Nosework class (3/42)

This was an unusual class. We worked as a group and recorded the changes of behavior by the dog and when they occurred. The idea was to compare the c.o.b. from one search to another. All searches were off leash.

There was another class in here earlier and Dorothy reported finding a lot of treats, so all of the dogs checked out food smells at one time or another.

Interior 1 search video - There were no hides in the first search. Gimme looked at me 5 times at :21, :32, :45, 1:05 and 1:10. She foraged in the main food smell area at :50 (near the ladder on the floor). Her first look was because I was catching up to her, coming close. After it, she looked at me several times. I think because I was verbally marking the looks and she was looking at me to see if it meant anything (which Dorothy comments on). Also note, to begin with she moves rapidly in the search area, scanning. When she doesn't find anything, she slows down and starts detailing.

Interior 2 search video - There was one hide. Gimme looked at me at :10, found the hide at :19 and then really looked at me to make sure I was coming to pay up.

Interior 3 search video - Gimme found all three hides quickly, without looking at me at all between them, at :18, :25 and :41. She only looked to see if I was coming - which is how she normally searches. There was actually a piece of hotdog on the floor under the second hide (bar stool) and she paid no attention to it. Instead she took the treat from me and then moved on to find the third/final hide. Talk about odor obedience.

Gimme doesn't usually look at me much in a search. Mostly just to make sure I'm coming with her reward. Sometimes she'll look at me when I'm moving into her space, just to keep an eye on what I'm up to.

This was all very interesting. The idea was to see if the dog's pattern of behavior related to behavior changes was notably different when there wasn't versus when there was hides. In Gimme's case, my talking in the first search (different than when I chatter, which she ignores), created a false high number of looks. On the second and third searches she went back to her normal behavior. The expected pattern change was much more obvious with the other dogs.