Practice Search in a Puyallup Neighborhood.

This search for two hidden cats took place in a quiet neighborhood in Puyallup.  We searched on five properties with large lots, around the foundations of the houses and through the landscape and around the sheds and outbuildings.  This practice search was an excellent recreation of the typical conditions of a typical search.  Komu, Sage, and Rita searched for BJ and Toby, the two cats hidden in separate carriers. 

Komu was the second dog to search, and when he found the location where BJ had been hidden the first time, he searched all over in the tall grass, convinced there was a cat in there.  Komu went past the first hidden cat one time, so I went around the building to approach from the downwind angle.  That approach was blocked by dense brush against the side of the garage, so we went back around to the other side again.  Komu ran right up to the carrier, seeming to keep his momentum from checking along the edge.  When he found the cat, he put his nose right up to the wire door and hesitated as he checked out the cat.  Then he got swatted.  I don't think BJ actually got a claw into him.  Komu cried like his feelings were hurt.  See the video here.

He got his cheese reward and continued searching for the second cat.  As we searched through the five yards, he was always alert and easy to manage.  I could direct him to sniff at any bush or bare patch of grass that I indicated.  He did stop to check out some feces obviously not related to the cat search, but he quickly moved on when prompted.  When we came to the second hidden cat carrier, he stayed well back.  You could see from his body language and his whining that he'd found something, but he wouldn't go closer when I asked him to show me the cat.  He definitely barked for his cheese reward, though, and there was no question he had found a cat.  I hope the next time he finds a cat, he doesn't get swatted at.  I don't want him to be too cautious.

An interesting note from Sage's practice run:  Toby was hidden in a garage, in a crate just inside the pet door.  On Sage's first pass, she had no clue Toby was there.  We raised the flap of the door, and on the second pass, she still showed no interest.  Kristina led Sage by two more times, and actually had to point into the opening to get Sage to smell the cat.  Once she found Toby, she gave a clear indication.  I checked the airflow with powder, and air was being sucked into the opening, making it imposibble for Sage to smell the cat without sticking her nose in.  The lesson is that when you see any openings a cat could get through, be sure to have your dog poke his nose in there.  Don't count on scent escaping through the opening.