Nosework - Continuing having fun

Over the spring and first part of this summer I took Nosework 101 and 120 from Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and Loved it! I did the first class with Sam and the second with Rosey. They both learn so differently and it was interesting to see how different their drive is for the game! Sam is so timid and so worried about doing the right thing that she will try and mark every box and forget the game is about sniffing. Rosey on the other hand is so driven to find the scent that she forgets to mark a the scent and would rather just destroy what ever is holding the scent to get closer. For entirely different reasons, I think these classes were perfect for them!

The second class started putting different search elements and moving the learned behavior outside. I found that I was having trouble remembering to keep things simple. The goal at this point, and like any new behavior, is to keep reinforcements high and encourage drive. I kept wanting to make the scent harder to find to really see her work and have fun finding it. Keep it simple and fun!

This is something we say all the time in foundation agility courses, Simple and Fun. I don't know how many times I've had to remind students to keep the reinforcements high, especially when adding a new distraction. Interesting that I'm having the same exactly problem when I start something new. Its just so fun! :)