Skip to content

Puppy Nosework

Basenji Training
  • I have decided to start L'Ox on some nosework exercises. Here is a video of him today finding his treats hidden in a box. This was his third search today so you can see him really check out a couple of the boxes before he finds the right box. Those boxes he spends more time at are in the place that the treats were on his other searches though those boxes have never had treats in them. There is one box that is the "food" box and is the only one that food is ever put into.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIOP79SQ2O4

  • That is really cool. I'm going to have to try this. How was the cheese hidden in the box?

  • At the start it is just in the box where they can self reward when they find the right box. After they have built success and confidence with self rewarding you start hiding their treat bag in the box and then rewarding them in the box when they find their treat bag.

    If they develop the habit of sticking their heads in every box, the best "cure" I have found is to move the boxes further apart so it just takes too much time to check them all out, then they start to really use their nose to get to the treats faster. This is a little hard to do in my kitchen and right now it is bit too wet outside to work in the backyard but hopefully we will get some dry weather this week so I can work L'Ox outside a bit this week.

  • I will try to be good and update each week so if you want to follow along you can.

    The things that you need is at least 5 boxes, one that should be labeled "Food" and is the only box that gets food in it, so the others aren't cotaminated with the food scent, treats that your dog really loves, and some different areas to work in.

    The first week the boxes are all in a line. Before I set L'Ox down to work, show him that I am putting the treats in the treat box then I do a "shell game" with the box, tapping it against the other boxes in the line and usually saying things like, "Where's your treat? Is it in this box? Oh, look at this box it looks so good." etc, and at some point switching the food box with one of the other boxes so that he doesn't just cue into the last box I was at and has to really work to find the treats. We do 3 searches in a training session and our goal for the week is to work in 5 locations. Mine will probably be the kitchen, the living room, the backyard, the school down the street, and at a friend's house.

    It makes things much easier if you have someone to help you but you can work by yourself using a tether or baby gate.

Suggested Topics

  • Puppy training at night

    Basenji Training
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    3k Views
    Baba BamideleB
    The rule of thumb I was taught is that a puppy can only wait an amount of time equal to their age in months plus one. So, at eight weeks old (two months), your pup can hold it three hours tops (1 month + 1 month + 1). You should probably schedule a couple of potty visits outside during the night, even though it will be a pain. When we got Cosette, my wife and set a timer for three hours and three hours beyond that. We took turns taking her outside. At twelve weeks old, we were able to lengthen the time between breaks to 4 hours, then 5 hours at sixteen weeks, etc. It's tough, but it will keep your home (and her crate) clean!
  • Puppy nipping?

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    LOL someone posted this yesterday and I have to share. Your pup? [image: attachment_p_153898_0_pickup.jpg]
  • Puppy training by breeder

    Basenji Training
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    C
    Thanks for the ideas! I had forgotten the collar training totally - as well as walking in leash nicely. Fortunately I have some training collars at home, before my order of measure made sighthound leather collars will arrive (at age of 8 weeks). We have now -20 Celsius and 1 meter snow in South-Finland, so it is impossible to start potty training in the garden ;) More ideas are welcome!
  • Nosework

    Basenji Training
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    lvossL
    Nosework is different than tracking though it is a related sport. The dogs are not following a laid track. They are brought into an area and must find a target odor, birch, anise, or clove, hidden in that area. At least that is the long term goal. At the beginning, we are using either a prized toy or treat as their target. It is sort of like the work a drug sniffing dog would do.
  • Puppy Crate training

    Basenji Training
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    4k Views
    tanzaT
    @BellaJane: Oh yeah and his name is Ringo…. Where did you get Ringo?
  • Training a puppy

    Basenji Training
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    2k Views
    Robin_n_JackR
    HA! We did the up& back method at my petsmart class. Jack is so flexible, he would actually follow the treat back with his head, until his head was almost lying on his back. I think what I finally had to do was push his butt down with one hand, while holding the treat in front of his face with the other. He got really good at it…now, he sits when I snap my fingers, when I say sit, or, my favorite, when I salute him. Good luck!