03-31-2009

Training has been set back a little since we went to 12 hour shifts during the flood. We've done some agility things like jump up on this and jump up on that for a reward. I should probably be doing a bunch more pigeon hole board work but there hasn't been time to set things up. Two days ago I put out some scent in a high flower pot out in the yard and then got called away for about 30 - 45 minutes. Then with a faint breeze, Duece and I went for a walk in the dark. He was showing interest in the scent but had problems finding the source. I had to call him back twice as he was way off looking into footprint holes in the snow. He did circle the source and was looking up towards it and finally got frustrated and sat down. His indication is to sit and he got lots of praise and treats at the source. Tonight I put out a quick source and he did find it but needed to be reminded to sit. Then I put another one next to a flower pot in a concrete block slightly buried in the snow. We went for another walk quite a ways down wind like we might do for a search. We don't want Duece to pay any attention to me other than not to run away, so I don't say anything to him except call him off of the road. Duece made a turn into the wind where he should have been directly downwind a couple of different times. He was definitely interested in the scent and ran through the snowbank to get to the source. Again he forgot to just sit at the source and dug it out and wanted to take off with the container. It took a little persuasion but we were able to treat him at the source. In order for me to hide the source, I had to use a short leash and hook Duece up in the garage where he couldn't watch me. (He cheats!) He was so excited knowing what we were going to do, I could hardly snap him on or off the leash and give the command to search.