Nosework (1/22)

Sorry to get so far behind - been busy at work and making Christmas presents.  This is from nosework class on 11/29.

Interior 1 video - This first search was of 2 hides on two chairs.  Our job as handler was to stay on the rug.  We could step in to reward at source, but then had to return to the rug.  Gimme did a nice job working through this.  She did her usual approach of checking things around the odor and then following the plume to source.  Note at 42 seconds how she sniffs the edge of a nearby table and then goes DIRECTLY to the hide 4 feet away.  A lot of people discourage their dogs from checking out other stuff, but I always remind myself this is just Gimme's way of searching and let her investigate other stuff (though I do cut her off more quickly when she's investigating the toy shelf).  She does this search in 45 seconds.

Interior 2 video - This search had three rows of chairs and 6 hides.  As handlers we were supposed to keep them on a set of chairs until they finished the problem, without letting them go back to a hide they'd already found.  There were two hides on pairs of chairs.  They were all close together in the pairs, with some closer than others.  Gimme went first to the set where the hides were the closest together.  She did a great job finding all six hides in 1:50.

Interior 3 video - This search was off leash, with 6 hides along the wall, either nose level (for Gimme) or at the floor.  All the dogs were drawn to the chairs and stuff because searches of stuff is what they've seen the most of.  Gimme was the fastest, finding all the hides in 1:28.

Interior 4 video - Again off leash with 6 hides.  Some of the chairs in the room were moved in front of the hides.  Gimme wasn't at all bothered by the chairs in front of hides, clearly not seeing them as "barriers" at all.  One hide was moved to a crack in the floor and Gimme found it second, which is unusual since her preference is high hides.  Another hide was moved to a chair, she found it fourth.  The fifth hide was again low and it took her awhile to find it, though if you watch her head carriage after the fourth hide, it gets lower and lower, as she scans around and around to find it.  The last hide was challenging, but she worked it out nicely. 

I'm always amazed when she trots around the room scanning for "another one" when she's already found some.  We've established before that the dogs are not using vision, so with 6 hides and only 3 different odors, she's looking for something different.  I don't understand what the quality of "different" is for her.

Merry Christmas One And All...