looking for ideas... plz help

piraha · 10-21-2009, 09:11 AM

What could I put on a tennis ball to make it easier for my dog to sniff out.

I use a tennis racket and since I have a strong arm and bad aim I sometimes hit the ball into the tall grass or the woods. Or Deegan just doesn`t watch it`s flight path. Then I have to walk over the the general area to give him and idea where it is.. in tall grass somtimes he still won`t find it. Than I have to start rooting around with him.

I don`t want to put anything messy on it. So I ruled out food products.. what do you think about perfume.

Wynpyp · 10-21-2009, 02:06 PM

I wouldn't put perfume on it. That would taste horrible and the dog would ingest some because of the ball going into it's mouth.

Hopefully some one else will have some ideas of what you could either put on it or how to train the dog to retrieve the ball

Keechak · 10-21-2009, 02:23 PM

Maybe some Hunting lures. Like the "Buck stops here" type sprays. they are supposed to give off a strong musky odor.

RonE · 10-21-2009, 02:35 PM

Pet stores have fake tennis balls that taste like beef, chicken, etc.

Always seemed like a really bad idea to me.

I have the opposite problem. If I hit a tennis ball into the long grass or shrubs, Esther will NEVER give up looking. If I throw one over the fence, she'll go over the fence after it. It doesn't matter if there are 60 other tennis balls laying aorund - she has to get THAT one.

Ayanla · 10-21-2009, 03:19 PM

Get sweaty and rub it in your armpit (prior to applying deodorant or anything) and let it dry. It won't smell pleasant to you, but it'll sure attract your dog and it won't hurt him to put it in his mouth. The smell will probably last far longer for your dog than it will for you.

There is that issue of picking up a ball that smells like your pits...but hey, we all have to sacrifice for our dogs.

TxRider · 10-21-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piraha

What could I put on a tennis ball to make it easier for my dog to sniff out.

I use a tennis racket and since I have a strong arm and bad aim I sometimes hit the ball into the tall grass or the woods. Or Deegan just doesn`t watch it`s flight path. Then I have to walk over the the general area to give him and idea where it is.. in tall grass somtimes he still won`t find it. Than I have to start rooting around with him.

I don`t want to put anything messy on it. So I ruled out food products.. what do you think about perfume.

I dunno, I've never used more then my scent, and dog slobber myself.

I used to hide my dog and pound the ball as far as I could with a baseball bat and she still found it.

Same when camping, I would pick up a pine cone, handle it rubbing it on my hands a lot, hide her face and throw it off into the woods, always got the same one back.

Maybe he just isn't using his nose and depending on sight too much?

Maybe play some tracking games with him to teach him to use his nose more, and use the breeze etc? I did a lot of that too, and plan to with my current dogs at some point.

wvasko · 10-21-2009, 04:57 PM

I know in utility work the dogs have to pick up an object in a group of objects and holding and massaging the object will transfer scent to object. I would definitely do a scent check. Tennis balls are cheap, I would maybe get a small chunk of liver sausage and rub this on tennis ball and throw/place ball in area and then walk dog to area and remember you want dog to be downwind and work dog upwind/forward so wind is blowing from ball to dog. This way you can check dog's nose. Keep one thing in mind you don't want dog to backtrack your steps to ball.

TxRider · 10-21-2009, 06:27 PM

Yeah a dog should be able to smell the ball on the breeze from a long distance, and even smell you on it if you've handled it.

So a problem with the nose, or just inexperience using it would be my guess.

I play a scent game with my dogs of a sort now.

I like them to keep an eye on where I'm at when they are off leash which is limited to the dog park for now, so at the dog park if they run off and get too involved and aren't checking in I'll sneak off and hide behind a tree at the other end of the park and make them hunt me down.

They look where they last saw me, get a worried expression and start the focused hunt for me, they will go to each person they see until they figure out it's not me, then start using their nose to find me. Always greeted with huge praise and a flurry of petting and rubbing when they do.

They are hopefully learning to remember to keep checking in on where I'm at, and to practice finding me by scent if they get separated.

A google search for scenting games to play should turn up many to get him better at it.

piraha · 10-21-2009, 09:48 PM

Thanks everyone I use your suggestions.

DogsforMe · 10-22-2009, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayanla

Get sweaty and rub it in your armpit (prior to applying deodorant or anything) and let it dry. It won't smell pleasant to you, but it'll sure attract your dog and it won't hurt him to put it in his mouth. The smell will probably last far longer for your dog than it will for you.

There is that issue of picking up a ball that smells like your pits...but hey, we all have to sacrifice for our dogs.

This sounds like the best idea to me. At dog training when we are about to do scent discrimination we are told to put our articles under our arm or in our shoes.

NeoBodhi · 10-23-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayanla

Get sweaty and rub it in your armpit (prior to applying deodorant or anything) and let it dry. It won't smell pleasant to you, but it'll sure attract your dog and it won't hurt him to put it in his mouth. The smell will probably last far longer for your dog than it will for you.

There is that issue of picking up a ball that smells like your pits...but hey, we all have to sacrifice for our dogs.

Nice suggestion, you just made me put a tennis ball in my armpit.

I will have to put that on the list of things I never imagined I would do.