# Had a good water training day



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Grim has only done a few boat trainings and he likes to bark his head off when he gets on the boat. No way I was going to take that. 

We had a breakthrough yesterday - I have not been much for correcting a dog while doing scent work but we got him way out in the lake away from source and I grabbed his caller, and gave him a strong "no bark" correction. Had to correct him three times then he settled. When he hit scent he started barking again but I am ok with him barking then. We also had him working the front of the boat real well by oversteering. [keep going in the direction his body is headed until you run out of scent and he moves to get back into scent] 

Next time out - no barking at all until we hit scent. So we ended there with a huge reward session. 

Also working on having him follow it down the side of the boat as we go over it now.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Sounds cool. 

I don't really know anything about water searches. Do you always use divers for quarry? Or some cadaver scent? I am clueless.

I would love to see some video of water searches. I have only seen pictures. Do you have any?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

We have used divers some - but mainly use a scent pump which forces air over a really stinky scent source through tubing out to the water then adjust the bubbles so they don't become a visual cue to the dog. 

I do know that if I ever use another diver with Grim, I will just have him release the ball and not come up. He gets too excited about the diver and will probably launch off the side of the boat to get the ball anyway. He has done that. I reward him wtih a ball on a string so I can keep him from going into the water.

Some folks actually put things (sometimes massive scent sources) in the water but we cannot do that here so we do the best we can.

I don't have any really good pictures; we have some videos but not in digital format. I should try to get some - they are good to review because you often see sometihng from shore that you may not be aware of looking up a dogs butt.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Boat work was always fun.
I was at a seminar where the scent pump was hooked up by tubing to all four sides of the boat and controlled by aquarium valves. the scent could be directed anywhere around the boat. It could be used while the boat sat in a parking lot incase a green dog was to distracted when the boat was in the water.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I actually think had we not introduced him with a diver he would have been better off. He did not bark the first time until we found the diver then he went ballisrtic - he wanted to tug with him so bad the 2nd time the diver threw the ball over the bow [he was a bit intimidated by Grim's energetic tugging] and over he went. 

After that it has taken some real work to mellow him out. 

I still have to hold his collar while we tug lest the ball pop off the rope. 

I have heard of that approach to introduce boatwork (the boat in the parking lot) - would love to see it.


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