Scent Training

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->Bill<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->I suggest putting down several objects, only one will have the target scent on it. Take him around and let him smell each one. Each time he sniffs the target scent, get excited and treat ... or click & treat if you are using a clicker. After many repititions of that when he sniffs the target scent, don\'t do anything. He should look at you and question why you didn\'t treat that time. Him looking at you will be your signal he has found the target scent. Be sure you use different objects that have the target scent on it or he might learn shape or some other identifying feature instead of scent.<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '-><!-' + '- AMS SECOND IN POST -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->K9one<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->Puppy? Or older dog. If you are starting a puppy, make sure you are letting it figure out that using its nose gets him rewards. Take the time to let it figure this out. Start using a key word, seek, search, find for all his toys (give the toys names) hide them behind your back at first then make it more difficult. (under the furniture). When you have accomplished that we can go to step two. You need to develop the nose and the search game before you start tracking.<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->DebraGill<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->I believe this is a long process, you can actually read up on a lot of articles online.
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\nWhat most articles say is that use a big area that has not been walked on by people, thus do the training early in the morning. Let your dog sit and make sure he stays there. Get some treats and crush them into the grass. Walk a straight line with having some of the treats on your shoes then stop in about 8-10 feet and put a treat. Do this for around 15-20feet away from your dog. Place something -' + '- a small bag, hanky or anything he can find at the end of the trail. Then put a treat of top of the item.
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\nStart the training by letting him go and "find it" and let him sniff the trail. If he knows how to, compliment him and follow. Just make sure you\'re not distracting him. Continue to do this for a week or so and do this often in the day so he remembers it.<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->Kristen<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->I used instructions from this site: K-12 - FamilyEducation.com
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\r\nIt was helpful for me but I had a hard time training my doggy. I had to make sure the "scents" don\'t overlap and a looooot of patience! <!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->RubyRoo<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->STA70218.jpgWhat do you mean by \'specific scent? Your own, another person, dog\'s or what. Also what sort of object are you looking for the scent to be on?
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\r\nI would say, having taught several of my own dogs scent for obedience competition (UK) up to and including championship C, that you need to get your dog to understand what scent is all about, and this usually means looking for your own scent first.
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\r\nFor competition we do this on cloth, but it could be anything that holds your scent well.
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\r\nI start my dogs off with a cloth and a treat, rubbing the treat lightly into my hands, so that there is a combination of my scent and treat, which is going to motivate the dog into actually looking and enquiring whats on the cloth. Now rub your hands onto the cloth/article and fold it up with a treat in the middle of it and let your dog see you \'hide\' it behind something. Let your dog sniff your hands before you ask him to find the cloth. On a lead let your dog find the cloth, and if it doesn\'t want to pick it up, \'find\' the treat inside it, and reward. Keep practising this until your dog will pick up the folded cloth with confidence, always \'finding\' the treat inside. When your dog knows that it is looking for something that add a command just before you \'find\' the cloth.
\r\nNow move onto the next step, still rubbing a treat onto your hands, again still very lightly, and hiding the cloth without a treat in. Again let your dog sniff your hands before setting off to find the cloth. When your dog finds the cloth, reward with a treat already in your hand. Do this until your dog is confident in picking up the cloth.
\r\nYou will now be able to move onto putting several largish articles out, and hiding the cloth without your dog seeing where you have put it. Same system as before, and when your dog is confidently picking up the cloth, you can then run a few steps backwards enouraging your dog to follow you, and before taking the cloth and rewarding with a treat.
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\r\nAny articles put out mustn\'t have any recent scent of yours on, but if that can\'t be helped, then make sure that the article can\'t be bicked up, use something like a large cone, bucket or brick.
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\r\nWhen your dog is confident and understands about finding a scent, then leave off rubbing a treat into your hands, perhaps use a bit of your dog\'s saliva instead, rubbed onto your hands. In training always reward though.
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\r\nOf course you can use the clicker to teach this as well, which should help your dog understand this exercise very well, and help when you want to move onto finding another scent.
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\r\nWhen you move onto finding another scent, then use a family member or friend, to start with rather than the dog looking for a scent that it is not familiar with, and again you can use articles that can\'t be moved to hide it behind. Don\'t ask the dog to find another scent, with your own scent out though.
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\r\nif you want to go onto finding scent on cloth, then the other cloths will need to hold no scent if possible, so any touching will need to be done with tongs or rubbeer gloves on, including removing them from a washing machine. As the dog becomes more confident with finding somebody elses scent, then a \'decoy\' scent can be put out in the mix, by then you will be able to see whether your dog truly understands how to find the scent your want it to.<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[<!-' + '- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -' + '->RubyRoo<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->]

\r\n \r\n <!-' + '- google_ad_section_start -' + '->Meant to say when starting to use another scent other than your own, you will need to \'give\' your dog that scent, either from a cloth, clothes, or hand.<!-' + '- google_ad_section_end -' + '->\r\n \r\n

[Suzanne]

Can anyone give me pointers on how to train a dog to alert on a specific scent?