# Starting a green dog on Focused Scenting



## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Following is a video from my seminar of my dog starting in our Focused Scenting method. He was 11 months old at the time of the video and had never seen these barrels before. This was also his first time at this location. The video might not make much sense to those who don't train for disaster search, but the general idea is to teach the dog to seek out inaccessible, "invisible" human scent and ignore bystanders and other distractions. This is the dog's first day, second rotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcrQf9lvLk

The finished product on the barrels will look like this (different dog)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-zHyHxru9s

...and then we'll transfer the training to the rubble.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I love it. Good video. You can just see the focus as it develops. Ya gotta stick with those pointy eared dog though huh? ha ha. Great job.

DFrost


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Thanks, David!

This Malinois has some Labrador-esque qualities - he retrieves and is very biddable. Does that count?!  No worries though, there's another floppy-eared pup in my future. My husband is also a canine search specialist for FEMA and he'll be getting another Lab pup this year (so he says!). Just like the last one, I'll likely be training this pup for him too.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Always enjoy the vids and nice to see your new mal in action:grin: Love seeing you holding him back (trying to) behind the bind!

Surprised to see foundation for disaster done inside. Not sure why, just had never occurred to me before! I suppose the participants of the course learn more if they are not cold and uncomfortable?


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

We don't typically do our training inside. We did this seminar by request and their training site was indoors. It was a good thing for this particular weekend - they had record cold temps and a snowstorm.

And yep, Juice was giving me a run for my money behind the blind! Good thing he's not a big dog, otherwise I would have been face-down on the floor!


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## Megan Bays (Oct 10, 2008)

Great videos Konnie; I love watching your Focused Scenting ones.

I've been thinking about trying to make something to your barrels to hide in... I've been making all kinds of agility equipment, and you've just gave me some more ideas


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Megan - if you need better pics of the barrels for construction purposes, just let me know and I'll post them.


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## Megan Bays (Oct 10, 2008)

That'd be great!

Could you put in a little detailed explanation of how they go together too?

Or if you've already posted this, links would great too.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Here's a link to Joe's pics (the guy who built the barrels at our site in CT). The pics can be somewhat confusing since he has some of our box set-up too. He has pics of how he constructed the doors and also how he attached the barrels to eachother to create one, longer barrel: 
http://picasaweb.google.com/joegore1/BarkBarrelFabrication#

The white barrels in the video are an improvement on our barrels for sure. I don't have detailed pics of their construction, but I do have this pic:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3261415419_e31263fac5_b.jpg

And of course, if you have questions, feel free to ask away!


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## Megan Bays (Oct 10, 2008)

Is it two different barrels drilled together?

Also are both ends wooden?

Are there any certain kinds of barrels you use?

Thanks! The pics were helpful.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

It is two barrels drilled together. We use flat-ended barrels (see the first link for pics) vs. rounded bottom barrels. The flat ones fit together much more easily. And, the front is open. The back is the plastic of the barrel. 

Our barrels were freebies. They originally contained some type of soap stabilizer. You want to be careful that you don't get barrels that contained anything harmful. Soda/Cola companies usually have loads of these barrels and might be willing to give you some. The white barrels in the pics smell like cola because of where they came from. 

For our purposes, we want all of the barrels to have previously contained the same substance. The plastic definitely holds odors and we want them to all be the same. That way, there are no other odors that the dog might cue in on (for example if the human scent barrel is the only one that contained pickles and the others were soda, we would be teaching the dog to find human scent and pickles).


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I LOVED watching the sequence and progression of learninig!
even though I'm no longer in SAR, I WILL someday get to a RH seminar. At the very least I'll get his set of DVDs.
Hope I never stop trying to learn!


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> Hope I never stop trying to learn!


Me too, Bob. Me too!


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Bob Scott said:


> I WILL someday get to a RH seminar. At the very least I'll get his set of DVDs.
> Hope I never stop trying to learn!


Bob... We'll be hosting one here in Da'Burgh in Sept.... hint hint!!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Matthew Grubb said:


> Bob... We'll be hosting one here in Da'Burgh in Sept.... hint hint!!


Everything is always so dern far away from me. 
That's one of the only down sides to retirement. Fixed income for my hobbies!  
September IS my bday though. :-k :-k :-k 
I was in Hatburough Penn one time in 91 ? 92 for a big dog show........Got lost on that frickin turnpike. Made a wrong turn and damn near wound up in Kansas I think! :lol: :lol:


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

This is definitely an interesting approach .......


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

Awww, your puppy is so cute. I love that he wants to pull you over the blind!!! Good thing he isnt any bigger! Still trying to get my hands on some barrels......


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