There aren't three cardboard boxes - there are 3 x the number of people that brought cardboard boxes. Charlie thought it was great fun, and no, he did not need a hand in digging his catnip mouse out of the boxes (instructor tails off in her suggestion I might help as Charlie barges an entire row of chairs out of the way like skittles and dives in the boxes....).
Good luck, looking forward to hearing how you both got on. How generous Pongo was to get you such a thoughtful birthday present Legs permitting Mabel goes on the Scentwork course in March.
Duggan loves his plastic bottles. The louder the better. He loved his cardboard box too, until he destroyed it. lol. He would move it around to where he could see us then camp out watching.
Hee hee knackered! And then had to go straight out and sing choir concert.... then on to 60th birthday party.... just back now will report on Scentwork tomorrow when we've both recovered! (But it was good)
Hey, look, I'm a labrador-owner. And moreover, I'm a PONGO labrador-owner. So keeping dignity intact is something I've given up hoping for. But.... yes, class went well! Really interesting, and VERY well run. Quite a lot of dogs (10) which meant that each dog only had a short time actually working; but it was interesting watching the other dogs work, and their different styles and indications. Pongo did have to spend a fair bit of time in the car (he wasn't able to really settle and relax in a room with SO many interesting dogs and owners) but that wasn't a big deal, most of dogs were wandering in and out to take breaks or spend a bit of time outside, and it was very relaxed and laid back. The balance of theory and practice was good (and I'd read the book beforehand which helped, and meant it didn't matter too much if I missed bits). It was a "Talking Dogs Scentwork" course - so if that's the sort that any of you are going on, I think you'll enjoy it! BUT I know that is not really what you all want to know about the day. You want to know about Pongo, Destroyer of Boxes in the Box Jungle. So.... it is Pongo's turn. YAAYYYAAYY!!! Pongo dives straight into pile of boxes with a look of pure glee. (There is nothing hidden there yet.) We have to go out the doors into the waiting space while the instructor hides the cheese, so "come on Pongo, come on <hauling him away>". Pongo grabs a small box to take with him out of the room. We get called back in. He starts his box-attack run, but then hears me say "Find It" and I can see his tiny brain working.... this usually means cheese or treats.... so he sniffs about and FINDS A BOX WITH CHEESE IN IT! This is beyond exciting. So, we'll destroy that box (of course), but now we know that some of these boxes are just boxes, and some are BOXESWITHCHEESE. So he is suddenly Focused. And very, very Committed. Three boxes destroyed, three pieces of cheese devoured, the other boxes ignored. And then...... joy of joys..... he gets to do it all over again! Lovely. Big success, I think!
Sounds like fun, must be great to watch his enjoyment. I think I will find out more about it, I've never heard of scentwork before.
Yay! A focused, committed Pongo? Fabulous! You show 'em, Pongo. Not just a pretty face, after all. Lovely to hear it was both fun and successful.
Yes, . And (rather amazingly) he COMPLETELY IGNORED all the other dogs and humans in the room as soon as he realised there was a cheesejob to be done. And he even paid attention to me when I was working with him and suggesting areas of the box jungle to search. My only regret is that we didn't get more time to do it, but with ten dogs in the class that wasn't possible.
Yes, I'd recommend it. I think there are quite a few companies running Scentwork courses. The one I went with (I mean, the one Pongo chose for my birthday present, of course) was Talking Dogs Scentwork. They've a trainer running courses in every region, I think - have a look at their website. I've no idea how they compare with other people doing it, but I was impressed that this course was (a) very well run, (b) very laid back and relaxed, no pressure and absolutely all about the dogs having a good day, and (c) there is a book that goes along with the course if you want to read up beforehand which covers most of the theory and is an interesting read in its own right. I did the Level 1 day, andI might sign up for Level 2 - certainly if I knew the classes would be a bit smaller I'd sign up in a moment.
Fab. You've definitely found his thing then. If you push on, I think you'll find the more advanced classes get smaller, and then there are specific training days, competitions and events, where your dog will be working most of the day.
