One Rep: Shed Hunt Breakfast (Patreon)

*disclaimer: I am not a scent-training expert nor a shed hunting expert. I'm just a novice shed hunter with enough knowledge to be dangerous. So take this for what it is - a trainer messing around and trying stuff :)

I had mentioned previously that I've been doing single rep "shed hunts" in the house for Whip with her breakfast. Here's two separate days of her breakfast "hunt".

Basically, I just make her food in a slow feed bowl, hide the shed, and when she finds it she runs to her crate and gets her breakfast. Note that the shed has already been scented with "Rack Wax".

Be sure to watch in the first rep where she jumps up on the bed (you can only see the bedding move because I didn't get there in time) and then she spots it on the ground and does the retrieve. Just really neat to think about how odor collects!

I've found that doing one rep a day means she gets to practice at least once a day (most days), but it also has increased her independence in searching, which is exactly what I need! You can see in both reps how fast she goes out to search. This, and the restrained shed retrieve seem to be translating well to the field!

Important note: If she did not find this activity rewarding and fun, or did not want to search, she would still get her breakfast. There's been several days that I had a meeting, so she just got her breakfast. Her eating is not contingent on her finding the shed. AKA don't deprive dogs of food so that they do the thing. I know I probably don't have to say that - but I'll say it anyways.