Adventures in Odor 5

Well, we had the good and the not-so-good today at class.  Treasure had a hard time finding an odor hide under some metal steps.  She kept finding the odor, but then she kept going the opposite direction along a long wall, but away from the steps.  After she got across the room, she would follow the odor back by the side of the steps, but never actually made it to the hide.  After letting her look for a while, I resent her and we added some food to the hide.  Success!  I was feeling a bit discouraged ... my issue, not hers! 

But I didn't need to feel badly.  She found the next odor hide in an Easter Egg, inside an Easter basket.  This reminded me of last year's egg hunt where Treasure found all her eggs hidden in the field!  It also got me thinking of some fun ways to make her nosework demos more interesting ... I can find all kinds of props to go with the season or an upcoming holiday!  I'll have to get on that idea!  We watched a demo using several cute salt and pepper shakers in a line with odor hidden in one of them.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to try that one, but I enjoyed it anyway and many of the shakers were cute sheep, which, when you have a herding dog, are always a good thing!

We did an odor hide under a shade tarp which was spread out on the floor.  I wouldn't have thought of that on my own.  Treasure was a bit surprised when she stepped on the crinkly tarp, but she found the odor.  The first time she smelled the tarp right where the odor was, but then turned away from it looking in the air for the hide.  The next time she came back and circled right on top of the odor.  Good girl!  

And the last one I paired with food to try to get her to jump up onto the wall where there is a ledge.  At home, where she knows things and feels comfortable, she will put her front feet up on me or other objects, but she has a hard time knowing just how and where to jump because she can't see that things are solid and where they are in space.  She stretched her nose way up to get the food at the hide, but it wasn't quite high enough for her to actually need to jump up.  I tried to lift her front, but that didn't work too well, so I just let her stretch and eat the goodies. 

She sleeps in the car on the way home, tired and content from her day's work.  It's nice to see her be able to do something she enjoys so much!