Scenting Videos

Cabana and I are signed up for a beginning scenting class this weekend, along with career changed pal Dagan. The instructor sent the students an email, saying that we should bring crates for our dogs to hang out in when it's not their turn and to bring some "stinky" treats. She also told us to watch this short clip on YouTube of a dog doing his first search exercise.


(Video description: a young doberman searches a line of empty boxes in a hallway, looking for a treat.)

After watching the video, I decided to practice with Cabana. She hasn't been in her crate for probably a year, so I figured it would be good for her to get comfortable with being in there again. I set up some empty boxes and put a treat in the one closest to me, thinking I'd make it "tough" on her by putting it far away from her. It didn't really work that way....


(Video description: Cabana is in a red collapsible crate in our backyard, she comes out when I call her and comes toward me; she gets treat out of the box closest to me and furthest from her crate.)

It was too easy, so on subsequent attempts, I tried to make it more difficult, moving the boxes in different configurations and even rubbing the treat in the other boxes to throw Cabana off the scent.

Here's a video of Cabana on her last exercise. I think she was getting tired (it was our 9th round), so she isn't searching with much zeal. Then, at the end, because I was having her get in her collapsible crate after each search, I told her to "kennel" (enter her crate). What she did INSTEAD is hilarious.


(Video description: Cabana comes out of her red crate and goes to our side yard where I have the boxes set up, she meanders about for a while, then finally finds the treat in the farthest box; she comes back toward me and around the corner toward her crate; I keep pointing at the crate while telling her to kennel; she ends up jumping on top of the crate and making it collapse.)

I don't know if Cabana got turned around and couldn't find the entrance to her kennel, or if she'd just had ENOUGH! In any case, she literally "packed it in" for the day.

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Tuesday Topics #27 - Who Meets Your Dog's Needs?

Here is Cabana playing with 8-year old Schute. Schute's owner brings him to the dog park almost every day--but for some reason, Schute rarely plays with other dogs. When he sees Cabana, though, Schute becomes a different dog--romping and running and enjoying himself like a young pup! It gives Schute's owner so much pleasure to see his dog playing like that--and it makes me feel so proud of Cabana, that she somehow knows how to charm an old dog like Schute. Aww, Schute!

Recently, I signed up for Family Dog I at the local Humane Society. So far, we've had one orientation class without dogs and one training class with dogs. It's all very basic stuff, but I'm excited about it. I feel like my dog training knowledge is very piecemeal, so it's great to get it all step-by-step from ground zero.

At the first class, though, the instructor said something that has me pondering. She asked how many of us (12 students) bring our dogs to dog parks. About half of us raised our hands. Uh oh. I knew instinctively that the instructor was probably going to tell us that dog parks are a bad idea...and I was right. But the reason WHY she said they are bad really surprised me.

She said that taking your dog to dog parks creates a situation where his/her physical needs, mental needs, play needs, and to a degree, emotional needs, are all being met by other dogs, rather than by us. Allowing their needs to be met by someone/something other than us deteriorates our relationship with our dog. They won't need us as much, won't love us as much, won't want to be with us as much.

Although I can see her point, I just don't think it's possible for me to meet all those needs EXCLUSIVELY or even PRIMARILY for Cabana. She is a dog's dog, and if given a choice, she'd much prefer playing with another dog than with me. I believe she loves me and enjoys being with me--but she's never going to find me as fun as another Labrador puppy. I could try playing her favorite game of "bitey face" with her, but I don't think it would have the desired effect.

If I had a dog that was more like Bucky, the dog we puppysat last week, I could buy the instructor's viewpoint much more easily. But to take away Cabana's playtime with other dogs would, in my opinion, deprive her of one of her greatest joys in life. She is simply hardwired to love other dogs. Heaven only knows I tried to train that out of her for a year, to no avail.

Also, even if it were possible for me to be the "be-all end-all" for Cabana, is that something I'd even want? That's a lot of pressure to put on any relationship. I'm grateful that Cabana is happy being with other humans and playing with just about any dog, knowing that she brings joy to them, as much as they bring joy to her.

I'd love to know what you all think about this subject.

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