Scenting Training Dummies
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I noticed today that Preston was hunting nicely in the area of fall and found the dummy quickly on the first throw. The site was on the side of a slight mount about 5mtrs high, covered in long but dry grass so when the dummy landed it wasn't visible. The dummy was an old canvas dummy I had in the car.
What I hadn't noticed with the second throw was the launcher must had moved slightly so when the dummy threw it clipped the tree branch and fell short and off to the side of where the first one went (my test throws having all previously also landed in roughly the same spot before this). I also thought Preston had spotted where it fell but when he ran out he ended up swinging his line a fraction and ran past where the dummy had dropped (about 4 meters to his right) and went back to where the first dummy had gone.
He then hunted around quite a large area but didn't come forward and down the mound enough to find the shortened fall site (which was at the base of the mound) so I called him back and reset his line (not sure if I should have). This time when he ran back although he looked like he was going to run past again but he was on a closer line and must have picked up a scent because he stopped and moved to hunt in the correct spot finally finding the dummy.
Then on the third throw the dummy landed closer to the first spot but slightly forward in thicker grass and in front of some old tree branches and it took him a bit of hunting around before he found it.
Could this have been because the dummy I was using had just been siting in the car so with no real specific scent for him to pick up or simply because he is a novice dog and the first time we had done any work in long grass where he could not see the dummy. Do I just persever or should I be adding some sort of scent to the dummies and if so what.
Thanks
Anne
What I hadn't noticed with the second throw was the launcher must had moved slightly so when the dummy threw it clipped the tree branch and fell short and off to the side of where the first one went (my test throws having all previously also landed in roughly the same spot before this). I also thought Preston had spotted where it fell but when he ran out he ended up swinging his line a fraction and ran past where the dummy had dropped (about 4 meters to his right) and went back to where the first dummy had gone.
He then hunted around quite a large area but didn't come forward and down the mound enough to find the shortened fall site (which was at the base of the mound) so I called him back and reset his line (not sure if I should have). This time when he ran back although he looked like he was going to run past again but he was on a closer line and must have picked up a scent because he stopped and moved to hunt in the correct spot finally finding the dummy.
Then on the third throw the dummy landed closer to the first spot but slightly forward in thicker grass and in front of some old tree branches and it took him a bit of hunting around before he found it.
Could this have been because the dummy I was using had just been siting in the car so with no real specific scent for him to pick up or simply because he is a novice dog and the first time we had done any work in long grass where he could not see the dummy. Do I just persever or should I be adding some sort of scent to the dummies and if so what.
Thanks
Anne