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Scent Detection Training |
Holly has begun some fun scent detection training. To begin with we are working on two specific detections:
- Geocaching, to scent out containers that have human scent attached
- Fossil Hunting, to identify fossils from other rocks and to locate fossils on the beach.
- Geocaching, to scent out containers that have human scent attached
- Fossil Hunting, to identify fossils from other rocks and to locate fossils on the beach.
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Some more practice scenting out a small metal container containing treats and my own scent.
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On todays training walk, Holly located a good selection of fossils, mainly devils toenails, the first one, I selected and then dropped a few times for her to find, following this I sent her ahead of me to search out some of her own, twice I directed her to an area I knew there was one she could find, the rest were found independently. One she even alerted to, but I said 'it's not a fossil' and went to walk on, so she began pawing at it, and when I turned the rock over it was indeed a fossil. She's taken to this skill very well. I've started to instruct her to alert by sitting with the fossil between her front paws instead of picking it up, she has begun to do this.
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A walk on the beach today to put a little of Holly's fossil work into practice. She was very interested in the fossils we had already collected and did manage to locate and mark 4 fossils herself without any false alerts.
Scent detection games while out training. Holly seems much more willing to use her nose to track down and locate the treat container than I had originally thought, Cassie is also really interested in trying out this treat tracking with Holly.
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