Nosework (5/11)

Tonight we met at a parking garage so we could work vehicles and stay out of the rain.  As I have come to expect, Gimme did very well.

After talking to Gretchen at the converging odor seminar, I decided to try a shorter line than the 25 foot one I have been using.  Joyce has wanted me to go to a short line all along, and always says six feet is all I need.  Still, I KNOW that I would get my arms jerked out of their sockets when she blasts off the start line, plus Gimme would get a huge unintended leash correction.  Besides, I like having the ability to play out more line especially on exteriors and containers.  Gretchen said she could see that and suggested that I make up a cheap, shorter line for vehicles and interiors and see how I like it and what I really need and then when I've decided I can invest in another biothane line in the size I want.

She suggested 10 feet, but that still seems too short - so I made it 15 feet.  Since I knew we were doing vehicles tonight, I made sure I had it ready for class.  After the first search I did decide 15 was a little longer than I really needed for vehicles so I folded it over and tied a knot, making it 12 feet.  That actually seemed pretty comfortable for the next two searches; so now will try that with interiors.

Naturally Joyce still thinks its far too long and again suggested six feet.   The thing is, Gimme leaves the vehicles goes 8-10 feet, then turns around on her own to come back.  To me it looks deliberate (not in response to a distraction) and I think she is doing something I heard about at the seminar.  Barbara, the presenter, said some dogs intentionally move out of odor and then go back in while sorting through puzzles.  Gimme did that three times tonight - all on one side, moving away with the air current and turning around to come back on her own before I could say or do anything.  She also left twice to go sniff high on a wall very close to the front end of the car and then came back on her own and the breeze was blowing that way.

I'm not the one with the nose, so I think as long as she is clearly working and coming back to solve the puzzle... well, I'm inclined to let her do it the way that works for her.  If she wants to check the wall and be sure that its fringe odor - I'm going to let her.  If she feels the need to leave odor and return as part of sorting through an odor puzzle - I'm going to let her.  Gimme is still the fastest dog in class. 

So, if I didn't leap at the chance to try a six foot leash on vehicles... you can imagine what I thought when Joyce suggested at the end of our last search that Gimme really should only have an 18 inch leash!  Is she freakin' nuts?  That would be so inhibiting that I can't imagine it would be any fun for either of us.  I'm sure Gimme would find it very frustrating dragging me around like that.  I also don't know how anyone would handle a fast moving dog with that short of a leash.  I do a lot of moving around on my end of the line, so that my stillness or the direction I'm looking isn't "selling" her on odor that isn't there (a very common handler error).  One of the things the Barbara suggested repeatedly during the working sessions is that people should take a step back from the dog when they are detailing.  How could I do that with only 18 inches of leash?

Its almost like Joyce is developing a short leash fixation about Gimme, which I find frustrating.  Gimme is the best and most enthusiastic dog in class.  Why would I radically change something that is working so well?  Not!