Reply To: Lois and Monza (August 2014)

[Alana McGee]

Lois:

Holiday weekend, so we’re going to submit our 2nd video of the week. Had to go do my volunteer cleaning at kennel club and decided to do some hunts there. It’s hard to get good video a large room so 2nd video is from GoPro (forgot to turn it on in 1st hunt).

Monza was 1st dog in for both hunts. What’s interesting is on her 2nd hunt she entered the room in same direction as Speed and checked out the pile of mats and the same corner that Speed checked when he did his1st hide.

1st session: I assumed she would hone in on the chairs and she did. I enjoy watching her whip herself around at the far end of the chairs and move nicely back to the source.

2nd session: I was concerned this one might be too difficult with the panel blocking odor so I pulled panel away from wall so she could walk behind it. I was surprised to see her go over the panel to get to the source. I assumed she might go around both sides and eventually hit the scent. I’m still surprised at her downing at the source. It takes me ~4 seconds to get over and deliver reward after she downs, and I thought about doing the delayed reward where Kristin wants me to pick up the tin and move away before delivering treats; however, since we were in a new, large building I decided to not mix the 2 into one session.

I will likely not be in town next weekend and know you are doing a workshop. My plan this week is to do 2 days where we do short 1-2 hides in different rooms in the house. I may try a small room like the bathroom or furnace room and then the other large room in the basement. I will do a delayed reward from a small room.

Have a great workshop! Thanks again for your coaching.

And in case you think Monza looks different…I groomed her yesterday and removed all those wonderful curls for chigger/seed tick/everything-sticks-to-Monza season. I tell her it’s her Tomboy Princess look.