one hide is the false alert, but he moved on quickly

That was a tough environment to search in! That wind and the grass, that affected his search greatly.

I think he was downwind of the first hide when he got caught up and falsed on that bag next to the hot one. They were only separated by one bag, and so I am sure you were having odors that were converging. That's why he pawed that bag between them, he was most likely caught in a lot of odor.

On a windy day like that, you can separate you hides more, or I would be inclined to do single hides in those conditions. Don't forget, at a NW3, there could be only 1 hide!!

Man, he really worked the environment on that second search, good boy!!! Do you see how he works the air current to get to source? NICE!

There must be something with that suitcase as it has caught his nose more than once.

If I see that in a bag, back to goodwill it goes. I don't know, maybe the person who had smoked clove cigarettes, but I believe what the dog is telling me, and I don't want that in my searches to confuse them.

Nice training!

Week 6 homework - I would love if you could help me with my training plan in moving to NW3. It is like Greg Derrett's video, "what a great dog, shame about the handler" :) I truly think Edge is ready, but I need help. I am taking the "It's All in your head" class next month. I think NW3 can be a mental game in not stressing out.

I know we need to work more with clove (have not done much and not for a long time) as well as combinations of the three. I need to watch him more closely to be able to read every subtle sign, as well as I need to make sure we cover the entire area AND keep track of what we have found.

Those are my thoughts, agree? disagree? What thoughts do you have on how we move forward from here.

thank you!!!

I don't think the "it's ashame about the handler" applies to you, Melissa!!

I think you are smart to bring back clove to your training. A NW3 and NW2 are the same trials basically, just you don't know how many hides. Don't over think it, and have a good time!

For a training plan, how about your next session is a vehicle search at the hardware store, then right to an exterior search with no break and then to another exterior with no break.

1 vehicle hide,
2 on the first exterior
3 on the second exterior

Something like that, when you increase the amount of searching the dog will do, but keeping the reward rate high is so helpful. I like to move the dogs right through the different searches, so fun!!!

Think you can do that before end of class Tuesday night? I would love to see it!!

Thank you. That sounds like a good plan. I may be able to tomorrow afternoon, and if not hopefully Tues afternoon.

Here is our duration video. We did 2 hides on the trucks, one hide in the cart corral and then 2 hides up by the store. He never lost intensity or drive to find odor. He would have continued working if I would have let him.

As well as look at the confidence!! He has sure come a long way. there are cars and a lot of people and it does not even phase him!! He sure loves his nose work "job"!!

Is this the type of work you would continue to do in preparation for NW3. Not all the time of course, but occasionally add this in to the mix. Any other additional training plan ideas?

thank you!

Is this the type of work you would continue to do in preparation for NW3. Not all the time of course, but occasionally add this in to the mix. Any other additional training plan ideas?

Wow! Just wow!!! Awesome training set up and he never even looks at you while searching!!! It made me laugh out loud at 3:28! He's says "right! I forgot to tell her!", he so absorbed in his work!

Go enter the next 3 you can get into, Melissa. Really, he is so ready. You may pass, you may not, but you will learn a ton, and he will have an awesome time. That is what I love about this sport. It's the same in training as trialing, you get to reward the dog. They never have a bad trial. LOVE that.

The thing I would add to your training is continuing to search when you know there is no hide. So on the cart return, you knew there was only one hide, I would take your time and reward there, but in a 3 you will not know that is the only hide. Ask him to check the other side and maybe even go over that first part again before a finished call.

I also like to re-check my thresholds before calling finished. I would cover everything twice, they will find the "found" odors again, just tell him "thank you! Let's find another one", in a trial. In training I RARELY take my dog back over a hide again. Every time your dog runs by odor and ignores it, even if you trained them to move on, you devalue it, right? Just a little. Don't practice that much, just practice continuing to search and not finding anything and then moving to the next search. That last search, like along the building, I would end it on that last hide, so that our session ends on reward in training.

So excited for you, this was an awesome video!

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Nosework Challenges - Melissa and Edge

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