Samoyed Club held their annual Canine Games to benefit their rescue group this past Sunday. Riley got to do lure-coursing sprints (his favorite); pulled a custom-made three wheeled cart (and I got information on the guy who makes them for a fairly reasonable price); loped along at 24 mph ('Race the Wind' event where they clock your dog with a radar gun) and I guess we failed at Barn Hunt. (Riley totally failed at Nose Work last year, he preferred sniffing the grass to sniffing the boxes).
The Games are all geared for beginners so the 'barn hunt' was 3 crates containing the PVC tubes, one empty, one with bedding, one with a rat. Riley had no problem finding the rat but his reaction was, 'Whoa! There's something in there! I don't think I like it!' So, basically, he alerted but he wasn't about to touch the thing and backed away, keeping a wary eye on the crate. Do dogs search by themselves in barn hunt or are they on-leash? If off-leash, can handlers follow behind to encourage, at least in the beginning stage? I don't think Riley would be brave enough to venture somewhere without familiar back up, and a stranger following him would totally distract him.
The Games are all geared for beginners so the 'barn hunt' was 3 crates containing the PVC tubes, one empty, one with bedding, one with a rat. Riley had no problem finding the rat but his reaction was, 'Whoa! There's something in there! I don't think I like it!' So, basically, he alerted but he wasn't about to touch the thing and backed away, keeping a wary eye on the crate. Do dogs search by themselves in barn hunt or are they on-leash? If off-leash, can handlers follow behind to encourage, at least in the beginning stage? I don't think Riley would be brave enough to venture somewhere without familiar back up, and a stranger following him would totally distract him.