Hi hunters,

I've recently switched from field Labradors to conformation type for a variety of reasons. I am training a conformation pup for JH. She is a great marker, very birdy and retrieves to hand but does not use her nose to find a dummy or bird when needed. If she's lost her mark, she stands and looks around for it, doesn't circle and sniff. I've never had this with my field dogs in the past. How do you train a dog to use its nose? Any ideas appreciated.

Scent your dummies and drag them around in the grass out in the area where they'll be thrown. Do the same if you're using birds. Scent up the area. Try casting her into the wind, downwind from where you've scented or where the bird/dummie is, so she will be running into the scent.

One of my girls was like that - very visual. I made a game out of trying to find things in high cover. Walk beside or in cover with the dog at your side. Toss bumper when the dog isn't looking, then tell them to find it. Help them look if you have to, just to get them interested and help them figure out what you are doing. Make a big deal out of it when they find the bumper. Lots of praise and excitement. Use no pressure, just lots of praise. This worked for my girl.

.......also, you can salt the area with several bumpers to give her more of a chance for success. Plant a few in the area where you're going to be throwing, then set up your mark and have the gunner throw a bumper where the others have already been planted. It will give her/him more confidence. You can then begin to eliminate the extras as confidence is gained.

Find someone who does tracking. A couple of sessions with a good tracking trainer should give your dog the idea.

You also can hide food in the house and/or outside and use the command "Find it" or whatever you want to use. Teach them what the command means like that and then use the same command for bumpers and birds in the field.

You can also teach them to use their nose by throwing hot dogs into fairly tall grass. Or their dinner. A hungry dog will learn to use its nose pretty quickly.

Thanks so much, all of you. I am going to try all the ideas as none are mutually exclusive. If they don't fully work, my obedience club has some people who do tracking so I'll contact them as suggested.

Your posts are all so practical and encouraging, I was getting quite discouraged about this little girl not using her nose, and I am hopelessly fond of her in every other way. Such a great work ethic. Thanks again, now I'm sure we'll get her to use that sniffer and soon be off to run the JH!

I start all of my pups hunting in the upland field with live chukar, then pheasants. Teaches them how to hunt,delelopes prey drive and is great fun. Of course they need to be well socialized to the gun.

Try some Nosework (the new dog sport where dogs use their nose to find treats and ultimately scent) start with boxes and treats to encourage that hunting by scent, then use a wing or other ducky thing instead of treats to encourage searching for that smell, they typically just need to be invited to use their nose to solve a problem
barb

I like to squirt some scent on the ground you can even do it in a quartering pattern. I have a dog in for training with kinda the same problem. But i feel that the dense native grass is to high and thick for her. So waiting for wheat harvest to get the grain cut. so i have some low stubble to work this dog in.