Scent Detection, Targetting Etc

[Snuffle]

Hey everyone,

I'm wanting to involve my dog in activities such as these to get her mind working.

I've been told to try the following:

Scent detection

Target training

Tricks

Obedience

I live far from a major town so it's impossible for me to take her to training, so i'm going to have to learn it all myself. So are there any websites that anyone can suggest with any info or is there anyone who would be able to send me any notes on these activities? I was going to google them but decided to ask here first in the hope that i would be directed to the better sites. And please feel free to suggest any other training activities that i can teach at home. I've seen the words prey drive training and clicker training but am unsure if these are a method of training, tools or an actual activity.

Any help will be appriciated

Thanks, Snuffle

[Cosmolo]

Just emailed you some notes- sorry for delay!!

[Lablover]

Hey everyone,

to get her mind working.

I've been told to try the following:

Scent detection

Target training

Tricks

Obedience

Good for you Snuffle. Cosmolo interested in your notes.

Get her mind working - for simply obedience? Normally is it our mind/criteria/experience which teaches.

What standards would you like to reach?

[Ptolomy]

http://www.dogscouts1.com/Dog_Activ-_Scent_Discrim.html

Great scent games!

I have taught my last 4 obedience dogs scent discrimination using this method and it is brilliant.

[Snuffle]

Thanks, Cosmolo, got that through. Will have a go on the weekend.

Lablover- i don't want to enter her in obedience or anything (i don't think she'd ever be that good!) but i just want to do someting with her to keep her mind busy, make her feel she has a purpose. She's very high energy and i could walk her til she dropped but she is still seems unsettled. So hopefuly the mind games will wear her out. It'll be good too as she isn't the best behaved dog so the extra training will help.

Ptolomy- thanks, i'll have a look at that. I think she'll enjoy the scent stuff coz she's always got her nose to the ground and is very eager to please, so hopefuly it'll all go well.

Any other activities anyone can suggest???

[dogdude]

Hi Snuffle

What breed is she? How old? Obedience ability is all about the handlers potential, hardly ever about the dog. The more high energy she is, the more potential she will have to compete at the highest level.

There are a number of training dvds that you can look at. Have a look on dogwise.com

Obedience would be an ideal thing to build a stronger bond between you and your dog.

[Snuffle]

Hi Snuffle

What breed is she? How old? Obedience ability is all about the handlers potential, hardly ever about the dog. The more high energy she is, the more potential she will have to compete at the highest level.

There are a number of training dvds that you can look at. Have a look on dogwise.com

Obedience would be an ideal thing to build a stronger bond between you and your dog.

Thanks. She's an Amstaff cross 4yo. I'd love to do agility with her but living so far from the city makes it hard. Plus, i have other animals that need my attention so i really don't have the time either to compete professionally. I might like to set up something simple in the back yard but that's as far as it would go. She isn't social with other dogs either so at events she'd be more interested in the dogs than what we're there for!!

I'll have a look on dogwise.com, ta.

Obedience sounds good, but again we wouldn't go further than our backyard. A stronger bond between us is what i think we both need, so these activities will be good for us both, not just her mental state. Just gotta pull my finger out and get started!! It's going to be a lot of reading and learning but hopefully it'll do us good.

Thanks. More ideas are welcome guys...