# Scent Work



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Zephyr and I are in the second six-week session of Scent Work training. This is a new title being offered by AKC. I have done tracking and utility articles before, so know something about how scent works, but am leaning new stuff too. The dogs are currently working on birch scent. The first session the birch scent was paired with a treat, so the dogs were basically looking for a treat. Now the treats are gone except as rewards, and they are just looking for the birch scent. I was really surprised at how easily they took to the transition, not one of the dogs had any trouble at all with it or even seemed to notice. 

Last week we did our first searches outside the ring; we did hallway searches and a bathroom search. When I took Zephyr up to the door of the bathroom and told him to "find it" he looked at me like I was nuts, but I just repeated and he got right to work and found it within a few seconds. I was very proud of him! 

My biggest thing with Zephyr is trying to determine how he will indicate to me that he has found the scent. This is not something you teach the dog, you observe the dog and figure out what he does when he identifies where it is. Some dogs will look up at the handler, which is nice. Some will paw at it, and one dog likes to stand on it. Zephyr wants to pick it up and preferably run away with it, which can be a problem. He also likes to pick up things that aren't hiding the scent and play with/run away with them. He is on a long line, so that isn't a problem, the problem is me figuring out which ones actually are hiding the scent. We'll just have to keep working on it.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

That's interesting that it's left up to the dog as to how to signal you. Can you tie the scent holder down so Zephyr learns that he can't pick it up and run to play - maybe a tie down mat for articles would help?

I haven't taken a nose work class yet - but I plan to sometime in the next year. I did teach Babykins, for one of her tricks for her Trick Dog titles - the shell game which was basically finding a treat hidden under one of three cups - like the shell game you mix them around and then wait for the dog to find the treat. Babykins was pawing and flipped the cup over to get to the treat - oops, I may have taught her that it's okay to paw and flip the scent holder.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

They would have to tie down everything in the search area! It is something we will have to work thru, as when/if we go to competitions things will not be tied down. I think it will die out by itself, Zephyr is still a pup at 1 1/2 yo. Pawing/flipping is a perfectly acceptable indicator.

The scent is in a very small tin or plastic container which is then hidden in boxes, toys, furniture, stuck to a fence or wall, hidden in a stack of things, etc. Next week we are doing a search outside of the building, don't know what they will do with it out there. You really have to learn how scent moves around and pay attention to air movement. For instance, there is an air conditioner in the building where we train, whether it is on or not affects how the dogs search. If there is a breeze or air current you have to pay attention to how your body placement might block the flow of scent. I find it all really fascinating.

I was going to insert a picture of Zephyr in his tracking harness, but my battery died! Next time...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I was going to suggest a tie down mat for utility articles too. Even if you can't use it during the class sessions maybe it would help when you practice on your own. I know it can be really a great way to get dogs to use their noses rather than treating the scent articles like a retrieve.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

reraven123 said:


> They would have to tie down everything in the search area! It is something we will have to work thru, as when/if we go to competitions things will not be tied down. I think it will die out by itself, Zephyr is still a pup at 1 1/2 yo. Pawing/flipping is a perfectly acceptable indicator.
> 
> The scent is in a very small tin or plastic container which is then hidden in boxes, toys, furniture, stuck to a fence or wall, hidden in a stack of things, etc. Next week we are doing a search outside of the building, don't know what they will do with it out there. You really have to learn how scent moves around and pay attention to air movement. For instance, there is an air conditioner in the building where we train, whether it is on or not affects how the dogs search. If there is a breeze or air current you have to pay attention to how your body placement might block the flow of scent. I find it all really fascinating.
> 
> I was going to insert a picture of Zephyr in his tracking harness, but my battery died! Next time...


As Catherine pointed out you could still tie the scent down early in training even though it's not what the final goal is. For example when I was doing the trick dog training I used a clicker to train Babykins to step on a light and electronic music toy to turn them on Then when we started to work with the dumbbell everyone in class thought it was so cute because we were working with a clicker and our teacher had us put the dumbbell on the floor and click when they picked it up. Well my dog put both her front paws up on it the minute she saw the clicker. To extinguish this I placed her dumbbell up on a box so she wouldn't put her paws on it because it was at mouth level. Obviously with the dumbbell retrieve there is no box anywhere but it helped train Babykins not to put her front paws on it. The box was used only a few times in training at home. 

This course sounds like a lot of fun. I think I'll take it in the spring when the weather is good for working outside.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I've been thinking about this. It's not really about teaching the dog how he should be working, it's about me learning to observe and be able to tell what he is doing. His picking things up and running away with them is not a problem. He is on a long line, so can't do zoomies around the room. The problem is that I can't tell (yet) when he is picking up the one with the scent. This is what I am supposed to be learning by observing him and how his body and behavior change when he gets the scent he is looking for. If he wants to play it is a distraction for me, but one I should be able to work thru.

Just like in tracking, it is more about the handler understanding what the dog is doing and what he is telling us than it is about training the dog to track. He already knows how to track. We just have to learn to follow him.


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