Lesson 5 - Introduction to Wintergreen
Threshold search: can be a difficult problem for many dogs
How to introduce learning puzzles
The purpose of training is for the dog to learn.
We must plan our training sessions to purposefully introduce the dog to various concepts, such as thresholds, corners, the effect of fans/air conditioning, etc.
When introducing something new it is important to:
Common Odour Puzzles for Interior Searches
Channel Hide Search
Channel hides is when an odour is flowing along certain channels, away from the hide itself, for example, on flooring that has grout or brick. Over time the odour will travel further making the puzzle more complicated
A straw or tube is an ideal odour vessel for a channel hide as it will fit within the channel and allow the odour to flow.
Place the hide within the grouting.
Corner Hide Search
Place a single paired hide in a corner.
Be mindful of: doors, intake vents, cupboards or other areas where odour may pool or collect. Avoid these initially.
If your dog does well, practice with a different corner. It will help the dog generalize when we present as many different variations of the puzzle as possible.
Fan Effect Search
Three different runs:
Hold the dog at the start line to give them an opportunity to smell where the odour is going.
Watch the dog’s head to see if they catch the odour.
Incorporating into other searches
If the dog has done well, include these hide placements in other searches. Only offer one problem per search area. Example, in an interior search with 3 total hides, only 1 hide is a corner hide. Ensure your dog has plenty of time to work out the problem. Cap it off at 3 total hides within the search area to start. Keep this fun and heavily reward the dog for being correct.
These odour puzzles are often the things that trip dogs up during a trail. To help your dog, remember that jackpots are crucial! Also, don’t always make things harder. Sometimes the search should be easy and use “recovery searches” to build your dog’s confidence.
- Hold your dog at the threshold for a few seconds before starting
- Keep the hide on the side closest to the dog.
- Keep the hide head-height for the dog.
- Bring your body back to the threshold area to draw your dog back in, if your dog misses it initially.
How to introduce learning puzzles
The purpose of training is for the dog to learn.
We must plan our training sessions to purposefully introduce the dog to various concepts, such as thresholds, corners, the effect of fans/air conditioning, etc.
When introducing something new it is important to:
- Have that learning puzzle as a sole hide within the search area.
- Give the dog plenty of time to work out the problem.
- Allow the dog to have several successful repetitions.
- Slowly incorporate the odour problem within a larger searching context.
Common Odour Puzzles for Interior Searches
- Threshold hides
- Corner hides
- Channel hides
- Effect of HVAC/air flow and movement
Channel Hide Search
Channel hides is when an odour is flowing along certain channels, away from the hide itself, for example, on flooring that has grout or brick. Over time the odour will travel further making the puzzle more complicated
A straw or tube is an ideal odour vessel for a channel hide as it will fit within the channel and allow the odour to flow.
Place the hide within the grouting.
Corner Hide Search
Place a single paired hide in a corner.
Be mindful of: doors, intake vents, cupboards or other areas where odour may pool or collect. Avoid these initially.
If your dog does well, practice with a different corner. It will help the dog generalize when we present as many different variations of the puzzle as possible.
Fan Effect Search
Three different runs:
- Hide set-up behind the fan (blowing odour around the room)
- Hide set up in front of the fan (on top of an item or something else located directly in front of the fan – fan will blow onto the hide and then blow odour around the room)
- Hide set up on the fan. Make certain it is safe and your dog is not overly concerned. If your dog is concerned, place the hide close to the fan instead of on it. If that modification makes your dog too nervous, skip this one.
Hold the dog at the start line to give them an opportunity to smell where the odour is going.
Watch the dog’s head to see if they catch the odour.
Incorporating into other searches
If the dog has done well, include these hide placements in other searches. Only offer one problem per search area. Example, in an interior search with 3 total hides, only 1 hide is a corner hide. Ensure your dog has plenty of time to work out the problem. Cap it off at 3 total hides within the search area to start. Keep this fun and heavily reward the dog for being correct.
These odour puzzles are often the things that trip dogs up during a trail. To help your dog, remember that jackpots are crucial! Also, don’t always make things harder. Sometimes the search should be easy and use “recovery searches” to build your dog’s confidence.
