Hurley Genius Puppy: Go Find It

We decided to have a little fun in the shop today instead of doing B-O-R-I-N-G training work like increasing our down stays and looks (Hurley's emphasis on the boring, folks).  I've long said that Hurley has quite the nose on him so today we began "Go Find It". 

We started out easy-peasy.  Sit > Stay > (Putting a treat on the shelf right in front of him) > Look > Go Find It!  Since he already had 3 of these four steps down and considering his obsession with treats, it wasn't surprising that it took him exactly 5 seconds to grab the treat.  And it was only 5 seconds because he hesitated and gave me that "Are you sure this isn't a trick Leave It?" look.  And then I lengthened the treat to a shelf 10 feet away. 

A crazy-eyed sniff

And then on the other side of the display.  This time, I used a lower value biscuit, which I guess is not as smelly as the dehydrated bison 'cause Hurley sniffed right past it, around it, over it - all in what I assume was a search for the far superior bison.  Hmmm...how to get Hurley to know the scent I want him to find?

Sniff sucks.  Chomp Rules!

So I added Sniff in between the Sit and Stay so it goes Sit > Sniff > Stay > (hiding the treat) > Look > Go Find It.  I admit, folks.  I had my doubts that I could get Hurley to reliably sniff at a treat in my hand without some serious chomping action.  What was I thinking waving a tasty treat in front of his snout and expecting him not to chomp my fingers off?  To my incredulity, he got the sniff concept on the 3rd time and found the crappy biscuit immediately.  To me, this is more impressive than him finding any number of treats in any number of hiding places. 

What?  I can sniff & lick at the same time.

We continued with new hiding places. On the other side of an obstacle in between us.  Then on the other side of the store under a table.  Then completely 100% out of his line of sight on the other side of the counter.  Several times he took a bit of time sniffing around; once I had to walk him to the general area of the treat.  But each time he got it and most times, he got it FAST.

I know it's around here somewhere

Got It!

Got It Again!

Then he spent the next hour sniffing around the store in hopes of finding a treat.

This is by far Hurley's favorite trick.  Not only did he discover his ability to drool profusely but he also enthusiastically showed off for the next 3 customers who came in.  They were all suitably impressed. 

For those of you who follow us on Facebook, we take Hurley to the vet in about an hour's time so we don't have an answer on his eye thing yet.  You can kind of see in the pictures but his right eye looks bald & slightly swollen around the inner corner of the eye.  It could be anything from a scratch near or on his eye that he's pawed at creating the bald spot, a skin or eye infection, allergies, or nothing to worry about at all. Or any number of other things I haven't imagined yet.

Favorites

I'm sure we all try not to have favorites.  I do cherish my dogs for different reasons:  Sadie is my sweetheart, Maggie my athlete and Hurley my goof ball.  But at the end of the day, I try not to play favorites and I love them all.  I'm not sure that our dogs possess that same sense of fairness when it comes to distributing their love between the Hubster and I.

If the Hubster and I are in different rooms, Maggie is with him.  Every Sunday morning, you find Maggie laying next to the sofa while the Hubster watches football.  She may come running if she hears me letting the other dogs out or getting out some treats, and when it's time to make dinner she usually makes an appearance in the kitchen to see what I am doing.  But other than that, she's a daddy's girl through and through, preferring to spend her hours lazing by his side.  Maggie thrives under his eye - she is always better behaved outside of the home when he's got the other end of the leash.   And while I wish I had the same effect when we are on our walks, I truly treasure the moments she seeks affection from me as our special moments.  'Course, those always happen when the Hubster's not around. :)

Sadie & Hurley, on the other hand, can always be found in whatever room I am in.  Every movement of mine captures their eyes and when I move on to another room, they are on my heels.  Sadie has always been my girl; she in inherently more comfortable with women than men and between my love of giving affection and her love of receiving it, we have formed a special bond.  She loves affection so much that she happily thumps her tail not only when she's on the receiving end but whenever anyone else in the house is getting some love and affection.  That's one of my favorite things about her.

i wuv everyone

Hurley, on the other hand, is just now warming up to affection. But while he may not want Mom's hugs just yet, he is always by my side, under my feet or intently watching my every move.  At the store, his favorite spot is curled up close enough that some part of his body is touching my feet.  His "spot" with blanket and toys, 6" inches from my feet, is not close enough for him.  He is always, always underfoot and while there are times when that is inconvenient, it also warms my heart when he curls up at my feet and gazes up at me. 

Always under Mom's chair

The hubster and I were commenting on our dogs' "favorite" this weekend.  Hurley and Sadie had followed me down to our family room and were sitting in front of the couch, staring at me.  In the middle of the conversation the Hubster turns to Hurley and asks "Do you love your mama?"  And swear to God, Hurley made a cute little whimper and looked back at me with a somewhat worshipful expression on his face.  Yup, I think I might be his favorite.

Do your dogs have favorites?