Once the dog has become familiar with searching for treats outside the boxes, you can continue to increase the difficulty by changing the environment.
Read also: How to get started with Nosework – part 2
Searching for vehicles is the next step in development.
Vehicle search includes anything with wheels: this includes cars, tractors, lawnmowers, bicycles, trailers, you name it. However, it is important to be extra careful when teaching your dog to search cars, and avoid jumping out of the car or
When teaching your dog to search for a vehicle, it is important that he understands that it is only about the vehicle. You can do this in several ways:
- You can have a helper walk around the vehicle and place treats as you go – while you and your dog follow behind and find the treats. This is called a bunny run.
- You can also help by leaving the vehicle free - so that there are no other elements that draw attention and the desire to search more than the vehicle.
If the dog tries to get away from the vehicle, stand still with the leash at a certain length until it tries to get back on its own.
Let the dog explore the vehicle just like the other environments and be as creative with the placement of the treats as you usually are.
ATTENTION to vehicle:
- Never let your dog crawl under or up a car. Crawling under can be dangerous and we want to avoid scratching the paintwork, so it should not climb up the car. However, if it is a smaller dog, it may use the tire as a support.
- On a trailer, the dog is allowed to get on the trailer if it helps with the search. At a competition, it will be decided by the judge on the day whether the dog is allowed or not.
See how to train NoseWork as a vehicle search in the video here:
Guide: Nosework Part 3 – Vehicle Search
Once the dog has become familiar with searching for treats outside the boxes, you can continue to increase the difficulty by changing the environment.
Read also: How to get started with Nosework – part 2
Searching for vehicles is the next step in development.
Vehicle search includes anything with wheels: this includes cars, tractors, lawnmowers, bicycles, trailers, you name it. However, it is important to be extra careful when teaching your dog to search cars, and avoid jumping out of the car or
When teaching your dog to search for a vehicle, it is important that he understands that it is only about the vehicle. You can do this in several ways:
If the dog tries to get away from the vehicle, stand still with the leash at a certain length until it tries to get back on its own.
Let the dog explore the vehicle just like the other environments and be as creative with the placement of the treats as you usually are.
ATTENTION to vehicle:
See how to train NoseWork as a vehicle search in the video here: