# Training ring sniffing Help!



## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Lol, no ideas but I did enjoy your post! I'd hate to have a sense of smell like they do, I'd rather not know what's been there.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Archie usually breaks out of this if I get really excited and have him run around for a minute to reset (usually chasing me back and forth a short distance). Of course, then I look like an idiot in front of all my classmates...

Edit: Cleo is a much more dedicated sniffer, though, and I have found nothing short of physically picking her up that'll break her out of it if she's really determined. Maybe she's part basset hound.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I posted on your diabetes alert training thread that I thought the sniffing in this class might be from stress of passing the reactive dog class dogs in the hallway. If your class was in the same place then the floor smelled like those dogs. I would do "with me" and "five cookies" (which you can find described in Javelin's road to ring ready) to refocus Noelle's attention to you and off the floor.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> I posted on your diabetes alert training thread that I thought the sniffing in this class might be from stress of passing the reactive dog class dogs in the hallway. If your class was in the same place then the floor smelled like those dogs. I would do "with me" and "five cookies" (which you can find described in Javelin's road to ring ready) to refocus Noelle's attention to you and off the floor.


There was a dog in my advanced basic obedience class that sniffed the floor and my trainer at the time said exactly what Lily cd re said - it was a sign of stress. In your case it seems pretty clear - she must have been reacting to the smells the reactive dogs left behind.

I realize for you it made for some unpleasantness during your class - but I think it's a good thing. Noelle is a service dog and she will come across dogs like this from time to time. You now know it's a problem so you can work on helping her deal with these kinds of dogs. Definitely speak to your trainer and ask for help.

In my CGC class we didn't have any aggressive reactive dogs in the class, but the trainer did talk about reactive dogs. What I learned was to place myself between my dog and the reactive dog - Babykins normally walks on my left but I'll move her to the right if the reactive dog is on the left. I do this as soon as a see a potential problem, I don't wait until we are close to the dog. Put as much space as you can between you and the reactive dog - probably have to leave the path. I realize is some places you may not have much choice but when I'm walking Babykins in the park and see a reactive dog on the path, I'll walk into the field or into the woods - anything to get enough space that I can see the reactive dog settles down. 

I have one neighbor with a very reactive dog and I asked them to please keep a distance from us - at least walk on the opposite side of the road. I explained to them that I was training Babykins for her therapy dog training at the time and I didn't want to make her reactive and cause problems in my dog. I'm thankful that these people cooperated and continue to walk their dog across the street. If I see them coming, I'll head the opposite direction away from their dog. It's a pain to have to watch and take action - the good news is that most of the places you will take Noelle as a service dog (grocery store, restaurant, work etc.) she will not encounter reactive dogs. 

Work on desensitizing her to the smells of those dogs AND to being near reactive dogs - after all you will come across dogs like this at random times when you're out with her. She needs to learn how to behave appropriately. Coming early and playing focus games would help her learn to ignore those smells and get over the anxiety. Up the ante too - get her favorite treats - maybe hot dogs or meatballs.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I don't see it as necessarily stress. But it could be, since it seems excessive. I think dogs are fascinated by smells. My dogs sniff plenty when we're outside. They're finding out things. They're intensely interested in what they're finding out. It could be a stress thing when it's in a ring like that, reminding her of stressful times. But too, there have been all kinds of dogs in there and that can be quite novel. Regardless of what the cause is, (we can never know what's in their minds for sure) the way I'd handle it is to beef up your training on looking up at you or giving you attention for_ just_ a couple seconds, pay her handsomely for it, then let her go sniff again. Put a cue to that. ("go sniff.") That will be her reward for looking at you, along with a treat. Gradually extend the duration she must pay attention to you. AND gradually, you'll be asking her to do something else that is reinforcing and gradually fading that sniffing as a reinforcer. _But _for a time doggie zen can be used. In other words, _"You look at me, do this other thing. THEN you can go sniff. Look at me. Do another kind of thing. And NOW since you did it, you can go sniff."_ This will tend to get her mind on something else while showing her that she will get to sniff if she leaves it first. And in time, other things will become more reinforcing and excessive sniffing where you don't want it should fade. Getting her mind on something else can work to reduce stress if she's stressed.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Skylar you are very correct that breaking eye contact and keeping dogs that are noting each others' presence is a great strategy!

I wish you, Click-N-Treat and I lived close enough to one another to train together. I think we would have a great time.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

You can practice this attention/focus training in a variety of places so she'll learn to generalize better, even in class situations. I would train near the midst of novel distractions...things and people, activities that were not an every day occurrence but not too terribly distracting. In this picture, if I were in the middle of all those people (he wasn't use to this much commotion...it was in downtown Seattle at the public market) he probably would have a hard time paying attention to what he was suppose to be doing. (I think they were throwing fish) It probably would have been a little stressful at this stage. But he _was_ ready for this level of distraction. And could keep his focus on me while at the same time getting experience with exposure of this sort. We did the same thing rather near some side walk construction with jack hammers going. And somewhat near train tracks with a train going by. We went places where there were a few people and places with a lot of people. Then where there were dogs. So try varying your locations, scenarios etc and see if that gets the message across that this focus/watch me/listen to the cues for sit, come, stay is all reinforcing no matter what else is going on.



When you practice, try to not go past the level your dog is able to succeed and just inch your way up by putting a little pressure on her at the next stage. Once you're in class, that's a little hard...but when you practice outside of class...


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Thanks everybody. I've gained some insights. This was a narrow hallway, so we were kind of trapped without enough room to just move on. When we entered, three dogs stared at Noelle aggressively. I watched her go from, "Oh, hi everybody, my name is...." To, "Ooooh not good, I'm gonna get eaten."

Under normal circumstances, a store, a walk in the park, a walk down the street, a forest preserve, this situation would not happen. I wouldn't bring her into a group of strange dogs without a way out. She's only 20 pounds and these dogs were large and staring her down. She was frightened and I felt really bad. Next time we go to class, I'll wait until later to arrive. Then we'll have some fun in the hopefully empty hall. 

Ring sniffing is something she's always done, so it wasn't a new behavior. I think it's a combination of a lot of things. Smell overload, new place, excitement, nervousness and uncertainty. We'll keep going back and have good experiences. Hopefully it diminishes with time.

One thing I continue to like about Noelle is she does recover quickly and doesn't stay upset very long. Next week, we'll do training warm-up exercises and happy fun time. 

On our walks we go sniff bushes together. I find a bush and tell her to go sniff. Then I tell her to leave it and we move on. Last spring we blew dandelions together. I pointed out the fluffy ones and she dove on them. I try to focus on doing things together. I try to train with compassion and kindness. I don't always succeed, but I try.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Your plan sounds perfect. You have good sense. It's great that she bounces right back...such a good trait.


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