Day 5
Bear
Your dog is King of the Forest, standing tall, front feet planted firmly on a moss-covered boulder. With regal poise and calm confidence, your dog surveys the domain.
This skill builds self control, avoiding impulsive behaviours and maintaining composure even in the face of distractions. Through training and practice, your dog will hone their ability to remain calm and collected, making thoughtful choices rather than succumbing to impulsive instincts.
Together, you stand ready to face any foe, conquer any obstacle, and emerge victorious in the name of adventure and the bond that ties you both.
Civilian Use
Today’s challenge is a firm favourite with our human and canine Scentventures alike!
Use it when you encounter a distraction, or afterwards to regain calm.
There’s just something about this position that dogs seem to love too. It’s great for confidence and strength!
Method
Find an obstacle that your dog can safely put both front feet onto e.g. a step, a log, a bench, a stable box, etc. It helps at first if you choose something that’s only big enough for two paws, rather than four.
- Lure your dog up onto the obstacle with food. Use your marker word (e.g. ‘good’ or ‘yes’ and reward them with the food from your hand.
- Once your dog is confidently and smoothly following the lure, remove the food and use just your hand for your dog to follow. Mark and reward.
- Once your dog is confidently and smoothly following your hand without a lure, add a verbal cue just before you begin. Mark and reward. The verbal cue is ‘Bear’.
- Can your dog stay in Bear position longer? If your dog knows “wait” or “stay”, you can cue that. If not, build duration by incrementally delaying your marker and reward.
What to do next
- Have a go with your own dog and film it if you can
- Share your answers in the private Facebook Group with the hashtags #day5 #AdventureQuest
- If you don’t use Facebook, send your training via email. Please note that we can’t reply to emails but we will log your evidence towards your badge.
‘’We did a few ‘Bears’ in the environment and I could hear Callie sniffing lots and not pulling nearly as much. We both enjoyed the walk, and I could feel myself smiling!’’
-LOUISE & CALLIE, after 7 days of Scentventure
