What Should Do?

Chloe and Buddy

Experienced Member
I really wanted to start Buddy in sniff and find, but it seems he is not interested... How can I get him interested and get him focused on it? Should I even do sniff and find? Should I stick to good ol' obedience or agility?
 

Bosun

Well-Known Member
What is Buddy sniffing and finding? My brother teaches his dogs this trick... he starts with a high value treat. Gets dog to sit, give a sniff of the treat, place it one step away from the sitting dog, then says "find it" . Dog gets instant reward for finding treat. Slowly move treat further away, then a room away.

Good luck!
 

Chloe and Buddy

Experienced Member
Oh, well, In my dining room, we have a table with two huge legs and then, like, 4 chairs, and I break up a bunch of treats and I make him sniff my hands and then tell him to go find them, and he sniffs 'em out. It just doesn't work with a toy, just treats...
 

Anneke

Honored Member
Try stuffing a toy with treats, so it smells of it. You can buy dummy's, that you can put treats in, but I guess you can easily make something yourself. Maybe that will get him interrested?
 

running_dog

Honored Member
I guess that find the treat is a one stage trick (find treat), find a toy is at least a 2 stage process (find object, given treat) so it needs a bit more explanation and trust.

Along the same lines as Anneke's suggestion could you hide a treat under a toy so that he looks for the toy to find the treat. Then maybe one in ten times don't put a treat under the toy but you give him the treat when he finds the right toy... and go on building up from that... more treats from you and less under the toy, more distance, more toys/objects.

I read somewhere that you could make a small slit in a tennis ball and hide a treats inside so the dog has to bring the ball to you to get the treats out. You'd have start with the dog right next to you and build up the distance. When people train "find the keys" they sometimes attach a dogproof bag of treats to the keys and the dog brings the keys to them so they can get a treat out for the dog.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
peanut butter is super easy for MY dog to sniff out. He finds peanut butter whether he is told to,
or not.
We've discussed sending Buddy to "Peanut Butter Rehab" or something, we think he has a peanut-butter addiction...
(joke)
Buddy can even smell someone quietly quietly silently opening a peanut butter jar ------from a room away..Then the peanut butter smells wafts out of the jar............ BAM! HE'S UP!
"Is that PEANUT BUTTER i smell? ":LOL:
.
.
might be worth a try, putting a lil dab of peanut butter on an object for him to find??? seems verrrrrry easy for dogs to track peanut butter... i don't even know if you COULD stop a dog from tracking down peanut butter if you WANTED to....
 

karleee

Experienced Member
well,buddy...being a beagle,will have the instinct to sniff. ;)

Take him out to a local forrest or bush (not sure what you guys call it) and let his nose sniff wild.Especielly if there are lots of wildlife,like bunnies. (hint,you might want to have thim on a very long lead,as beagles have the tendacy to run off after the scent for miles and miles) lol,personal expereinces with layla :p

Then once you get him interested in scents,find his fav food...drag it along the ground....and at the end of the trail have it there under a cloth or towl.Then once he starts to get that....teach him the command "track" or "find".Then you can continue training after that if you decide that's what you and buddy would like to do :)
 

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Good videos Rouen! We've been doing K9 Nosework for almost a year and a half, and just got our NW1 title -- those boxes took me way back. :p The first class starts with a bunch of boxes out and food in one of them - really easy. You just want the dog to get the idea of searching. As the classes advance, then the boxes are closed - not tightly, so when the dog finds the food, he/she can poke their heads down thru the flaps to get to it, or you can easily poke your hand down to reward the dog. We then intro essential oils (birch, anise, and clove), but that's where you may want to intro a toy - dog finds food paired with his favorite toy, hidden in a box. Then, start moving occasionally outside the box - hide it near a box, paired with food. And reward for finding the toy, too! He'll get the idea that hey, I find this toy, it's a win/win. I bet it moves very quickly - maybe throw his toy, play some tug, etc. You can make your own game (we obviously have specific rules).

It amazes me to think we've gone from a room with boxes, to a huge open field (or anywhere) and my GS can now locate a Qtip with a scent on it. Blows me away!! :eek::LOL:

If Buddy has a toy he loves more than any other, once he gets the idea you want him searching, use that one. I swear, I could drop Makena's kong in the middle of a thick forrest, and she'd search until she found it - the girl can't be without her beloved kong.:love: Give Buddy something really worthwhile to search for - he'll get it. It's such great fun!! (not to mention the fact that it really wears them out mentally!!)
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"It amazes me to think we've gone from a room with boxes, to a huge open field (or anywhere) and my GS can now locate a Qtip with a scent on it. Blows me away"//

blows me away, too! wow.. I'm so glad i saw this thread, so inspires me to get even more creative with Buddy's nosework, which is still very rudimentary. I haven't even tried him outdoors, only hiding things in the house. So clever, using boxes. (i've been using plastic containers with holes punched in them).
WHAT ARE YOU ALL USING FOR SCENTS?
 

jackienmutts

Honored Member
In the sport of K9 Nosework, 3 essential oils are used. The first one is birch, then anise, and then clove - the oils are added as your experience/levels are increased. Mine routinely work with birch and anise, and have worked with clove a couple of times.

The videos posted look like beginning Nosework classes.
 
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