Balance training in nature: sniff game on a tree trunk

I try to make use of the natural environment to get the dogs to practice things like body awareness and balance, and although Grace does her own practice on the edge of our sofa, it never hurts to do some deliberately.

Here I’ve sprinkled some treats on top of a wide, mossy trunk which means she needs to sniff and balance at the same time.

I also go back to sprinkle more after she has sniffed it to encourage her to keep checking locations she’s already sniffed – this helps when we do formal detection training as she is learning to be thorough and that it pays off to double check.