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Hi Mary. Salu was BRILLIANT!!!! And, as usual, you are just such an encouraging handler 🙂
You and Salu are doing great with these hides. Keep up the great work.
0:43 LOVE that he abandons a visual ID to follow his nose!! Good boy!
If you get the opportunity to set this up again (no additional challenges), try asking for a nose target when you pick up the teaball. If that goes well, ask him to nose target it on the ground with the following find. Then pick it up and have a party. We like that he stays at source and think it is time to start shaping a more pin-point behavior when you go to “harvest” the truffle. Rummage around in the grass like you are searching for it and let him show you exactly where it is.
In the second video, 0:22 is PERFECT! See if you can get that as your pinpoint behavior by “searching” in the grass for it with him. I suspect he will nose target it multiple times until you “finally” pick it up. We love insistent dogs!
Make sure you reward him when you pick up the target. Every time!
Do you have a harness to work on. He seems to stall out when he perceives pressure on the leash. VERY good leash manners! That creates conflict for him. He wants to keep the leash slack, but we are asking him to take initiative and go search.