buzzgoblin 3Speak Podcast: Recent Episodes

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/ciprbfyj
Hello Everyone!

Since last November, one of our main dogsport activity with Nelson was mantrailing. Few weeks ago we took the level 1 exam for it, and of course, Nelson aced it. He was almost perfectly focused the whole time, and we didn't need to use our one question (You are allowed to ask one question from the trainer during the exam, and they can answer it with yes or no). Our only issue was about me and my leash handling, but that didn't bother him too much either.

Mantrailing is a dog training technique where we teach dogs to find people (but not exclusively) by using their scent. This method is frequently used in search and rescue operations or in police work to locate missing people, criminals, or even pieces of evidence. A significant aspect of mantrailing is that the dogs are trained to discriminate scents, meaning they focus on the specific scent they are given and ignore others. This allows them to track one person in a crowded area or after a long period of time.

While it's a valuable skill for working dogs, mantrailing is a fun and challenging activity for pet dogs, providing mental and physical stimulation. We even use it during the rehabilitation of dogs with extreme fea from people and it is also good when we want to reinforece the bond between the dogs and their owners.

I'm always amazed by the dogs ability to find their target. You can hear about how good their snese of smell is, but seeing it in action is truly an eye opener.

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/gvthrrjx
So, this is a toy for dogs I can't recommend enough. Even if you ignore the competitive side of puller dog sports, this thing is just great. My dog loves to play tug, and this thing is perfect for that. The material does not hurt his teeth, but also lasts for quite a long time. Also perfect for playing fetch, it rolls on the ground for a long distance, and Nelson loves to chase things on the ground.

For more information you can check:
https://dogpuller.com/en/

As you can see there is a whole sports competition revolving around this toy. Getting into it is nott necessary, but I can recommend it. It is a great way to burn the energy of the dogs.
And as you may know, tired dog is a good dog.

The other thing I love about this toy that it can provide a lot of funny situations. You can also troll your dog with it as it can bee seen on the video. Don't worry, Nelson trolls me back twice for this.

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/yvarbsop
Nelson's scent work training. See my blogpost for more details.

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/brcubmfh
The second video about the scent work training of Nelson. There will be a more lengthy post on my blog about it with explanations.

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/yhtvgkge
One of the most exciting training we are doing with Nelson lately is scent work. First of all, I chose this type of training, because this way I can make Nelson tired even inside the house if needed. It requires a lot of thinking from the dog and uses their natural behaviour. As dog owners surely know, tired dog is a good dog.

To start the training, you should be familiar with the shaping method in clicker training. It is a more advanced

technique. If you are doing it the first time, you should ask for the help of someone with more experience (I hired a trainer for private lessons). The point of shaping is that the dog has to offer the behaviour we want to

see, so we can reinforce it with treats and games. Durig the process we reward any movement in the right way, but after every step we always want a little more, and at the end the dog has to do the full exercise we had in mind

Shaping is of course not for everyone, there are other options.

With regard to what we can see on the video:

• I use chamomile tea as the chosen scent
• The weights are for support the jar with the tea, so Nelson can't knock it over. Scratching, biting, and licking the jar are not desirable behaviours
• The expectation is that Nelson goes there after the command 'Find it', sniffs in the jar and lays down, indicating the scent is there
• Seeing the desired behaviour, I click, treat, and praise

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https://3speak.tv/watch?v=buzzgoblin/hgnjygyj
Honestly, Nelson and Drazsé are not really great when it comes to sharing their toys. Drazsé guards her toys, and Nelson is a bully who enjoys taking others toys. Of course this applies to food also, but we really should not expect them to share that.

So we thought that identical toys might help, and as you can see we had some succsess.