Is your dog a nose hound or sight hound or a combination? Until this last year, I had never heard of a sight hound. But thanks to Animal Planet and the episode on the Afgan Hound, I learned about sight hounds. Well, Rosie can't find anything by smell like other dogs. I can hide behind a door and she will never find me. And Josie Wales the Outlaw Cat hides behing the sofa cushions with just her eyes out, and Rosie goes all over the house looking for her--even checks the litter box. Obviously that must make her a sight hound. Except, anything that remotely smells like something to eat and she is all over it. She will even jump up in my lap and check my breath if I am chewing gum. At the office, as soon as the first person goes to the breakroom and starts to eat--she is there. So I guess she is both.

I've always said that Tucker has Bloodhound genes! He's ALL about sniffing on our walks! He's always got his nose to the ground. He'd be fabulous in tracking competitions, if only he could see (and BE seen,) through the tall grass, ha!

Gucci's smell senses are AMAZING. I've been playing tracking games with her since she is a puppy (I used to hide jerky all over the place and make it a game), but the other day we were driving home from my dh's office and my husband was in his own car behind me and she could SMELL him and was flipping out looking for him, it was pretty cool..but her nose is always moving, so I'd have to say smell and not so much sight, because her hair is always shaggy on her eyes w/o her topknot...she has gotten used to functioning with shaggy eyes.

Yep, it's all about smell for Augie too. He was driving me nuts on our walk today, nose to the ground the whole way. And I can tell if there has been an animal in our yard when I take him out to potty. He is sniffing and wandering around all over the place following a scent. We have nutria and raccoons that get in the yard.

Pretty much what I figured. Havanese are nose hounds. Now How would I go about training Rosie to use her nose for finding things other than food? Every other dog I have had could track anything anywhere. No searching by sight for someone. My old Alsation would find an object that I had thrown by smell even if he didn't see where I threw it--not Rosie, if she can't see it, she thinks I didn't throw. Bound to be some tricks to the trade so to speak.

Linda,

You have Nutrias, too? UGH! I do NOOOTTTT like those things, they scare me and are like big rats and I"m worried to have Gucci or the kids around them,

My DH killed one that got into his garden a few weeks ago, I wonder if they carry disease, maybe not..they are in the rodent family... I like to think she's tracking the bunnies in our yard, I certainly hope the nutrias don't venture out of the water too much, lol

We used to call them the lil' loch ness monsters..

Kara

Hi Lucile, nose work is a popular dog sport. Google nose work and you'll find a ton of links. I'm sure there are some with ideas for getting your pup started.

Kodi is not naturally very able to find by scent either. (not that vie done anything to encourage it!)

Kara - we live in a valley that would be swampy if not for a drainage slough that serpentines through. We have herons, ducks, raccoons, etc. - and these nutria that usually will just get up on the bank alongside the slough and sit like little rabbits and eat grass..... but once in awhile, they venture into the yard. We had one come in a couple of weeks ago onto our patio - and, yes, it creeped me out because he meandered over and was under some of my plants nibbling on them. When I am out weeding, I just reach under them WITHOUT LOOKING and I could have grabbed him!! We were a bit concerned about this one, as they usually amble away when confronted by a human, but he acted as if he did not even hear us. I yelled, threw a bucket toward him, waved my arms - absolutely NO response. My husband swept him into a bucket and dumped him into the slough. We also have had beavers - took out three of my apple trees - that was a shocker. Lots of hawks flying overhead as well. We NEVER let Augie out alone. He is always on leash except in his little play area where he can run off leash and we are with him.

Never never weed a flower bed without looking where you put your hand. I once flipped over a copperhead snake that was coiled to strike. Needless to say, I leavitated to the porch and had my husband kill it and kill it again and to be on the safe side made him put the pieces parts in the highway. Now, I always run my rake through the beds before doing hand weeding. (A cat works too.)

Smarty seems to be a “hearing hound”. Seriously she looks up at planes, she runs to the window with any noise. She cocks her head to the side trying to pick up a sound. And let us open the treat cabinet ….that brings 2 little girls to the kitchen without any other inducement.