The blind search - Page 1

Couple of questions regarding the blind search, is the helper always behind the last blind in the sequence?

And if so would a dog ever be smart enough to go straight to that particular blind especially if it's not been directed by the handler to search each blind?

Cheers,

AandA

I treat blind search as a obedience exercise, so no in my blinds there is no helper, there is a reward, I put the helper in the blind once I am happy with the way my dogs dose the blinds. But in a trail yes the helper is always in the last blind. If you use helper to teach the dog blinds, than I would start by putting the helper in the first, once it gets the game, I put up two blinds and make the helper run to the first so the dog can see him, take the dog away the helper moves to the second bring him back, make the dog run the first blind than make him run the second one with the helper in it, than I switch around. But like I said runing blinds for me is obedience exercise so I do not use helpers, plus it makes it easier to train the dog at home. Hope this helps.

We've tried the shell game hiding the helper in various blinds which works well overall but unfortunately my gal simply air scents and can figure out which blind the helper is in without much effort. I would prefer that she actively look in each blind while also running them tighly (we're working on it!) rather than just run them tightly.

I also do the blinds as an obedience exercise when there is no helper and before this, I start teaching the blinds as an obedience exercise prior to introducing running the blinds during protection work. Worked like a charm - I believe that dogs overall are context-specific learners, so if having to run directed blinds becomes a "habit/routine" that they *must always do before getting any reward*, it makes it far easier IMHO once this is transferred over into protection work to help prevent the dog from skipping/missing blinds and going directly to where the helper is (even if they know which blind the helper is in).

My 2 cents

 I have also done this as an OB routine and show the helper outside of the last blind so that the dog wants to break then when it does i correct it by starting over. When your dog runs all blinds with the decoy outside of the blind showing themselves then you know your dog understands the concept.

Yup, my belive is that the helper is placed in the blind, just as a distraction. Runing blinds for me is to test your dog obedience and contrall rather than protection. If it would be protection exercise than the dog should always go diretly to the blind that the helper is in (air scent), and not check empty blinds.

Snajper69 - thanks for that last reply. I don't do protection but I'd always thought that surely all these dogs aren't so stupid as to figure out the bad guy is in the last blind !

So is there any routine in sch where  the dog is tested on a combination of initiative and protection?

From what I recall UK working trials do have such an exercise where the dog performs an off leash search and hold where neither the dog or the handler knows where the helper is. However I'm working from a pretty poor memory here so it'd be good to have this confirmed.

Cheers,

AandA

Yep, my memory did fail me & I was wrong.

In UK working trials there is a search exercise via quartering the ground and giving voicce when the person is found but there is no protection element involved - in fact the dog is heavily penalised if any attempt to bite is made. The dog should also refuse any offer of food.

AandA

The way it was explained to me is the Blinds is an Obedience Exercise i.e. the dog is quartering the area under direction of the handler. Yes the dog knows where the Helper is but he must control his drive, this is a sport or course but it stems from there being more than one Offender if the dog runs to the last blind without the Handler being satisfied the area is clear then a second offender/evidence will be missed. It's about the dog doing as he is told when his  blood is up and he thinks he knows better; Power is nothing without control.

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Ronin