Nosework (3/31)

We had a series of exterior searches, focused on how the dogs reacted to corners sticking out into the search area (as opposed to the corners in a room).

Exterior 1 & 2 video - In this first search, we were watching to see what effect the open door would have on their search. There was nothing in there, but all of the dogs were drawn in a little bit. Gimme goes straight out to the vegetation and doesn't check the corner until she comes back by it. Then she caught the tin near the corner. We think she may have been drawn toward the back by scent drifting from that hide, especially since she was so quick to find that hide when we allowed her to go all the way back there.

Exterior 3 & 4 video - Initially Gimme wasn't interested in the search area, wanting to go to the truck instead, but then a little breeze comes down the front of the search area and she gets all into it. She does a nice job hugging the corner and going right to the hide. Despite Dorothy's claim that it was up to me how I wanted to work the transition to search 4, Gimme drags me there to do it her way. There's a slight head check as she passes the corner, drawn to the trees. Gimme is pulled away from the building by the bunny smells and is happy to go on a walkabout. If we had delineated search boundaries, I would have pulled her back sooner. As soon as I did, she moved quickly to the corner, overruns the hide, then whips back to it.

Exterior 5 & 6 video - As we were waiting for the prior pair of searches, Gimme noticed a bunny hopping along in this search area. We ran them back-to-back, so I wasn't sure how she would do - half expecting a bunny-motivated walkabout. Gimme got right into her search. She doesn't alert on the first hide, right past the corner. She found a treat right under it, so we theorize she may have thought it was a self-serve paired hide and was ready to go on. She drags me directly to search 6 and finds the hide very quickly, around a "corner" made from a stack of pallets. As we walk back toward the first hide, I re-cued her with "wherezit" and she quickly shows me where it is. I was really proud of her focusing on nosework instead of bunnies, since it had only been about 3 minutes from when one hopped right through the start of her search.

Exterior 7 video - This time there was a hide slightly inside the room, so it's interesting to see how much deeper she goes into the area. She doesn't stick it, but is clearly much more interested. Gimme does a tight wrap of the corner and then comes back to find the hide on the column. She shows no interest in racing down the side of the building and takes me back to the door opening and searches until she finds the hide, about 9" into the space. 

Exterior 8 video - The hide is off to the left from the startline and you can see Gimme starts with a big sweep of the area, starting on the right and going along the back. Note how her demeanor changes slightly when she gets up along the building and especially how she searches once she gets into the bus-shed. She's so focused on the hide she gives herself a loud bonk on the head, right before finding the hide. It was a high hide - her favorite.

I know I've mentioned it before, but just have to say how much I love the way Dorothy plans her classes. There is always a theme to the searches, with a specific search skill or observational skill to focus on, sometimes both. She is easily the best instructor I know.