tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post6025758548415135141..comments2023-07-22T01:06:05.554-07:00Comments on K9 Nose Work®: What Motivates Your K9 Nose Work® Dog to Search?Jeff McMahonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634038342280050377noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-55256823759004936592013-06-26T00:12:19.068-07:002013-06-26T00:12:19.068-07:00Nice and very informative post regarding dog work ...Nice and very informative post regarding dog work or you can training. By the way I am also <a href="http://www.inhomedogtraining.com.au/training.html" rel="nofollow">dog trainer</a> from Melbourne Australia.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08585897134435641886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-77627456692784581372012-10-23T13:23:46.446-07:002012-10-23T13:23:46.446-07:00Thanks for reading and commenting!
First of all,...Thanks for reading and commenting! <br /><br />First of all, congratulations on earning an NW1 the first time out!<br /><br />Second, if you discover a reward type that motivates your dog and allows you both to have fun and be successful, then that is what you should use. I have my own ideas about what I think works best, but I'm willing to embrace something new and different when I see it have real and positive results for a dog and handler team.<br /><br />One of the many things I love about the sport of K9 Nose Work is that we often get to be judged by professional detection handlers. As you might imagine, some of these people come from law enforcement or military backgrounds and can have strong personalities! Every judge I've met means well with their comments and is truly enamored of the dog and handler teams they meet at trials. <br /><br />I'm willing to bet that based on your performance, the judge who commented on your reward type was probably speaking to your dog's ability to be successful irregardless of the reward type, and maybe letting a bit of his or her own opinion (to which everyone is entitled) slip in, too.<br /><br />Last thought: as competitors, we have to remember that judges are evaluating our team's performance based on a certain standard, and that they do not have intimate knowledge of how we train, what problems we're facing, and what strategies we might employ to be successful at trial. Often, they're meeting us and our dogs for the first time.<br /><br />I've seen (and been through it) a scenario play out many times in trial where a handler has been experiencing some false alert issues with his dog leading up to trial and so is planning to be extra sure his dog is being honest. During the search, the judge sees the dog go and try alerting on odor, but the handler moves on, coming back later to watch his dog make a second alert, only then calling it and getting an affirmative from the judge.<br /><br />The judge may have a comment like "trust your dog!" and may even give the handler a fault for pulling the dog off odor.<br /><br />Is the judge right to do this? Of course. Is the handler wrong to employ his strategy? Of course not (although the handler should work to reduce or eliminate the false alerts so he can trust the first alert).<br /><br />Having a better understanding of the different perspectives K9 Nose Work can be viewed from will hopefully promote respect and positive comments from all of us involved in the sport.<br /><br />Happy Sniffing! Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634038342280050377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-84118655258132109642012-10-23T11:44:46.973-07:002012-10-23T11:44:46.973-07:00I recently got a food-pouch tug toy with squeakers...I recently got a food-pouch tug toy with squeakers in it, from an Agility website. My dog doesn't want to play tug when he's doing nosework, but he thinks rooting around for food in the pouch is funner than just getting it from my fingers. Also, he's excited by the squeaks. He has a crazy-high prey drive, so anticipating the squeak helps him focus outdoors where he's very tempted by critter odor, or even live critters. We just successfully competed in our first NW1 trial, and at the end-of-day round-up the judge made fun of my pouch and said it was unnecessary. I respectfully disagree. I know it helps my dog focus on odor, and makes the nosework game more fun. Isn't that what it's all about?BlackLabXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17801939360861015384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-89013162550150440012012-10-15T22:26:16.008-07:002012-10-15T22:26:16.008-07:00Thanks for commenting!
Annie definitely has high ...Thanks for commenting!<br /><br />Annie definitely has high drive! It'll be fun to see all that energy go into problem solving as the searches get more difficult.<br /><br />And messy or not, I'd prefer to handle the banana reward over the liver any day!<br /><br />It's also worth noting that any super high value treats (like liver is for Annie) should be introduced in several noncompetitive search/training sessions before using that reward in an ORT or a trial (just like Annie's getting with the liver). Your dog could be so driven to get that steak, bacon, salmon, etc., that he fixates on you and the treats, or worse, he false alerts. It's good to treat competitive events like just another training day and save the filet mignon for a post trial celebration.<br /><br />Happy Sniffing!Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634038342280050377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-82916630180289593052012-10-15T21:49:42.938-07:002012-10-15T21:49:42.938-07:00Annie is highly motivated by food. I use a variety...Annie is highly motivated by food. I use a variety of foods, like string cheese or tri tip.She loves beef liver.To keep her motivation I am trying new foods, avoiding dry treats because she chokes due to her high drive!Today I gave her banana (little bit messy, but she loved it!)Also, she only gets her liver, for example, when she is searching.For any other training exercise she gets a different kind of reward.k9Annie5https://www.blogger.com/profile/06988983625525156092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-86992461169039933302012-10-15T15:43:52.371-07:002012-10-15T15:43:52.371-07:00Glad it's useful. Thanks for reading and comme...Glad it's useful. Thanks for reading and commenting!Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634038342280050377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-59087223450296403782012-10-15T15:20:40.912-07:002012-10-15T15:20:40.912-07:00Great information! Thank you. Great information! Thank you. Carol Bruce Colletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13273953990318465742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-27691012246546176962012-10-13T18:46:06.840-07:002012-10-13T18:46:06.840-07:00Great comments!Great comments!Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634038342280050377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2958112649912191833.post-85213269094832831162012-10-13T18:29:25.161-07:002012-10-13T18:29:25.161-07:00Reyna LOVES her ball, but it took me a little whil...Reyna LOVES her ball, but it took me a little while to realize she isn't working for her ball, she's working for the game of fetch so just varying the number of throws between searches increases her drive, sometimes it a 20 minute game after a hide, sometimes I just hand her the ball, take it back, and we start the next search.<br /><br />I'm loving the blog by the way...keep it coming :) <br />Also a few obedience behaviors before a search helps channel her energy so she is focused and ready to go...front, finish, 90 degree pivot...reeaadddyyy GO FIND. <br /><br />Another game we have started playing is to take her on walks with her collar and harness on, place a couple hides as we walk when she's not looking, and then when we return to the area about 30-40 minutes later switch her leash to her harness and cue her to search. Elizabeth Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07548169435507242006noreply@blogger.com