September 2022 - 2 Minute Trainer

Find It! Dog Game

The “Find It!” Dog Game hits all the right buttons for most dogs. They are, by nature, hunters. Sniffing for “prey” is something just about every dog does. It’s a part of their instinct to seek, even though our pets don’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. This is one instance where training really does use a behavior that’s natural for your dog!

Since this game encourages wandering and sniffing, most dogs love it and take to it like a duck to water. It’s a variation on “nose work” dog sports. In AKC Scent Work, “dogs search for cotton swabs saturated with the essential oils of Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress. The cotton swabs are hidden out of sight in a pre-determined search area, and the dog has to find them. Teamwork is necessary: when the dog finds the scent, he has to communicate the find to the handler, who calls it out to the judge.”

Any Scent Will Do

Torque is ready to play the "Find it!" dog game — Torque’s ready to play the “Find it!” dog game

Unless you’re planning on going into competition with your dog, you don’t have to use those scents. There are commercially-available scent-work kits, but you don’t need the “official” items to get started. In fact, Hope used plain old cotton rounds used for makeup, and some “unofficial” nutmeg essential oil to start playing the game with Torque.

He loved it right away. Like most dogs, Torque has an aggravating habit of sniffing anything and everything in the yard. Finding a game that lets him use that skill, instead of being discouraged from it, was heaven-on-earth to that dog. After all, dogs’ ability to discern odors is thousands of times better than ours. We can’t really know how dogs perceive the world by scent. But we can make the experience richer, useful, and fun for them.

Get Started

Any training game you play with your dog starts with familiarizing the “stuff.” In this case,put a couple drops of the oil on the cotton round. Then hold the round at your dog’s nose level, a few inches away. Unless your dog hates the scent, they will move forward to sniff the round. Dogs just can’t help themselves. They’re compelled to check out new things with their noses.

When your dog sniffs, click and reward, saying “Good Find It!” or whatever phrase you’re going to use. After a few repetitions, your dog will figure out his “job” is to sniff the thing. It’s probably one of the easiest games to teach – especially for dogs who love sniffing.

Hide and Seek

Once your dog associates the smelling with getting rewarded, you can try moving it around. At first, just alternate hands or move one or two steps. If your dog eagerly follows the round, you’re ready to move to the next phase of the game.

At first you’ll “hide” the cotton round in plain sight. If you have another person around, stand with your dog facing away from the area the scent will be hidden. Let your dog sniff it, click and reward, then give it to the other person to “hide.”

If your dog has shown a tendency to want to eat the cotton round, or take it into mouth, have the person put it under something porous enough for the dog to get the scent, like a basket. If you’re using a box, you may have to punch some holes in it at first for the dog to understand the game.

Once the round is hidden in plain sight, a few feet away, turn around with your dog and encourage them to “Find it!” When they do, click and reward.

Degree of Difficulty

As your dog understands the game and becomes more proficient, move the scent higher. Or put it in a covered container. “Containers” is one of the tests for dogs in Scent Work competition, and those are closed, plastic containers. Dogs’ noses are powerful enough to “Find It!” even if it’s buried, outdoors, or even in a vehicle. Scent Work is the basis for the work of law enforcement sniffer dogs. Different circumstances, different smells. But essentially the same kind of game.

If your dog is a sniffing prodigy, you’ll probably enjoy doing Scent Work in competition. There are several different organizations who hold trials. You can see what group is most active in your area and look for classes near you.

The “Find It!” game quickly becomes a favorite for most dogs and people. It’s using the dog’s natural instincts and turning it into a game you can play together. Expand the game to different smells, different places, and different elevations to keep it fresh and fun.

Every dog needs a muzzle

Why on earth are we talking about dog muzzle training?

You’d never use a muzzle on your dog, right? Your dog is a sweetheart and would never threaten anyone!

Not so fast. How about if your dog is in an accident and injured? Will you guarantee they won’t snap in panic, pain, or fear? Under duress, the mildest-mannered dog may react according to instinct, not training. Every dog needs a muzzle.

One of the first lessons in canine First Aid is how to fashion a muzzle from any strip of cloth or rope. Emergency personnel want to help your dog, but don’t want to risk their own safety to do it. And we don’t blame them.

Imperatives for safety

There are two things every dog should be trained for “just in case:”

Crates. Every dog should be familiar and comfortable with a cage or crate. For travel, grooming, hospitalization – it’s the safest place for your dog. In the event of some kind of disaster requiring an evacuation, some shelters will only accept dogs if they’re crated.
Muzzles. While there are many people who would want to help if your dog were injured, nobody wants to risk a bite. If your dog is at all reactive, a muzzle allows you to go anywhere knowing that nothing will happen. (You can read Fran’s introduction to muzzles with Tango and his reactive training in her book Tango: Transforming My Hellhound.) And many veterinarians now routinely muzzle unfamiliar dogs. It keeps everyone safe. Additionally, a muzzle will prevent your dog from putting everything in his mouth on walks.

Better to have it

There’s an old saying “better to have and not need, than need and not have.” Having a muzzle and never needing it is ideal. Needing one and stressing out your dog isn’t good at all. Every dog needs a muzzle – just in case…

There are lots of different types of muzzles out there. There are muzzles with metal “baskets,” leather muzzles, rubber muzzles, muzzles made of net like Simon’s (below). There’s even a muzzle that looks like a duck’s bill, which makes it less threatening-looking. Which kind you get depends on your preference, your dog’s anatomy, and what’s available. You’ll find all of them online – read the measuring and fitting instructions carefully.

Simon wearing his muzzle. He can breathe, drink, pant and get treats wearing it. — Simon in his muzzle.

If you have a short-faced dog, your options are more limited, but they do exist. Search specifically for a muzzle for brachycephalic dogs, or short-faced dogs. You can see Simon wearing his muzzle to the left.

Your dog’s muzzle should allow you to deliver treats to your dog. It will also allow the dog to drink, pant, and see clearly. Its purpose is to keep everyone safe, not cause further anxiety in a traumatic situation. Simon can obviously see, breathe, get treats, drink and pant while he wears his muzzle. Even though he has no nose to speak of, Simon has a muzzle that works for him.

Muzzle training steps

The first step for introducing anything new to your dog is exactly that – an introduction. Show the muzzle to your dog, click and reward. If your dog sniffs it, click and reward. If your dog stays calm when you pick it up, click and reward.

Drape the muzzle over the hand that’s delivering treats to your dog. If your dog has to touch the muzzle to get the treat, that’s ideal. But don’t force it. If your dog is wary of the it at first, respect that for now. We want your dog to associate that muzzle with getting lots of high-value treats. Gradually move the muzzle closer to your dog so he has to push into it to get the treat.

Step by step, gradually introduce your dog to the look and feel of the muzzle. If your dog resists, back up to the last step where he/she was okay, and start again. There’s no rush. Your dog will let you know when he/she is okay with the next step. Pay attention to your dog’s signals.

Keep sessions short

Generally speaking, dogs think muzzles are weird. They’re right. Don’t work on muzzle training more than 2-Minutes, like any other training session. But try to devote one 2-Minute session every day to the muzzle, until your dog is completely okay with it. Getting it over his/her head and clasping the buckle may take some time. Take the time that’s needed so your dog doesn’t mind the muzzle at all. Putting on a muzzle should become one of the strange things Mom (or Dad) wants, so your dog does it willingly. They may never like it, but they do it because we ask them to.

And while your dog is wearing his muzzle, don’t be stingy with the treats! If he’s being good, reward him!

If your dog is familiar with wearing a muzzle, you’ll have one less thing to worry about should the unthinkable happen. It’s another way to protect your pet.

Training helps dogs choose wisely

Positive reinforcement training doesn’t mean your dog gets to do whatever they want whenever they want. It means that you, as the dog’s teacher, must help your dogs choose wisely. Good decisions are rewarded. Poor ones are ignored.

There are times that we ask too much of the dogs. That’s on us, not the dog. It happened today in Simon’s 2-Minute session this morning. Simon is Fran’s four-year-old Boston Terrier.

Training for Rally Obedience

One of the exercises often used in Rally courses is the Figure 8 with distractions. (This is a different kind of distraction than those Simon faced at an Agility trial, but the training to deal with any distraction is similar, as you’ll see.) Those distractions are bowls on either side containing either dog treats or dog toys. The objective is to heel with your dog in a figure-8 pattern around two pylons, despite the distractions.

Simon does great (after some training) when the bowls contain treats. While he’s food-motivated, treats are not his number-one reward. Toys are.

This morning Fran put a single bowl with some treats out and practiced heeling with Simon around the bowl. He was fine. Attentive to what he was doing and, after a glance or two, ignoring the distraction. His response was exactly right. He got lots of praise and treats.

Changing the question

Simon answered that question perfectly. So it was time to change the question and see if he answered right again. Fran replaced the treats in the bowl with a low-value dog toy. It blew his little doggy brain.

Simon did fine getting into perfect heel position. He stayed sitting, until Fran said “Heel!” He dashed for the toy in the bowl and took off. Fran held onto the toy, not letting him tug or chew, and told him to “drop it.” He did, which earned him a treat reward.

Fran set up again, a little further from the bowl, with a higher-value treat, but essentially the same question. We got the same, wrong answer. It was time to change the question – this one was too difficult for Simon today.

That’s also an important distinction. It was too much today. Another day, it might not be a big deal. But today we had to find a way to help Simon choose wisely.

Making positive changes

We switched the reward to a toy Simon likes even more than the one in the bowl. Fran played a short game of tug with him to show him what a wonderful treat was in store for him. And set up for heeling again. He almost chose wisely, but the “bird in the hand” option was still too tempting.

Helping dogs choose wisely means rewarding heavily when they do! — Vigorous game of “tug” after ignoring the distraction.

Next change: covering the toy and bowl with an open basket. Simon could still see the toy in the bowl, but there was a barrier to instant access. With this change, he was finally able to heel around the distraction successfully. And was immediately rewarded with a vigorous game of tug with the toy in Fran’s pocket.

Success not required

While not every session has to “end with a win,” we called a halt at that point. We’d already asked Simon to think hard, answer difficult questions, and concentrate.

Next time we visit this exercise – the Figure 8 with distractions – we’ll start where we left off today. With the toy visible but not accessible. We’ll start with the easier question and build up to the more difficult ones.

Dogs aren’t psychic and they don’t speak English. They do communicate clearly, if we’re paying attention. Yes, we do training to challenge our dogs. But we don’t want to overwhelm them by asking too much. If your dog is making bad decisions – it’s time to rethink the questions you’re asking.

Dogs Get Twitchy, Too

Almost all the dogs in class this week were acting weirdly. Dogs that have known each other for months were acting like they’d never seen each other before. Dogs that have been poky were trotting. It seemed like none of them ever heard the word “Sit!” before. It was one of those nights. Dogs get twitchy.

Full moon syndrome

Somebody asked if there was a full moon. We never checked, but it seemed as good an explanation as any. The weather was good, the room was comfortable, nothing different was happening. But all the dogs got twitchy.

Everybody has an “off” day now and again. Including dogs. Some 2-Minute Training game sessions seem to be done in the blink of an eye. And then there are days that two minutes seems like hours.

What do you do?

Torque stacking rings — Torque trying to stack his rings

If you and your dog, or either one of you, is having an off day, go with it. If it’s “Ring Stacking Game” day, but your dog is grabbing the rings and running off to chew on them, do something else. Maybe a rapid-fire game of Puppy Pushups will get their focus back.

The point is to not persist with something that’s not working. According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is to do something over and over and expect different results.

In dog training, when it happens we call it a “feedback loop.” Your dog does something that’s not right. You say “Let’s try it again” and your dog does it again the same way. Another try results in the same error.

Interrupt the twitches

At this point, your dog is entrenched in a feedback loop and it’s up to you to break the cycle. Move away, play a different game. If your dog persists, and they sometimes do, you can run away, calling your dog.

When you’re in a training class and your dog gets caught in any kind of feedback loop, recognize it and break it. If you need to step out of the room with your dog, tell your instructor your dog needs a break. And take one.

Because most of the dogs in class were twitchy, we made changes to ensure safety. The people changed positions. We structured the exercises in a different order. We all kept careful eyes on the dogs to make sure everyone stayed safe.

Nothing going on

We’ll never know why four of six dogs were twitchy this week. Despite the lack of focus and moodiness, we got lots of practice in. And no one got hurt.

It’s up to you to recognize when your dog is off, out of sorts, moody, or twitchy. Even the most easy-going dog has days like that. Fortunately, this too will pass.

Paw Preference: is Your Dog a Lefty or Righty?

Torque's paw preference is his left when he "taps." — Torque “taps” with his left paw.

Most dogs have a distinct paw preference, just like people. Unlike people, who are disproportionately right-handed, dogs seem to be evenly divided among lefties and righties, with a significant percentage of ambidextrous pups, too. Have you ever noticed whether your dog is a lefty or righty?

How do you know?

There are lots of different ways of figuring it out. And all of them can turn into another training game. The easiest is to have your dog standing and see which paw, left or right, they use for the first step. Or see which paw your dog uses to hold a bone or other chew toy.

Our favorite game to figure out left vs. right dog preference is to stand with your dog a few feet away from a wall. Holding your dog’s collar, toss a treat against the wall. Tell your dog to get the treat and then call your dog back to you. See which way your dog turns, to his/her right or left, to come back to you.

Gather the data

A single repetition won’t tell you anything about your dog’s paw preference. If you use the treat-toss-turn game, repeat at least 10 times to find out your dog’s “laterality” (left or right pawedness). If your dog turns the same way eight times out of ten, you can assume that’s the side your dog prefers.

There doesn’t seem to be any definitive study on “pawedness” in dogs. And it doesn’t really matter all that much. It does let you know which side is “dominant,” which may help you in evening out your training.

Just like people, dogs can over-develop the dominant side. If baseball pitchers didn’t balance their workouts, their dominant (pitching) arm would be huge in comparison to the other. Just like people, dogs also have a two-sided brain. Working the “off” side both physically and mentally, keeps the individual more fit.

Obedience Bias

Booker "heels" at Fran's left side. — Booker “heels” at Fran’s left side.

In most obedience and rally dog sports, the dog is always on the handler’s left side. This practice has ancient roots and goes back to hunters and warriors needing their right (dominant) hand for their weapons. Their dogs were on the left. While the original purpose no longer applies, the dog-on-left habit continues.

Every so often, it’s great to switch things up. Try heeling with your dog on your right. Your dog may be a bit confused at first, so you may want to use a different word than your usual “heel!” We tend to use “Switch!” to get our dogs into heel position on the right.

You may find it a bit awkward to stick to the rule “Always give treats with the hand closest to the dog,” but remember it. You never want your dog crossing in front of you to get the cookie. They could trip you and both could get hurt.

Balanced Training

Be careful! These days dog trainers who use a combination of punishing corrections and treats are calling themselves “balanced” trainers. That’s not what we mean. Balanced training should be doing exercises and playing games on both sides. What your dog can do on one side, try on the other. When we’re playing games where our dogs are going from one side of the room to the other (Ring Stacking, Put Your Toys Away), we switch sides periodically. That way our dogs get used to seeing movement, and keeping on task through distractions.

Surprising laterality

When you’re doing your Perch Work, your dog may find one direction much more difficult than the other. That’s why we do it. Build up your dog’s proficiency on both sides equally to keep them physically fit and mentally acute.