When the dog is familiar with finding treats in different types of boxes – you can move the treats away from the boxes – the boxes are used as a visual aid for the dog, i.e. it knows there is a treat near the box when it sees the box.
See also: How to get started with NoseWork – part 1
The dog now knows the boxes so well that when he sees the boxes he will immediately think there are treats in them and look for them. However, we have moved the treats out of the boxes and into the environment (outdoors, garden, fence or similar).
They are placed near the boxes so that the dog quickly learns about them when searching for the boxes - and therefore understands that they are now in the environment.
It can be helpful to use sticky treats such as cod roe or liver pâté that can be “dipped” into the environment and will not fall down.
If the dog refuses to take the treats without command
If the dog doesn't want to take the treat, perhaps because it has learned not to take food without a command, avoid placing them on tables and the like.
Instead, use other props indoors, such as chair legs, under the sofa, on the TV shelf, etc. Remember that the dog must always be able to get to and eat the treat.
If the dog has found the treat but is unsure whether to take it, encourage it and “give permission”.
Examples of environments you can train in
Outdoors, you can use a pile of wood, a lot of rocks, containers, etc. Also, train your dog to climb on things and not be afraid to use the environment to get to the treats.
The next step in training is for the dog to be able to find treats indoors, outdoors, up and down, hard and easy, without the boxes as a visual aid. You can test by removing the boxes and placing the treats in a familiar environment. If the dog understands the task and finds the treats without the help of the boxes, then you are ready for the next step in training: Vehicle Search and then Part 3: Pairing Treat and Scent.
And what about the boxes? Should they not be used anymore? Is the work on them wasted? No! The container searches can still be used with the treats as in part 1.
Later, when you start working on searching for scents instead of treats – which all this work is leading towards – your dog will know the boxes and will instinctively search the boxes (and find the scent in the correct box).
This means you've just made your job very easy if you ever decide to compete, as a competition will always include a container search (search in boxes).
Guide to NoseWork – part 2
When the dog is familiar with finding treats in different types of boxes – you can move the treats away from the boxes – the boxes are used as a visual aid for the dog, i.e. it knows there is a treat near the box when it sees the box.
See also: How to get started with NoseWork – part 1
The dog now knows the boxes so well that when he sees the boxes he will immediately think there are treats in them and look for them. However, we have moved the treats out of the boxes and into the environment (outdoors, garden, fence or similar).
They are placed near the boxes so that the dog quickly learns about them when searching for the boxes - and therefore understands that they are now in the environment.
It can be helpful to use sticky treats such as cod roe or liver pâté that can be “dipped” into the environment and will not fall down.
If the dog refuses to take the treats without command
If the dog doesn't want to take the treat, perhaps because it has learned not to take food without a command, avoid placing them on tables and the like.
Instead, use other props indoors, such as chair legs, under the sofa, on the TV shelf, etc. Remember that the dog must always be able to get to and eat the treat.
If the dog has found the treat but is unsure whether to take it, encourage it and “give permission”.
Examples of environments you can train in
Outdoors, you can use a pile of wood, a lot of rocks, containers, etc. Also, train your dog to climb on things and not be afraid to use the environment to get to the treats.
The next step in training is for the dog to be able to find treats indoors, outdoors, up and down, hard and easy, without the boxes as a visual aid. You can test by removing the boxes and placing the treats in a familiar environment. If the dog understands the task and finds the treats without the help of the boxes, then you are ready for the next step in training: Vehicle Search and then Part 3: Pairing Treat and Scent.
And what about the boxes? Should they not be used anymore? Is the work on them wasted? No! The container searches can still be used with the treats as in part 1.
Later, when you start working on searching for scents instead of treats – which all this work is leading towards – your dog will know the boxes and will instinctively search the boxes (and find the scent in the correct box).
This means you've just made your job very easy if you ever decide to compete, as a competition will always include a container search (search in boxes).