Reply To: Best of ?Lola?

[Alana McGee]

TDC:
Hi Mary!

Lola is doing awesome. At this point identifying the object (the tin) and the odor are basically the same thing. What comes later is scent discrimination when only the tin that has odor gets rewarded. But a great first step. And your timing is fantastic.

If this seems too easy (which it looks like), try to focus on Lola not just coming near the tin or being on top of it but actually inhaling. Try to watch her nostrils. Not an easy feat, but it is good practice in reading your doggie’s body language. Don’t overly focus on that principle though. Soon you will get to a stage where she is only rewarded for odor recognition.

So to sum it up: Ideally you want to see Lola actually inhale on the scent tin and not just get near it, but in the very beginning stages of truffle scent training we reward any behavior that comes close. Baby steps.

Good work and keep practicing!