Because we know you can’t enough, here’s an extra bonus training game for you and your dog to enjoy!
Where’s my keys?
Transfer some of your dog’s new-found sniffing-genius to a really useful task by teaching him to hunt down often-missing items such as your keys.
Time Allowance:
Practice for 1 minute sessions at a time with plenty of down-time in between.
It’s best to try to work practice into your routine, such as while you wait for the kettle to boil, while you wait for the computer to start up or during the ad break of a TV show.
Family Participation:
Kids are often great dog trainers. Teach each child how to lure safely.
If your dog is mouthy, jumpy or likely to get over-excited it might be best for you to get the behaviours established and then bring in the kids to help with practice.
Always supervise child-dog interactions and make sure children learn to leave the dog alone when eating his rewards.
Get started…
Work on scent puzzles that encourage your dog to sniff out a hidden treat, like this simple game:
With a bit of practice…
Introduce cups or tubs – your dog is learning how to indicate that he smells something interesting:
And soon…
Playing the Cup Game with your keys helps to teach your dog the relevance of their smell.
Reward your dog at source for this one – that means to reward with several food rewards, delivered one after another right at your keys.
(Note in the clip I toss food to move Decker away so I can reset – I’m working with one hand and holding the camera with the other!)
Show us how you get on with this challenge!
AniEd Ireland 