OneCam
Well-Known Member
Using dogs to find sheds is a fairly recent development among shed hunting enthusiasts and is apparently attracting considerable interest among the more serious shed hunters. Most simply wish to improve their chances of finding more sheds and hopefully larger sheds. Anything that allows the shed hunter to search more thoroughly and rapidly improves the odds of finding that real trophy shed.
A client, who is a serious shed hunter in Iowa, approached me about training a shed dog a couple of years ago. A shed hunting dog is really a detection dog. His or her job is to find sheds. What he does once he finds the sheds is up to the handler's discretion. Once the dog locates the shed then we can teach an active response (retrieving the shed) or a passive response (sitting at the shed). For several reasons I prefer the passive response. After determining how the client anticipated using the dog to help in locating sheds, I then proceeded to select a training approach that would provide him with a dog to meet his needs. I experimented with several training approaches, which I use in training various types of detection dogs for law enforcement agencies. These methods are all based on a strong retrieving drive. I ultimately selected a training method that builds hunt drive as well as rewards the dog for finding the shed. I elected to use a reward-based method as opposed to a force fetching method. While force fetch training develops reliable retrieving it does not build hunt drive or encourage a dog to use his nose.
Equally important to choosing the right training method is choosing the right dog for the training. The dog must have appropriate drives for the training method you intend to use. First, what is drive? The word "drive", when used in dog training, refers to the dog's desire, enthusiasm, or zeal for doing a specific task.
Many dogs can be taught to locate sheds however few dogs have hunt drive sufficient to actively search for sheds for an extended period. While many dogs are eager to romp with their owner in the field, few are focused for any extended time on finding sheds but are instead exploring and investigating the many other odors they encounter on a shed hunt. As is the case with most detection training, it is often more difficult to develop hunt drive then it is to develop specific odor capability. Good hunt drive is generally an inherited and not an acquired characteristic. However proper training can increase inherited natural hunt drive.
Retrieve drive is another must for shed dog training. Not only must the dog have the focus to search he or she must find enjoyment in retrieving. This to a greater degree than hunt drive can be instilled in the dog through proper training. Retriever field trial trainers use forced fetch training methods to make dogs more reliable at retrieving. However for most detection training the main goal is not to make a dog more reliable at retrieving. The main goal is to make the dog more reliable at using his nose to accomplish a task. We as trainers cannot make dogs use their noses. This is true when training tracking dogs, detection dogs, air scenting dogs, or any other training that is dependant on the dog using the nose to accomplish a task. Consequently we are left with choosing training techniques that motivates dogs to use their nose. There are several training approaches to enhance the dog's desire to retrieve and builds that desire into solid performance. But unless there is some natural desire to retrieve then seldom will you have a dog that excels in retrieving training.
So when and how do we test or screen a dog to determine if he is a good shed dog prospect? The dog should normally be at least eight to twelve months old before testing. Dogs younger than this age normally cannot exhibit the concentration, patience, and focus needed to perform the tests successfully and thus receive a fair evaluation. Many puppies will begin retrieving much younger than this but you will not be able to really tell how much natural drive they will have until they are nearer the eight to twelve month range.
Never test a dog in his normal surroundings. Always test in a strange or neutral environment. Many dogs will exhibit desirable hunt or retrieve drive in their own back yard or familiar surroundings. There usually are no distractions there that will be more interesting to them than the game you are about to play with them. Testing in a neutral environment gives you the opportunity to see how strong the drives are in the presence of distractions or strange surroundings. Remember we are attempting to determine just how much this dog loves this game called retrieving.
First test: If the dog has a favorite retrieve toy or ball use it in the tests. If the dog has no favorite item then try tossing several items to see what interests the dog most and what he will readily attempt to retrieve. However do not use a shed antler for the test. Once you have placed the dog in new surroundings, focus the dog on the article by tossing it up in the air and then toss the article 20-30 feet away in full view of the dog. If the dog shows no interest or weak interest in retrieving anything then go no further with the testing. This dog will not make a good shed dog. If the dog will retrieve two out of three times or eight out of ten times but loses interest and doesn't retrieve the remaining times then go no further. This dog will not make a good shed dog. We are looking for 100% desire in the short test we are performing.
If he retrieves the article but doesn't bring it back to you that is okay. He may prefer to run around with it in his mouth trying to entice you to get it from him. This possessiveness of the article once he has retrieved it is an indicator of how badly he wants the article once he has it. Later training will teach him we want him to bring it to us, but that is not necessary at this point. If he picks it up and keeps it in his mouth for a short period and then drops it and becomes interested in other things then this is not desirable and will rule him out for our training purposes. We are not looking for a dog that has a temporary or passing interest in retrieving the article, we are looking for a dog that wants it now and later. A very experienced trainer of retrievers once said; "If he doesn't want it when he's got it, he sure as hell won't want it when he ain't got it". How true this always proves to be.
If he brings it back to you immediately then immediately throw it a gain. Some dogs understand quickly that the way for this game to be the most fun is to bring it back so you can throw it for them again. But whether or not they bring it back to you at this point is not important. If you need to put a 20-30 foot length of line on them to get them back to you in order to get the article then do so. Or, you may need to conduct the test in a large fenced in area so that you can control the exercise. In other words, just set it up so that you can do the multiple retrieves that are necessary.
The test in placing the dog in the strange surroundings is to see just how much desire there is to retrieve. Dogs with strong retrieve drive either naturally developed or developed through training will ignore everything else around them when an opportunity to retrieve is presented to them even by a stranger. What you want to see is the drive to be so strong that nothing going on around them is more enticing to them than the game of retrieving at that moment. And, for a few short minutes will focus entirely on that and nothing else. You should not exceed more than 10-15 retrieves in the test, as many dogs will begin to tire of the exercise and lose interest at this point. However, I have seen some dogs go to complete exhaustion before they quit. Many dogs have a desire to retrieve but not nearly as many have the level of desire necessary to pass this test. This is the first level of screening that the dog MUST pass before going on to the next test. If you accept less than this in the test then you will set yourself up for disappointment in the future with the training of the dog. You may really like the dog and everything about him but unless this intensity and desire is exhibited do not choose this dog as your training prospect.
Second test: After allowing the dog to rest a few minutes you are ready for the next test. The next test is called a Blind Retrieve. Hold the dog or have someone hold the dog and throw the retrieve article into tall grass or vegetation about 50 feet away so that the dog can see the object being thrown into the area. It is best to set this test up into the wind. That is, have the wind coming directly from the article to you and the dog. Hold the dog for a few seconds and then release him and allow the dog to go to the area it was thrown. Here the test is to see if the dog will use the nose and not the eyes to find the article.
Remember, you are looking for a dog that is accustomed to using his nose to find something and is not just a "looker". After about the age of six months, dogs will normally gravitate naturally toward being one or the other depending on the environment they are raised in and influences they receive in that environment. Dogs raised primarily in kennels or homes and spend a lot of time there generally do not develop the use of their nose as much as dogs allowed to spend a lot of time outside exploring and utilizing their nose.
When the dog enters the area observe if he is just looking for the object or is looking and using his nose. You can usually tell by a "head snap" when the nose hits the scent cone of the article and the dog then follows his nose to the article. The dog may run by the article but come back down wind, hit the scent cone, reverse his direction of travel, and then go directly back to it. You should be able to tell if the dog is using and following his nose or strictly looking for the item. To better be able to determine this be sure the vegetation is tall enough to adequately hide the object from view. This forces the dog to use the nose to find it. What we are looking for is primary use of the nose and secondary use of the eyes. If the dog is successful in finding the article each time, using primarily his nose, after 3-4 throws then you are ready for the next part of the test.
This part is conducted just as you did the last test except after throwing the article in full view of the dog, spin the dog by walking around in a small 360-degree circle and then release him to go find the article. The purpose here is to disorient the dog as to the exact location the article was thrown and require the dog to use his nose in a broader manner in order to narrow down the general location of the article. Here he cannot simply use his eyes to "mark" where it fell and run directly to the immediate area and only use his nose at the last minute to pinpoint it. In this part of the test you also want to throw the article farther away, maybe 100-150 feet. Also be sure the location the article falls in will totally conceal the article so that the dog cannot visually detect it.
Now, each time the dog goes to find the article, start timing with your watch to see how long he will stay in the area and search for the article. We want to see how much patience and concentration the dog has in carrying out the task. We are looking for the dog to stay in the area and search without any assistance or encouragement from the owner or handler for a period of at least three minutes. Do not walk toward the area the article is in or verbalize to the dog during this time. Just stay where you are and be quiet. What we are testing for here is hunt drive. We want to see just how badly the dog wants to find the article as this will give us an indication of how persistent he will be in the field searching for shed antlers.
If the dog is successful in these two tests, then with proper training and proper handling techniques in the field you probably have a dog that is very possibly a good shed dog prospect. There are other tests that we then conduct to further determine the intensity level of these two drives but these two tests give us a pretty good idea of the dog's suitability. In our training dogs for detection work of any kind, we also conduct other tests for intelligence, determination, work ethic, etc. that helps us make a final decision before we purchase a dog. We guarantee dogs we sell for any purpose so we must be as sure as we can be that the dog will successfully complete the training. Remember, you are looking for a dog that is accustomed to using his nose to find something and is not just a "looker". After about the age of six months, dogs will normally gravitate naturally toward being one or the other depending on the environment they are raised in and influences they receive in that environment. Dogs raised primarily in kennels or homes and spend a lot of time there generally do not develop the use of their nose as much as dogs allowed to spend a lot of time outside exploring and utilizing their nose.
One question I am often asked is, "What breed makes the best shed dog?" The answer is, there is no breed that is more ideally suited for this task than others. There is of course no breed that has been systematically breed for this purpose as using dogs for shed hunting is a fairly recent development. Many of the sporting and working breeds possess many of the drives needed to be a good shed dog. Individual characteristics are more important than breed characteristics but certain breeds are certainly more predisposed to certain type of training. So, naturally retriever breeds such as Labradors, Goldens, Chesapeakes, and other retrievers are good candidates. Many of the working breeds such as German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, or Malinois also make good candidates.
Male or female? It really doesn't matter about gender. Either can have the drives necessary for this training. Again individual characteristics are more important. There is some evidence that females have superior olfactory capabilities in all breeds. However in many breeds, especially in certain bloodlines, males have superior working drives. There is of course the hormonal issue of females not being typically as distracted by animal scents, which may be an advantage in this type work. However this really is a training issue more than a gender problem.
Selecting the right dog is only the first step in achieving a super working partner in your shed hunting. Additionally, it takes proper training and proper handling techniques later in the field to ultimately give you the rewards of owning a great shed hunting partner. The selection and training require a lot of work either on your part or the part of a trainer. There are no short cuts. All dog training requires patience, as it is a building block endeavor. But nothing is more rewarding than a successful day in the field working with a great working dog!
For more information on shed dog training visit our website at www.ventosakennel.com. or contact Tracy Bowling at Ventosa Kennel at (252) 826-4415
A client, who is a serious shed hunter in Iowa, approached me about training a shed dog a couple of years ago. A shed hunting dog is really a detection dog. His or her job is to find sheds. What he does once he finds the sheds is up to the handler's discretion. Once the dog locates the shed then we can teach an active response (retrieving the shed) or a passive response (sitting at the shed). For several reasons I prefer the passive response. After determining how the client anticipated using the dog to help in locating sheds, I then proceeded to select a training approach that would provide him with a dog to meet his needs. I experimented with several training approaches, which I use in training various types of detection dogs for law enforcement agencies. These methods are all based on a strong retrieving drive. I ultimately selected a training method that builds hunt drive as well as rewards the dog for finding the shed. I elected to use a reward-based method as opposed to a force fetching method. While force fetch training develops reliable retrieving it does not build hunt drive or encourage a dog to use his nose.
Equally important to choosing the right training method is choosing the right dog for the training. The dog must have appropriate drives for the training method you intend to use. First, what is drive? The word "drive", when used in dog training, refers to the dog's desire, enthusiasm, or zeal for doing a specific task.
Many dogs can be taught to locate sheds however few dogs have hunt drive sufficient to actively search for sheds for an extended period. While many dogs are eager to romp with their owner in the field, few are focused for any extended time on finding sheds but are instead exploring and investigating the many other odors they encounter on a shed hunt. As is the case with most detection training, it is often more difficult to develop hunt drive then it is to develop specific odor capability. Good hunt drive is generally an inherited and not an acquired characteristic. However proper training can increase inherited natural hunt drive.
Retrieve drive is another must for shed dog training. Not only must the dog have the focus to search he or she must find enjoyment in retrieving. This to a greater degree than hunt drive can be instilled in the dog through proper training. Retriever field trial trainers use forced fetch training methods to make dogs more reliable at retrieving. However for most detection training the main goal is not to make a dog more reliable at retrieving. The main goal is to make the dog more reliable at using his nose to accomplish a task. We as trainers cannot make dogs use their noses. This is true when training tracking dogs, detection dogs, air scenting dogs, or any other training that is dependant on the dog using the nose to accomplish a task. Consequently we are left with choosing training techniques that motivates dogs to use their nose. There are several training approaches to enhance the dog's desire to retrieve and builds that desire into solid performance. But unless there is some natural desire to retrieve then seldom will you have a dog that excels in retrieving training.
So when and how do we test or screen a dog to determine if he is a good shed dog prospect? The dog should normally be at least eight to twelve months old before testing. Dogs younger than this age normally cannot exhibit the concentration, patience, and focus needed to perform the tests successfully and thus receive a fair evaluation. Many puppies will begin retrieving much younger than this but you will not be able to really tell how much natural drive they will have until they are nearer the eight to twelve month range.
Never test a dog in his normal surroundings. Always test in a strange or neutral environment. Many dogs will exhibit desirable hunt or retrieve drive in their own back yard or familiar surroundings. There usually are no distractions there that will be more interesting to them than the game you are about to play with them. Testing in a neutral environment gives you the opportunity to see how strong the drives are in the presence of distractions or strange surroundings. Remember we are attempting to determine just how much this dog loves this game called retrieving.
First test: If the dog has a favorite retrieve toy or ball use it in the tests. If the dog has no favorite item then try tossing several items to see what interests the dog most and what he will readily attempt to retrieve. However do not use a shed antler for the test. Once you have placed the dog in new surroundings, focus the dog on the article by tossing it up in the air and then toss the article 20-30 feet away in full view of the dog. If the dog shows no interest or weak interest in retrieving anything then go no further with the testing. This dog will not make a good shed dog. If the dog will retrieve two out of three times or eight out of ten times but loses interest and doesn't retrieve the remaining times then go no further. This dog will not make a good shed dog. We are looking for 100% desire in the short test we are performing.
If he retrieves the article but doesn't bring it back to you that is okay. He may prefer to run around with it in his mouth trying to entice you to get it from him. This possessiveness of the article once he has retrieved it is an indicator of how badly he wants the article once he has it. Later training will teach him we want him to bring it to us, but that is not necessary at this point. If he picks it up and keeps it in his mouth for a short period and then drops it and becomes interested in other things then this is not desirable and will rule him out for our training purposes. We are not looking for a dog that has a temporary or passing interest in retrieving the article, we are looking for a dog that wants it now and later. A very experienced trainer of retrievers once said; "If he doesn't want it when he's got it, he sure as hell won't want it when he ain't got it". How true this always proves to be.
If he brings it back to you immediately then immediately throw it a gain. Some dogs understand quickly that the way for this game to be the most fun is to bring it back so you can throw it for them again. But whether or not they bring it back to you at this point is not important. If you need to put a 20-30 foot length of line on them to get them back to you in order to get the article then do so. Or, you may need to conduct the test in a large fenced in area so that you can control the exercise. In other words, just set it up so that you can do the multiple retrieves that are necessary.
The test in placing the dog in the strange surroundings is to see just how much desire there is to retrieve. Dogs with strong retrieve drive either naturally developed or developed through training will ignore everything else around them when an opportunity to retrieve is presented to them even by a stranger. What you want to see is the drive to be so strong that nothing going on around them is more enticing to them than the game of retrieving at that moment. And, for a few short minutes will focus entirely on that and nothing else. You should not exceed more than 10-15 retrieves in the test, as many dogs will begin to tire of the exercise and lose interest at this point. However, I have seen some dogs go to complete exhaustion before they quit. Many dogs have a desire to retrieve but not nearly as many have the level of desire necessary to pass this test. This is the first level of screening that the dog MUST pass before going on to the next test. If you accept less than this in the test then you will set yourself up for disappointment in the future with the training of the dog. You may really like the dog and everything about him but unless this intensity and desire is exhibited do not choose this dog as your training prospect.
Second test: After allowing the dog to rest a few minutes you are ready for the next test. The next test is called a Blind Retrieve. Hold the dog or have someone hold the dog and throw the retrieve article into tall grass or vegetation about 50 feet away so that the dog can see the object being thrown into the area. It is best to set this test up into the wind. That is, have the wind coming directly from the article to you and the dog. Hold the dog for a few seconds and then release him and allow the dog to go to the area it was thrown. Here the test is to see if the dog will use the nose and not the eyes to find the article.
Remember, you are looking for a dog that is accustomed to using his nose to find something and is not just a "looker". After about the age of six months, dogs will normally gravitate naturally toward being one or the other depending on the environment they are raised in and influences they receive in that environment. Dogs raised primarily in kennels or homes and spend a lot of time there generally do not develop the use of their nose as much as dogs allowed to spend a lot of time outside exploring and utilizing their nose.
When the dog enters the area observe if he is just looking for the object or is looking and using his nose. You can usually tell by a "head snap" when the nose hits the scent cone of the article and the dog then follows his nose to the article. The dog may run by the article but come back down wind, hit the scent cone, reverse his direction of travel, and then go directly back to it. You should be able to tell if the dog is using and following his nose or strictly looking for the item. To better be able to determine this be sure the vegetation is tall enough to adequately hide the object from view. This forces the dog to use the nose to find it. What we are looking for is primary use of the nose and secondary use of the eyes. If the dog is successful in finding the article each time, using primarily his nose, after 3-4 throws then you are ready for the next part of the test.
This part is conducted just as you did the last test except after throwing the article in full view of the dog, spin the dog by walking around in a small 360-degree circle and then release him to go find the article. The purpose here is to disorient the dog as to the exact location the article was thrown and require the dog to use his nose in a broader manner in order to narrow down the general location of the article. Here he cannot simply use his eyes to "mark" where it fell and run directly to the immediate area and only use his nose at the last minute to pinpoint it. In this part of the test you also want to throw the article farther away, maybe 100-150 feet. Also be sure the location the article falls in will totally conceal the article so that the dog cannot visually detect it.
Now, each time the dog goes to find the article, start timing with your watch to see how long he will stay in the area and search for the article. We want to see how much patience and concentration the dog has in carrying out the task. We are looking for the dog to stay in the area and search without any assistance or encouragement from the owner or handler for a period of at least three minutes. Do not walk toward the area the article is in or verbalize to the dog during this time. Just stay where you are and be quiet. What we are testing for here is hunt drive. We want to see just how badly the dog wants to find the article as this will give us an indication of how persistent he will be in the field searching for shed antlers.
If the dog is successful in these two tests, then with proper training and proper handling techniques in the field you probably have a dog that is very possibly a good shed dog prospect. There are other tests that we then conduct to further determine the intensity level of these two drives but these two tests give us a pretty good idea of the dog's suitability. In our training dogs for detection work of any kind, we also conduct other tests for intelligence, determination, work ethic, etc. that helps us make a final decision before we purchase a dog. We guarantee dogs we sell for any purpose so we must be as sure as we can be that the dog will successfully complete the training. Remember, you are looking for a dog that is accustomed to using his nose to find something and is not just a "looker". After about the age of six months, dogs will normally gravitate naturally toward being one or the other depending on the environment they are raised in and influences they receive in that environment. Dogs raised primarily in kennels or homes and spend a lot of time there generally do not develop the use of their nose as much as dogs allowed to spend a lot of time outside exploring and utilizing their nose.
One question I am often asked is, "What breed makes the best shed dog?" The answer is, there is no breed that is more ideally suited for this task than others. There is of course no breed that has been systematically breed for this purpose as using dogs for shed hunting is a fairly recent development. Many of the sporting and working breeds possess many of the drives needed to be a good shed dog. Individual characteristics are more important than breed characteristics but certain breeds are certainly more predisposed to certain type of training. So, naturally retriever breeds such as Labradors, Goldens, Chesapeakes, and other retrievers are good candidates. Many of the working breeds such as German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, or Malinois also make good candidates.
Male or female? It really doesn't matter about gender. Either can have the drives necessary for this training. Again individual characteristics are more important. There is some evidence that females have superior olfactory capabilities in all breeds. However in many breeds, especially in certain bloodlines, males have superior working drives. There is of course the hormonal issue of females not being typically as distracted by animal scents, which may be an advantage in this type work. However this really is a training issue more than a gender problem.
Selecting the right dog is only the first step in achieving a super working partner in your shed hunting. Additionally, it takes proper training and proper handling techniques later in the field to ultimately give you the rewards of owning a great shed hunting partner. The selection and training require a lot of work either on your part or the part of a trainer. There are no short cuts. All dog training requires patience, as it is a building block endeavor. But nothing is more rewarding than a successful day in the field working with a great working dog!
For more information on shed dog training visit our website at www.ventosakennel.com. or contact Tracy Bowling at Ventosa Kennel at (252) 826-4415