[nagdu] [nagdu' new dog, sniffing, and scavenging

[Danielle Sykora]

Hi all,

I returned home from GDF on Friday with my new dog, a male lab/golden
cross named Thai. Since we have gotten home, I have begun to avoid
using corrections, especially leash corrections. He tends to be quite
sniffy, especially in places with a lot of food. A firm "leave it"
usually is sufficient but it can be difficult to quickly get his
attention. Also, he will scavenge for food and pick up dropped items
which he really should not be eating. This behavior mostly occurs out
of harness, but it is still undesirable. Any thoughts on decreasing
sniffing and strengthening food refusal skills using positive methods?

Danielle