# Scent Discrimination



## BeckyB (Jan 21, 2008)

I want to start teaching Scent Discrimination to my 2 goldens,
One is 5 ,almost has his CDX title and is very soft,I`ve had to take it slow with him as he has seizures when stressed.

The other,Trucker is 1.5 yrs old and i am teaching all the obedience exercises in Novice,Open & Utility before starting his show career

Most of the people i know use the tie down method but im not sure that would work with my dogs
So has anyone used Simply Scenting with Dawn Jecs?
If so, How did it work for you? I would like other peoples opinions before i buy the book.
Is there any other methods people have used that work well?
Thanks, Becky


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

We used the tie down method, it worked really well for my Tito dog because he's also very "soft" and this way I never had to correct him. Other people swear by the "around the clock" method.
Let us know how it goes!


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I've heard the Around The Clock method is wonderful! I'm going to be using that on my Golden when the time comes around. I've heard that the tie-down method has some problems in the long run. Not always right away. I'm not really familiar with Dawn Jecs method...but am sort of familiar with her other training techniques.


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## goldengirls550 (Jun 12, 2008)

I've been using the tie-down method with great results. Layla is pretty soft too and really caught on with the tie-down method.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

goldengirls550 said:


> I've been using the tie-down method with great results. Layla is pretty soft too and really caught on with the tie-down method.


Keep in mind that for some dogs the tie down method (and subsequent correction) is a harsh correction...not in the abusive sense - but in the demotivating sense. I personally don't use the tie down method because it's too many steps - eventually you have to untie them and then you've got to remove the mat out of the picture - when I train a behavior like that I want to start with the entire picture in mind and not change criteria and behavior later on down the road...

Erica


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

the problem that people seem to run into with the around the clock method is that it doesn't allow for using other peoples' scents at any point. It's not really addressed at all. A lot of dogs do fine looking for "A" scent but have a problem when suddenly it's "THE" scent they need to find. 
I think every method has its good and bad points, and some methods work for certain dogs while other methods work better for other dogs. 
MaddieMagoo, I'm curious, what problems have you heard about with the tie down method down the road further? I haven't hit them yet, I guess, but it's always better to know about them upfront so you can head them off if you start to see them!


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## BeckyB (Jan 21, 2008)

I agree with MurphyTeller, That the correction for picking up the wrong article would be to much for him, What method do you use?
Hes very smart but very soft.
Maybe i will buy the book,I tryed to find it used but no luck
Thanks for the replys


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> the problem that people seem to run into with the around the clock method is that it doesn't allow for using other peoples' scents at any point. It's not really addressed at all. A lot of dogs do fine looking for "A" scent but have a problem when suddenly it's "THE" scent they need to find.
> I think every method has its good and bad points, and some methods work for certain dogs while other methods work better for other dogs.
> MaddieMagoo, I'm curious, what problems have you heard about with the tie down method down the road further? I haven't hit them yet, I guess, but it's always better to know about them upfront so you can head them off if you start to see them!


 
Although I've NEVER used any method...but I know the Around The Clock is what our mentor is teaching us. Anyways a friend of mine...who is now in college has a Golden as well. Her dog isn't soft, not a lot of drive...but she was telling my dad that the tie-down really got her dog confused and that she had to retrain the articles like twice I think. She just said that her dog wasn't grasping the whole idea with it, and she wishes she would've found a better way to train them.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

MaddieMagoo said:


> Although I've NEVER used any method...but I know the Around The Clock is what our mentor is teaching us. Anyways a friend of mine...who is now in college has a Golden as well. Her dog isn't soft, not a lot of drive...but she was telling my dad that the tie-down really got her dog confused and that she had to retrain the articles like twice I think. She just said that her dog wasn't grasping the whole idea with it, and she wishes she would've found a better way to train them.


My first inclination when training a behavior is to shape it - sometimes not literally with a clicker (I didn't use a clicker when training articles) - I've taught my dogs to problem-solve. The tie down method does not allow the dog to problem solve...then suddenly the training wheels come off...

Erica


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

From the dog obedience list it seems that there are equal problems with each method, and scent articles are discussed a LOT. So I think it goes back to no method is right for every dog. 
I thought that Tito wasn't grasping it, either, but remember there are a lot of ways to introduce the tie down method....only 1 tied and 1 loose, several tied, just metal tied, both metal and leather tied, tied with a little food on the untied one, and so on. When I changed it around a bit he picked it up right away, and seems to be totally fine with articles now.
In the case of articles, I think you have to find someone you trust who has trained SEVERAL dogs thru at least UDX and get them to help you. Then do whatever method they suggest, and give your dog some time to understand it. It's not an easy exercise to teach.



MaddieMagoo said:


> Although I've NEVER used any method...but I know the Around The Clock is what our mentor is teaching us. Anyways a friend of mine...who is now in college has a Golden as well. Her dog isn't soft, not a lot of drive...but she was telling my dad that the tie-down really got her dog confused and that she had to retrain the articles like twice I think. She just said that her dog wasn't grasping the whole idea with it, and she wishes she would've found a better way to train them.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

MaddieMagoo said:


> Although I've NEVER used any method...but I know the Around The Clock is what our mentor is teaching us. Anyways a friend of mine...who is now in college has a Golden as well. Her dog isn't soft, not a lot of drive...but she was telling my dad that the tie-down really got her dog confused and that she had to retrain the articles like twice I think. She just said that her dog wasn't grasping the whole idea with it, and she wishes she would've found a better way to train them.


Back when I was working with my sheltie I really wanted to teach her scent discrimination (although she retired before I even got a CDX). We were instructed in using tie-downs and for us it was a nightmare...and maybe that was because we didn't have all the pieces. She never got it, and sessions were incredibly frustrating for her because she would try and grab the tied down one and couldn't get it. She would bark in frustration and try and yank 'em out and eventually give up.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Hi,

I have used the tie-down method and have not been happy with the results - a tough goldie (King) needed more challenge than the tie-down method allowed for and did wonderfully once the ties came off - I spent months training with the tie downs getting all of us frustrated and then took the things off; 2 months later he was in the ring and over the course of many trials only failed articles once and that was after diving into the pile and bringing back both the correct article and the article he had pushed on top of the correct one  very cute but not qualifying.

My Rowdy (a soft dog correction wise) was intimidated by the tie down method - he seemed to feel he was being corrected before he learned how to avoid the correction. So I quickly needed to find another method which was both Around the Clock and Simply Scenting.

So, I now use a combination of Around the Clock and Simply Scenting and Casey and Faelan both seem to get it; Around the clock teaches them to work the entire pile while Simply Scenting teaches them to find the one that 'smells the most like me'. 

I originally took cleaning my scent articles seriously and went through a lot of sets by leaving them out to air and them getting yucky and now I just put the most recently used articles in the side pocket until the next use and my dogs understand that what I am looking for is the one 'most' like me; which transitions to other people handling my articles nicely  Happy training!!


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## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

*Janice Demello's Round the clock*

I taught scent dicrimination using Janice Demello's Round the clock. It works well and my obedience dog liked it. The group I trained with, years ago, most used Round the clock vs. the tie down method.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Hey Rasta! Good to see you posting. Where ya been recently?


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## MaddieMagoo (Aug 14, 2007)

I really like seeing this discussion grow!! I see that alot of us have have seen the tie-down method not producing the results we want. But like others have said, there is more than ONE way to train a dog, and no dog is the same. If they were all the same, what fun would that be?? Having no challenges in training at all...BORING! I mean if you really think about it, practicing perfect EVERYDAY...would get boring and you wouldn't want to train! No matter what the challenge, it's really great to see the dog overcome that confusion and finally see what they are really supposed to do.


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## Kohanagold (Nov 5, 2008)

Well, for now, I've given up, so not much advice here. Obedience has been put on hold for tracking  But I was looking to start scent discrimination. I can get a dog to track (and well), so I know they can use their noses to find the right scent, but for some reason, I've been unable to transition it to scent articles. 

It is nice to read peoples advice so when we pick it up in the fall (maybe), I'll maybe have some idea of what people are talking about. But I also think that regardless of which "method" you choose, there is always a correct way and an incorrect way ti teach it (leave it to me.... if you think its fool proof, I WILL figure out a wrong way to do it! LOL). Hope you find some success with your scent articles. I too am training all 3 levels concurrently. Its a new concept for me, but I really like it because when we're ready to trial, we'll be ready and wont have a couple years break between each level. 

Good luck, BJ


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