I know we are all about the puppies and upcoming litters, but I don’t want to leave out the fun I am having with my young boy.  Code is such a joy to work.  This past week the kids and I started doing some baby scent games with Cody.  At first they would simply run off with his toy, staying in sight, make a big deal of running away, then play tug when he ran over to where they stopped.  We quickly moved to hiding behind trees, and then moving him out of sight.  It has been three days and we are now at a point where I can hide the toy and he will go find it all on his own.  He understands the game and LOVES it.

Dogs need to use their nose.  The benefits to teaching scent games are tremendous.  It requires a lot of concentration to work scent, so you can really tire out a young mind quickly with very little effort.  I’m using this new game as a reward when we finish a good round of basic obedience.  This will be a great  foundation for moving into Nose Work and / or Barn Hunt.

~Becky