We are now sniffing fools!

YAY! And more YAY! Cubby and I started scent class yesterday. This pup has been in obedience since 5 months and like 2 days. He is now 9 months. In both obedience classes he earned a gold sticker -- meaning he was an honors student. I and the teacher really did hold him to high standards. It was intense and I asked a lot of him while teething, finding hormones, generally growing up, serious stuff which is not much fun to a wiggly pup. Now, fun, fun, fun and it was a joy to see. I had practiced "find" for treats on the bathroom rugs similar in color to the treats. Grandma had him "find" treats hidden under the edge of a sheet. Class, easy peasy, treats just sitting in boxes! Getting another treat for finding. And another for looking at me after finding. It was just a joyful, fun, relaxing class and we both loved it! I truly look forward to the next six months of classes (there are 4 six-week courses). Our classmates (who will probably just go from class to class with us) are an aussie who is using sight more than nose, a terrier who is SO good he is practically psychic, and a border collie who searches the whole room in narrowing spirals until he checks every box until the correct one is last. Cubby, well, you can hear that little nose going sniff, sniff, sniff and he is truly hunting. He even found the raised one where the terrier even had trouble, the aussie saw it, and the border collie found it when he knocked the box over and found it that way. FUN! Cubby is now cross-registered into UKC so someday we can do competition -- we hope! FUN!

Here are some pix . . .
http://cubbycaboose.blogspot.com/2015/01/momma-and-i-took-time-out-from-making.html

 

My school lady said to put it in an "Altoids" mint box. Not sure if you have that brand there. I suppose the husband and I will be going for the mints so I can get a couple. I assume there has to be a fair amount of cleaning of those boxes so I should plan in advance.

 

I also know they use in my class plastic "Easter egss" for the next step so I will be moving to those once the open "eat upon finding" stage is done. Right now we are starting to hopefully get the look back and forth to pinpoint. I don't see Cubby doing that. I can see him finding, touching, and sitting and looking and waiting. Any tips on a pinpoint alert other than looking from me to the spot to me to the spot? None of the 3 herders do it, the BC doesn't look up at all, the Aussie stands and stares, Cubby sits and stares, the terrier prances and looks back and forth. Teacher says we are doing good and for Cubby to be just a week short of 10 months she is very impressed because it is quite brain taxing to do 7 (kinda easy but there must have been 20 boxes, bowls, tubs, etc.) searches in an hour and still be conscious.

 

I decided to see what he could do if the treats were in a container so I used an Easter egg and enlarged the pinhole at the top slightly. He finds it and touches it then sits and looks at me for a treat. If I ask him to "show me" or "touch it" he will touch it again and sit and look. I think this is probably the direction we are heading in class so we will be having some Easter egg hunts this week. I also just ordered Birch and Aniseed (appropriate species). I already have the Cloves. He is pretty egg-cited about his hunting.