Tossing Your Cookies is an important game to play for your dog's entire career. This game builds value for odor, improves detailing skills, reduces fringing, increases speed to source, helps improve your dog's indication, helps build stamina for searching, helps the dog learn to work through pooling and lingering odor, and helps your dog learn to work through distractions.
Handler tips:
- Use a verbal marker or clicker to mark "nose on source."
- Choose cookies that are easy for the dog to find on the surface you are training on. You don't want the dog to have to snuffle around for a long time looking for the tossed treat.
- Toss the cookie as far as you need to in order to have enough time to rearrange the containers.
- Keep a brisk pace - this should be a quick, exciting game!
I start this game with beginner dogs using just one switch box on the ground.
https://youtu.be/v7g2qsCqcUk?si=h6DVoF0MwuE5YAS0
As the dog gets comfortable with the game, I add more boxes, change the type of box, and change the spacing of the boxes. There are a myriad of ways to set this game up.
I can add distractors to the containers.
https://youtu.be/uWVaJMYz_-o?si=3eRmp8JRFQDfnrTr
I can work with a vertical surface such as a magnetic white board, wall, lattice fence, etc.
https://youtu.be/2TG5qdtaOxI?si=DCxR4F-7fpUz2jBG
What's your favorite way to play Tossing Your Cookies?
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