Recall with scent work

Recall problems

Owners can find recall difficult due to their dog being distracted by the environment. The distractions could be people, other dogs, birds, or just following a natural scent. This is despite the fact that the dog may have a good relationship with their owner and be happy to take treats.

Scent work

Scent work / nose work involves your dog searching for a scent which they are rewarded for finding. The scent may be food with the reward being the food found. The scent could alternatively be something novel (e.g. catnip or specific essential oils) which is rewarded with food once the scent is found.

Scent work is a great activity since the dog uses its nose which is linked to the olfactory bulb in their brain. Using their brain will tire a dog out much more than just using their legs.

Recall using scent work

It would seem intuitive that coming back for a treat is rewarding, however for a highly motivated dog having to work for that treat can be even more rewarding.

Case study: Mabel the Cockapoo

Mable can get very distracted by everything in her environment including other dogs and birds. She can also get distracted following a natural scent.

This groundwork training session aimed to get Mabel more focused around her handler by utilising her interest in following a scent.

Getting her to use her nose (and therefore her brain) makes recall more interesting and makes being around her handler more rewarding.

This is the first time Mabel has done scent work so was learning the process as she went along.

Exercise one: Recall and follow the treat

In this exercise the treat is thrown out when the dog comes back so that she has to use her nose to find it.. Working for the treat in this way is more rewarding than just being given it.

Exercise two: Recall and find the treat

In this exercise when the dog comes back, she is sent out to search for the treat. The treat is hidden when the dog is not looking. The dog is asked to sit when she comes back to give the exercise some structure, so she is ready to look for the treat when the cue ‘find it’ is given.

Note how easily Mabel gets distracted even once she has come back. She becomes more focused as the session progresses.

Exercise three: Recall and follow the treat toy to release the treat

In this exercise when the dog comes back, the Clam toy, which contains a treat, is thrown out. The dog must therefore follow the toy and then work at getting the treat from the toy.

Note how Mabel becomes distracted by a dog in the distance but then goes back to trying to get the treat from the Clam toy.

Summary

  • Coming back for a treat is rewarding.  Mabel using her nose to find the treat can be even more rewarding.
  • Scent work exercises are focused around the handler.  This helps strengthen the dog-handler bond. 
  • Mabel using her nose will tire her out much more than just using her legs.

Products used

Groundwork

Groundwork training is where I help train your dog for you. This can be the perfect solution if you are stuck on a specific behavioural problem and don’t know how to move on.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

Proprioception – what’s that?

Most dogs love their walks; they get to run around at full speed and play with the other dogs in the park. Once they get home they sleep for hours until the next walk… right?

Some dogs, no matter how much “exercise” you give them still have energy to burn. Border Collies come to mind. Breeds of the “working” variety e.g. working Cocker Spaniels or working Labradors often don’t have an off switch either.

Perhaps the exercise they are getting is just half the picture? The organ that uses most energy is actually the brain so how do you work that part of your dog?

Opening your eyes is the first step. I recently went to St. Ann’s Well Gardens with a client with a high-energy Springer Spaniel cross. He loves to run around but also loves to be with his human. As we walked around the park we looked for things to do. There is a long log that is on its side on the grass. We lured Lord Nelson onto this with a treat which he was happy to take and then jumped off again. He jumped off because he didn’t have the balance to stay on and was also moving quickly. On his second attempt we used a second treat to keep him there. This was great fun for all of us. Next Nelson was asked to sit on the log, his back legs quivered as he did this as all the small mussels worked together to control this delicate manoeuvre.

We then set off to the next adventure in the form of a tree trunk. Nelson was asked to jump onto it which he was happy to do but did so at speed but then flew off the other side. The next attempt he took it a little more slowly and managed to stay on.

Around the park we found an upturned tree with a 30 degree incline which Nelson happily trotted up but then had to work out what to do at the end. He turned his body around slowly, a little unsure of what his back legs were doing, but managed it without falling off!

The next obstacle was the well itself. Nelson’s task here was to jump on and slowly manoeuvre around the edge. This was a tricky task since it was very narrow. Another great success for Nelson.

When we got home Nelson crashed out on his bed struggling to keep his eyes open.

 

This brings me back to my original question “Proprioception – what’s that?”. Proprioception is knowing where your body is in space. Anyone who has practiced yoga may understand how difficult it is at first to control our body slowly. With practice comes improved strength, flexibility, and balance. Slowing down so the mind has awareness about what their body is doing has similar advantages for dogs. The added bonus for a dog that has used his mind and body is he may then crash out after his trip to the park.

I call these training sessions Urban Agility since you use whatever your local park has to offer to mentally and physically work your dog. I can train these sessions with you or as part of my Groundwork service where I work your dog for you.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

Do you JUST walk your dog?

Most people just walk their dog in the park, happy in the knowledge that they are running around and burning off energy. What happens though if you have a dog with almost unlimited energy like a Border Collie, working Cocker Spaniel, or a Terrier?

How do I improve my dog’s walks and use his brain?

Most people are aware that you can go to agility classes with your dog but your local park probably has much more that you can use to mentally simulate your dog than you realise. When I go to a park in Brighton & Hove with a dog I’m always on the lookout for “Urban Agility”. Urban what!?! This means anything that a dog can jump on or over, commando crawl under, balance on, weave around etc. This could be park benches, posts, tree trunks, logs etc.

I particularly like things that slow a dog down like a log or upturned tree. Jumping on to something and balancing can be a real challenge for an active dog who is only used to running around at full speed. It forces them to stop and think about what their body is doing, how to balance, turn, sit or lie down etc. It’s like yoga for dogs!

Next time you go to the park keep a look out for your own Urban Agility course.  Your dog will have to learn to do these tasks but I can guarantee that he will come home more tired if he has had to use his brain on a walk.

Sam shows you how Urban Agility its done:

This is Sam learning to walk slowly along a log. The first few times he fell off because he had no awareness of what his body was doing. This was also a great trust exercise for Sam to know I was there with him.

Feel free to contact me about Urban Agility training for your dog which I can either do with you or as a Groundwork Training service.


Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

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Your may have noticed some pictures on our Facebook page of our Groundwork training walks in various Brighton and Hove parks in which we appear to be walking around in circles?

If you tracked a typical dog walk you would see the owner walking around the path of their local park in straight lines, probably entering the park by the same gate each day and leaving by the same gate. A lucky dog may get to play a little with the owner en route.

I always tell owners that a walk in the park for a well-mannered dog should be his time. He should get to run around, sniff things, play with other dogs, and generally explore and interact with his environment. However your role should not just be to clip his lead off at the start of the walk and clip it back on at the end. You can be part of his fun too!

A lot of dogs quickly learn to disengage from their owners in the park since we are simply too boring and predictable.  They may give an occasional glance back just to make sure you are still following but apart from that you may hold little interest for them. Will your dog quickly come running back to you when called? Perhaps he will plod back if nothing better is going on? Does he see you as just too boring?

The first step of making yourself more interesting in the park is to get off that path around the parameter of the park and change direction. What happens if you turn around and go the other way, will your dog even notice? Try it! Don’t call him, just change direction. When he comes bounding back to you give him lavish praise, a treat, a toy game and let him go again quickly. This will encourage your dog to tune into you and follow you around since you have now become a little more interesting and rewarding.

Rainbow Dogs offers Groundwork training in Brighton and Hove parks for disengaged dogs. This is designed to provide your dog with a stimulating walk in which the owner is central to the fun. We then perform a handover session in which we share with you the new skills that your dog has learnt.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.