Teaching find and other fun things to teach an eager cocker

[Opher]

We have recently started teaching eddy to find treats which we have hidden, we started doing it in the same room as him and now get him to wait in another room and then send him in to find it. I was wondering how to progress this to another level as he really enjoys it.  Also does anyone have any good ideas of other games tothings to teach a cocker to do, so far he knows, sit, stay, down, paw and wait.

[JeffD]

I would now move to the garden and teach him to find a dummy or ball, then move on to a nice area with cover and soon you will be training him for the gun 

[MIN]

we still do house finds and retrieves with gemma.
 now we can take her toys into another room and get her to bring them back by name.ie find tuggie,stinky pink or sock. if she comes back with the wrong toy we sent her back. now 9/10 she comes back with the right toy and if she gets it wrong, she takes the incorrect one back and then brings the right one
we also do scent retrieves. put a hankie which has our scent on amongst her toys and then send her out to find.( don't forget to pass your hand over his nose so he knows what to go for)

[Opher]

Great thank you both, Jeffd someone has said that we should start by throwing a bag of treats into some trees and then sending him to find, when he returns with it give him one. Would you suggest we did this before trying him with a dummy (he's not very keen on balls.)

[Pop-Star]

There is an excellent article in the latest (July) issue of Your Dog about Scentwork, and no I’m not biased because Poppy is one of the case studies  

There are step by step instructions and lots of tips, plus a special offer on The Scentwork Manual, if you want to do more   http://www.talkingdogsscentwork.co.uk/Talking_Dogs_Scentwork/Shop.html

[kalami]

We still do it now in the garden, when on walks there's a bit of a forest I love hiding the throw in there they sit patiently on the edge while I hide it, they also love it when I throw the throw in long grass and heather. One of my favourite things ever is watching them bounding through heather.
Mine have to sit and wait, I also count to ten and they go on ten (Molly sometimes cheats and goes on nine)

[JeffD]

yes I think I would go with a dummy or anything the pup likes to retrieve, if a bit reluctant try one of your old socks that you have worn for a while rolled up into a ball, then you can slip the sock over a ball later.

[Chrisant]

I would love to be able to get Dexter to find things around the house and beyond. I have tried with treats in the same room but he just isn't getting it! Can anyone offer some words of advice??

[JeffD]

I have not done this with an older dog as I always have pups doing this by 12 weeks. but how I start is by throwing a  small smelly treat something like a 1 cm cube of cheese, at first through just a few feet away and I throw using a strong hand control with the command hunt, I use hunt as this will be the command I use for the dogs life when I want the dog to search. when the pup has done 3 or 4 stop for that day as cheese is not a good thing to give lots off you can do a few more if you use  kibble rubbed with a bit of cheese its the strong smell you want so the pup uses its nose not its eyes.

Each day I throw the treat further and further over a week or so to the point the cheese hits the wall at the end of the room and I have no idea where most of them go, this encourages the pup to search and use its nose, its then just a case of not letting the pup see where you throw it but you give the arm control  so the pup knows what end of the room is this is great practice for later on directional controls for a gundog.

Later I switch to a kibble and actually hide it as I want them to have to use their nose and cheese is a bit easy.

Be warned most pups get the hang of this very quick and soon ignore any instruction and just run to all the places you normally hide the treats so be inventive.

I hope this helps
jeff

[Chrisant]

Thank you very much Jeff. I will try this technique first thing tomorrow!

[butterflywings21]

I have not done this with an older dog as I always have pups doing this by 12 weeks. but how I start is by throwing a  small smelly treat something like a 1 cm cube of cheese, at first through just a few feet away and I throw using a strong hand control with the command hunt, I use hunt as this will be the command I use for the dogs life when I want the dog to search. when the pup has done 3 or 4 stop for that day as cheese is not a good thing to give lots off you can do a few more if you use  kibble rubbed with a bit of cheese its the strong smell you want so the pup uses its nose not its eyes.

Each day I throw the treat further and further over a week or so to the point the cheese hits the wall at the end of the room and I have no idea where most of them go, this encourages the pup to search and use its nose, its then just a case of not letting the pup see where you throw it but you give the arm control  so the pup knows what end of the room is this is great practice for later on directional controls for a gundog.

Later I switch to a kibble and actually hide it as I want them to have to use their nose and cheese is a bit easy.

Be warned most pups get the hang of this very quick and soon ignore any instruction and just run to all the places you normally hide the treats so be inventive.

I hope this helps
jeff

i'm going to try this too. 

[MIN]

I have not done this with an older dog as I always have pups doing this by 12 weeks. but how I start is by throwing a  small smelly treat something like a 1 cm cube of cheese, at first through just a few feet away and I throw using a strong hand control with the command hunt, I use hunt as this will be the command I use for the dogs life when I want the dog to search. when the pup has done 3 or 4 stop for that day as cheese is not a good thing to give lots off you can do a few more if you use  kibble rubbed with a bit of cheese its the strong smell you want so the pup uses its nose not its eyes.

Each day I throw the treat further and further over a week or so to the point the cheese hits the wall at the end of the room and I have no idea where most of them go, this encourages the pup to search and use its nose, its then just a case of not letting the pup see where you throw it but you give the arm control  so the pup knows what end of the room is this is great practice for later on directional controls for a gundog.

Later I switch to a kibble and actually hide it as I want them to have to use their nose and cheese is a bit easy.

Be warned most pups get the hang of this very quick and soon ignore any instruction and just run to all the places you normally hide the treats so be inventive.

I hope this helps
jeff

gemma was 11months old when we got her and started doing this and yes we have to keep coming up with new places because she remembers everything. You can not fool these spangles