Seekback

[shoemonster]

Sitting at home sick, and sick of being sick and I finally ordered my articles, and seekback article the other day and wondered if anyone has tips, methods, links etc to teaching seekback

Thanks heaps

[Seita]

I'd be interested in answers too! I just drop the article somewhere and send Ella to find it and she just keeps running until she sees/smells it but I don't think that this is the most effective way for her to find it and would like to train her to follow my scent to it a bit more.

[OSoSwift]

Oh I have done a lttle of this so I will see if it helps you, much more expeirienced people will drop by I am sure.

I was told to put the dog in a sit and I used wait.

step a few steps forward and place the article while they are watching. Send them, they will see it and find it. do this until it is a reasonable distance and maybe one turn, they can still see you ploace it, walk the line you want them to follow.

Next have them sitting ready to heel, place the article behind you - with the dog not watching, heel forward about 4 to 6 steps, about turn and 'send' your dog to find the article. They may find it by sight, but by this time have usually figured out find involves the nose as well. Increase the distance and add a turn then two, but make sure the dog is getting it right a majority of times before you progress to the next step. Eventually you will drop it while heeling as you would do in a trial.

As a training thing I would throw bit of carrot(my Dobes favorite treat!) into some grass or weeds, with her not watching eventually) and tell her find, she picked up very quickly to use her nose. I would also place a piece of food a little way away and send her to find it, that really made her use her nose. As soon a I said find she would put her nose on the ground and start working, loved watching it. She would seek me if she couldn't find me, sometimes we set up a 'find mummy" just love to watch them work like this.

Hope this makes some sense!

[shoemonster]

Yep it does make sense, thanks Rommi, sounds like a great way to start

Just out of interest, I know its bad form to rock up to a trial with a chewed up dumbell, is this the same with leather articles, the new ones are preety soft, and the seekback article just from a bit of playing around and holds and finds etc is now looking like an old worn out piece of leather shoe

[OSoSwift]

I bought two sets, except for the seek back article, doesn't matter if that is 'worn in'.

Also you need to air your articles from time to time so it is handy to have two sets so you can have one airing and one in use.

It is also good to 'try' and discourage mouthing as they are more likely to drop them. I used to work on a hard long bite with the clicker to try and stop any mouthing. Leather is a bit hard as they just love to chew it, alternatively go to a furniture manufacturer or someone and buy some off cut, reasonably thick leather and use that for training until they chew it less.

Hope you are feeling better

[glorybea]

hi i just started doing it as play inside , hide it anywhere --find

under cushions behind doors just as hide and seek always rewards now does seek back great .

we had no problems with -that mine is jumping had to teach her to run and jump

Glorybea

[shoemonster]

Ah yeah I'm sure I'll need another set later on! The teethmarks on the leather arent so much from chewing but everytime she holds it she gets new toothmarks on it

Glorybea, have started doing that with her, she surprises me sometimes, she picks it up so quickly, and will keep on looking til she gets it

We tried it on grass for the first time the other night, was quite amusing, but she found it, and though it took her a while sometimes she was constantly searching, (well except the one time she got distracted by a different smell and it smelt like a good place to wee ) She was using her nose, which was great, sometimes would come back to me, and need a bit of reassurance but it was a good start and she had alot of fun with it

Edited May 1, 2009 by shoemonster

[Ptolomy]

Goodonya shoemonster.......

The idea is to treat it as a game. I usually play find it inside during the winter months before work - the kids all sit on the mat in the lounge room and I go and hide it in a room somewhere and then send them one by one to fine it. The babies I usually put it somewhere easy, the older kids usually have to hunt a bit harder. I am currently using a wooden scent article - yet my seekback is actually a leather article. Of course - the find it, bring it back and get rewarded - they think they are so smart

I have used a couple of methods for teaching seekback outside. I have tried throwing the article into long grass and sending them to find it - this really teaches them to use their nose. Our K9 grounds are like bowling greens - so I have also put out a start peg and heeled the dog forward dropping the article in front of me as I heel forward the after a few steps I about turn and ask them to find it. I then gradually extend the distance, and put in turns. I usually offer lots of verbal encouragement to begin with and they get rewarded bigtime with either food or a ball thrown or the two food game.

I still have Laras one and only original rolled black leather seekback and it is in great condition.- she is 12 1/2. I now use a different leather seekback for the red kids. I have 2 - one is more chewed that the other - and no judge has ever commented on the teeth marks LOL

[shoemonster]

Thanks Ptol

Ah yours is rolled, this one is the stitched one, the rolled wouldnt show toothmarks as much I'm guessing

Molls is so proud of herself when she finds it, I love it! And love seeing her use her nose, its really cute, can hear the sniff sniff sniff so loud