Scent work brainstorm please

This might be one for Steve---or anypne else who has done scentwork.

I have taught scentwork as required in WT but this is different.

Celt will do a search square and bring me small articles and will pick out the windfall apple with my scent on it form under the tree

Thus far great.Now I want to do multisports with him and I'd like to do the scent option as well as some of the others. This involves him indicating the scent rather than picking up the article and means he has to learn to forget my scent or other human scent and just go for the one I choose to use.

He started the way I was shown by someone using a small container with food in it inside a brick with holes so he couldn't pick it up. Great---except that all he appeared to have learnt was to lie down by a brick. So I took the food out of the container and put it down 'neat' That seems to have done the trick---except that you actually need a lot of bricks as the scent will remain on any you use.

So I had a rethink and started to use books that I had cut some centre pages out of. That worked and seems to have helped him generalise the indication. But same problem IMO with scent remaining so fresh books needed each time.

Then we got stuck and it all went wrong, he seemed confused and I stopped. Years ago I was taught that when doing scent work the dog is never wrong---so I knew it was me.


Then I was working with a loo roll tube doing a retrieve and in between times I tossed it into my titbit pot.Set the dog up to retrieve and he went and indicated on it! Admittedly this is Celt and he does get confused easily---but I was pleased.
Yesterday I worked with hose pipe bits with the titbits in them and he indicated on one alone, one out of two and one out of three. All on new bits of pipe so no contamination but with my scent on them as he is going to have to get over that one.

Today he indicated twice on one pipe out of six. He worked them well. Now I think I am ready to add whatever scent I decide to use to the mix.

Questions----can anyone see any obvious wrong directions in this? What scent would be usefull to work him on?

rune

Hi Rune

A tiny drop of lavender oil can be a good start , in fact anything is fine a long as it remains uncontaminated.
Do what I do a raid the plastic gloves from every petrol station you pass!
A good test is to sometimes have no scent article out there, that will eliminate false indications if managed properly.
cheers

Steve Mann

Thanks----query---why am I trying not to contaminate it when I know that the things it will be hidden under are going to be placed by someone? Do you mean not contaminate the carrier the scent is in? Is that because he will then only indicate when he finds my scent with the one he is looking for?

Celts dad was an explosive search dog and when I spoke to his owner she didn't seem bothered about the contamination aspect---and she suggested pairing the scent with the dogs toy.

I am hoping to make all my mistakes on him so that my springer pup doesn't get confused. Nothing worse than a confused springer (G)!

rune

Hi Rune

With specific scentwork, you want as few common denominators as possible, and that includes your scent.
It's ok to pair your target scent with a variety of other scents as you proof the behaviour later, but avoid any additional consistent pairings.
Of course the area he will search will be full of the World's other scents and that's fine, but keep the antecedent for your behaviour as specific as possible.
hope that helps