Скачать или смотреть Havok is a high drive German Shepherd! Watch as he searches for his ball...

In this informal video, I record a ball hide from yesterday at an empty high school.

I hide the ball, let is set for just 2 minutes, then take him around to the other side of the school to begin his search. I give him occasional verbal prompts ("come" and "check back") but for the most part this is an independent search. When he heads across the open grass, he's tracking my footprints back to the car, so I call him back. If I want him to search an area he missed or re-check a busy area, I say "check back." As he searches, I keep a mental picture of where he's searched and where he hasn't, so I can guide that nose of his! Havok loves doing ball hides. He's been doing them since he was a puppy and works just as well on leash as off leash.

On this particular day, it was 50 degrees out with pretty high winds. I hid the ball under the plastic bag, which was drenched in water. On the first pass, it's completely hidden (and odor isn't moving much from under it) so he doesn't catch the odor. On the second pass, the bag had flapped over, so he got into the scent cone and found it quickly.

Odor is fascinating. If you all like these videos, I'm happy to post more! Sorry about the wind. Next time I'll pick a less windy day. The wind adds a nice challenge though!

Havok is a six-year-old West German x Czech x DDR German Shepherd.