Ok, I have EVENTUALLY got a place on a scentwork workshop, after several failed attempts when I booked too late/Charlie wasn't well/I forgot and double booked stuff . It's on the 24th May, so a little time to wait, but I've got the DVDs from the lady who runs the courses, and we can get started! So excited! Now, we need catnip and a soft toy.....I could choose another herb, but I think catnip is best. Off to pets at home! I hope they have catnip!
Right, we had a lot of fun getting started with this. For those interested, you can rent the Talking Dogs Scentwork Scentwork 1 DVD from vimeo for £4. I bought it for £10, but if I'd have known how easy it was to remember everything (it was less complex than I thought), I would have rented it. https://vimeo.com/search/ondemand?q=talking+dogs+scentwork You need: 2 smallish toys (I bought two kong knots teddy bears), some catnip, and a smell proof container (that won't absorb scent - glass or metal). You store the toys in the container with the catnip (it's important to not contaminate other things with the catnip smell). I didn't have 24hours to wait for a toy to smell of catnip, so I bought some catnip spray too and soaked one toy with catnip and left the other in the jar. Then, you associate the catnip smelling toy with a great game. We are using tug and catch because we don't want to use fetch with our scentwork. After that, you are ready to go. We skipped a few steps like chucking the toy and getting the dog to bring it back, because well, Charlie is hardwired to do that by now! We also started in the garden rather than the house because again, it was just going to be too easy for Charlie in the house, but you are supposed to start in the house. I also made a mistake, when I watch the video, in that I'm giving Charlie his search cue ("Catnip!" - I'm going to change that! ) but not going with him. It was a bit difficult though, because Charlie just ran straight to the toy, he didn't search. Apart from when I put the toy in a bush! That fooled him a bit. After you've used a toy, you have to wash and dry it because it will smell of you, the dog etc. once it's dry, you store it in the jar with the catnip. I think the smell of catnip might give me a headache! Drat!
Sounds like great fun! I keep trying to find time to take Obi up the hill to the police dog chap who said he'll do some s enter stuff with us
I think it's going to be fun! I'm very motivated by reading about the the game days, and rallies and things you can do. You can work up to level 6 where you get to search trains and things! I made a mistake though, I should have gone with Charlie to search and should have been closer to him, encouraging him to look in different places, I didn't make a mistake at the end though, when I encouraged him to get the toy and wasn't there (you are meant to stand back out of the way when the dog finds the toy). I also don't know why he ran straight to the area where the toy was, I expected him to have to look round the garden a bit more - presumably because he could just clearly smell the catnip in the garden and is just motivated to find toys anyway. We'll try with some buckets and boxes later. Maybe also in the house because I'll have more places to hide the toy. [Click pic for vid] scentwork session one by Julie T, on Flickr ,
Ok, since you have to wash the toys after a search session, you need a lot of toys! All I have now are two soaking wet teddy bears! I've put a washed dummy ball in the jar (I happened to have washed it and forgot it on a radiator) - that will have to do. Hope I'm not contaminating something or other and ruining Charlie's future career as a sniffer dog! I got the body language right on my second go, and Charlie and I were much more searching 'together' so that was cool - we searched the whole of downstairs. Except, I know where the toy is so need to rope in someone to hide it for us.
This has got me interested. I (think) I have found a new home boarding place for Pongo (the one linked to our doggy daycare is no longer an option). The woman who runs it breeds GSDs and she also runs courses in "working trials". I'd never heard of that, but looking on her website it is the civilian version of police-dog training - it includes scentwork, and also elements of agility and heelwork etc. I have been taking Pongo to weekly agility classes which he absolutely LOVES, but they have just been cancelled - I am sooooo disappointed on his behalf. But I was wondering if these "working trials" might be something that he would enjoy, and that would also help with my general bonding / relationship with him - heelwork and so on. I'd certainly like to see if he has any interest in scentwork. I was slightly put off by thinking that it might be mainly for GSDs and similar, but maybe not. Have any of you heard of "working trials" and do you know what they are like? Rosie and sniffy-Pongo
There's info on the kennel club website, I remember reading about it a while back. It sounds too energetic for the humans for me! And also probably Charlie, as I'm really looking for lower impact activities for him. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/working-trials/new-to-working-trials/ Don't let anything put you off, @Rosie - just do whatever you want with your dog that makes you both happy, and ignore anyone who turns their nose up at your efforts. You and your dog being happy is all that matters. The scentwork that I'm doing is just for fun, based on sniffer dog work, so I don't think tracking is involved. It's just searching together as a team - although I haven't watched the rest of the DVDs yet, so can't be sure. http://talkingdogsscentwork.co.uk/Talking_Dogs_Scentwork/Welcome.html
There may be certain breeds that excel at working trials but I doubt very much that a lovely lab like Pongo couldn't have a bundle of fun doing them....
Thanks! Yes, I'll have a chat with this lady when we take Pongo to her next week. If he gets on well with her (and if she's willing to take him on!) then it might be a really good solution to have daycare and lessons available from the same person (and she's nearby as well). I'd still prefer to carry on with agility, but that probably isn't an option...
Hee hee, yes - the agility classes have been my major workout each week as well! (Including ending up flat on my bum several times when I've been watching Pongo rather than watching my own feet...)
I don't think it matters what you do with your dog, so long as you are learning and having fun together....that's the biggest benefit.
Oh, I'm looking forward to reading more about this! I've not started my scentwork book yet, but I can't wait to try it out with Willow. I'm pretty sure she'll excel at it. I call her "big nose"
There are a few different 'types' of scentwork, so you might want to research which one you go for. There seems to be some that use birch or cloves, some that train to pick out the handlers scent from other objects etc. I don't care about what I do really, but I want one that's full of fun for me and Charlie. I've deliberately started with one that offers loads of workshops, tests, and levels to work through, plus holds games days and rally days etc. - and these events are for dogs that search for cheese or catnip. I don't think it matters, but worth starting off on the one you might want to do holidays with etc. (which is what I want to do).
I've bought the Talking Dogs book, so I guess it's the same course as you're doing. Good to know the DVDs are available on Vimeo. I was balking a bit at paying £20 for it
Fab! Fab! Charlie and Willow might meet up on a course! Def just pay the £4 to rent the first DVD, it's not worth buying (I mean, it's good, but you won't watch it more than once if you make just a few notes as you watch).
Looks wonderful, and good start, Julie! Oh bother, I SO wish that there was just ONE freaking class or activity I could sign up to do with my dog. I have got a scent work book but have read the first chapter and done the first exercise (scattering kibble in the lawn, ho hum) but that's it so far. I would be so much more motivated by classes or the possibility of an rally or tournament or something. It's just so hard to do these things in isolation all the time. I had the one opportunity for the Tricks class which was fun but that lady doesn't seem to have time to offer any other classes. It is so frustrating. So all of you who have multiple opportunities to do scent work, agility, dancing, tricks, gun dog, blah, blah BLAH I hope you all appreciate it!!!! Sorry. Rant over.
Ah, I do understand, @Lisa - I am hugely motivated by interactions with other people doing similar things (that's why I post so much of my stuff on the forum! ), and the buzz I get out of going to class, or on a training weekend is immense. I'd be hopeless if I couldn't do it. Not making you feel any better, I know, but I do appreciate what I have - it's a big deal! Anyway...today we did a search for a catnip soaked dummy ball because the Teddy Bears are all still wet (we pretended it was a stash of drugs though ) around the patio area outside. I made so many mistakes! Because I knew where the ball was hidden, I'm moving him on far too quickly, not giving him chance to look, and not looking at his body language - if I hadn't known the ball wasn't there, I'd have acted differently when he dived into the fern, he is 'indicating' something of interest is there. It's only my second day trying though, so I'm not beating myself up too much, so long as I'm learning that's all that matters. The DVD say it's critical that you do loads of searches without knowing where the ball is and I'm starting to understand why this is so very important. I can see me asking the postman, milkman, gas meter man if they mind just hiding a catnip soaked Teddy Bear somewhere in my house..... Also, on my next two searches, Charlie legged it without me, searched the whole patio and brought back the ball...leaving me trailing behind saying "Charlie, Charlie, wait...we are supposed to be searching TOGETHER...". Typical. [click pic for vid] patio search by Julie T, on Flickr
OK, you have my attention now. I'm going to do some of this next weekend, hopefully. I have just ordered a selection of toys and some catnip spray from Zooplus, which will hopefully be in Spain by Friday for me to pick up on the way to the new house. I have a large kilner jar which would be perfect, but it's currently filled with homemade piccalilli. Hmmm, what's more important, I wonder?
Great! Get on with it, I need some company here! Did you see the way Charlie searched the fern? Fab! The rest wasn't so good, but that was my error! It's great fun! Just get eating, eat that piccalilli!
