[nagdu] Sniffing and Scavenging

[Raven Tolliver]

Hi Daniel,
I personally do not have a treat in my hand until the dog performs the
desired behavior. So if I hold out my fist and cue my dog "touch," I
do not take a treat from my treat bag until his nose has bumped my
fist.
Since you hold the treat in your hand, I would say yes, put the food
on the floor, and cover it with your foot or your other hand, and have
your hand with the treat in it behind your back. Unless you are sure
your quicker than your dog at getting that food, be sure to have some
part of you covering the food on the floor. If Cass is quick, which
our dogs are, then she will likely snatch up the food before you have
time to get her attention back to you. You don't want this to happen
because the behavior of going after food is being rewarded.
So put food on the floor, cover it with foot or hand, allow Cass to
sniff and paw at your hand. While she's doing this, give her the
"touch" cue, or whatever cue you use, and when she bumps your fist
with her nose, click and treat. If she ignores your cue to attract her
attention, this is when you use negative punishment. This means simply
allowing her to sniff and paw at your hand, then click and treat her
the moment she stops.
I hope that cleared things up.

As for obedience, I think how often you do it just depends on the
dog/handler team. I never do obedience with my dog unless I notice
that he has been repeatedly distracted in a short time, or if he
doesn't seem to be listening to my cues and gestures. I think the
obedience routine is a good way to refocus your dog's attention. It's
also helpful if you've just gone through a frustrating route, or if
your dog has done something frustrating on route. Recover from it with
an upbeat and rewarding obedience routine.

About GDB's class length, I personally think that two weeks is not
enough time. But really, no matter what program you attend, certain
training techniques and troubleshooting methods will be left to be
desired. There isn't a school that can cover everything.

-- 
Raven