Nosework (1/5)

Gimme continues to do superbly at nosework.   The class on Wednesday night was an exercise designed to help us learn to read our dogs and see how they responded to ever increasing difficulty.  We were also to focus on keeping moving no matter what the dogs were doing - so that our movement or lack thereof doesn't become an unintentional clue to the dog.  Doing this is much harder than you might think.  The first session started with four boxes and by the last session progressed through the three sets to ten boxes with ten other things. 

Gimme did great.  She continues paw whacking her finds and has never tried to use a look-at-Mom as an indicator since that one class.  That I'm very happy to see for the reasons I discussed.  A couple of times early in class she started with a drive-by indication of the right box (a quick sniff while still moving) and she'd get about four feet past it, and then check herself and go back to it and whack it.  It was like she was moving so fast with the fun of the hunt and it just took her a few moments to think, "oh yeah, if I go back and really tell my Mom that's the one - I get peanut butter!" 

As class progressed there were less drive-bys and her indications were stronger and stronger.  Visualize my girl assaulting a cardboard box and you'll have the picture.  That's my Gimme - totally loving having yet another way to tell me what to do.  I fully expect some day to get assessed a box replacement fee. 

Joyce would still like me to restrict Gimme from checking out other things during container and vehicle searches.  I told her I'm not inclined to change anything in the last two weeks before our ORT (next Sunday).  That's a rule I've always adhered to - no changes right before a trial/test, etc.  After the ORT I'll start gently encouraging her to get back to the search area sooner.  Sooner is a matter of a few seconds, since the longest diversion she's ever taken is a mere ten seconds (time we can easily afford at this point).  Still, no diversion is the goal, so I'll start nudging her in that direction after the ORT.  I'm going to ask Joyce to give me blind hides this week in preparation for Sunday.

Yesterday Gimme and me met Mary and Grafton at the training areas and had a nice long walk.  Those two are just the best of friends and their unbridled joy at seeing each other is a real pleasure to behold.  Both were quite tuckered out afterward and Gimme slept soundly through the evening.

Today I needed to go to Home Depot, so I made it a nosework field trip too. I set a couple nosework hides for my girl and let them cook while did my shopping.   She found the first hide right away and indicated it just like she's learned. While paying her, I pocketed the odor source and then encouraged her to move on. Gimme kept going back to the same place, insisting that there was still source odor there. She kept pawing at it until she moved the box - lo and behold - she was right. Two q-tips had fallen out of the hide container I used. So I paid her again.

LESSON LEARNED trust your dog when they tell you things. In this case she was right.  I love it that she is really showing the courage of her convictions.  In time she will need to leave a hide that she's already been paid for, to look for another.  That isn't an issue until we are ready to ORT for NW2, so we have plenty of time.

After working in the yard and clearing a spot we started working on 2x2's for weave poles.  Naturally she picked up today's task verrrrrry fast.  Bad on me - I got started trying to make that learning task into something it wasn't supposed to be.  Good on me - I realized it and stopped. 

Later on I started teaching her the flatwork of rear crosses.  I could have taught them any time before now since its not physically stressful; I just knew there was no hurry, so didn't bother.  It took about five minutes for her to get the basics of the arm and motion cues in BOTH directions. 

She is sooooooo smart.  Gee - now where have we heard that before?