This week is our Halloween search.
Bates is one of our newest dogs in the K9 Nose Work Program.
She is proficient in Birch. We just introduced Anise in this search. The Anise is paired with food.
Derek did a nice job of supporting Bates in her first time through the maze.
When I started my K9 Nose Work journey in the Fall of 2010, I had no idea how profound this sport would be for so many dogs with sensitivities.
NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work) created a sport that any breed of all ages, could participate in and find success.
Throughout the years, NACSW has been the gold standard, in my humble opinion, for developing a program that proved this sport is truly for all dogs, even fearful dogs.
I have trained with many dogs that were shy and fear-reactive; not only toward other dogs, but also towards people.
As a Certified Nose Work Instructor, I have followed the protocol set forth by NACSW to work within the dogs' comfort level.
By learning about each dog's sensitivities and abilities to train, we have been able to bring shy and reactive dogs around to now being confident and socially comfortable canine companions.
Meet Hannah and Bonnie. In human dynamics, Bonnie is the great niece of my German shepherd, Turbo. (Turbo passed away on April 3, 2023).
I was thrilled to have a relative of Turbo's in training with me.
Bonnie was a very shy puppy who became fear-reactive as she entered adolescence. She is now 11 months old.
Hannah struggled with taking her for walks; taking her out to new locations; meeting new people and dogs and even Bonnie's introduction to Nose Work classes was challenging.
Bonnie would come into class barking. She had trouble focusing on the task of finding food in open boxes, which is how we start dogs in K9 Nose Work.
We always made sure the students were far enough away from the search area so Bonnie did not feel threatened. Over time, Bonnie was barking less, but was still not comfortable.
Bonnie wore a harness, not only for Nose Work, but also when going for walks. A couple of months ago, we suggested taking the harness off of Bonnie and just use a flat collar.
What a difference with changing that variable! Bonnie had negative associations with wearing the harness. Once that w
Ingrid is now my youngest student in K9 Nose Work training. She is 5 months old.
Ingrid had her first introduction to the game last evening.
Her first round was on leash; one box that food was being placed in. Forgive the jerky movements with the video camera. I was trying to video while moving the food box.
The third round was off leash, allowing Ingrid to move independently of Pat. That video is below in the comments.
I am honored to be training with Pat and Heather. Ingrid is their 5th dog to train in K9 Nose Work with me.
We have so much sniffing fun ahead.
Last week we were working suspended hide exercises.
My students know how much I enjoy watching search patterns, and observing the way each dog tracks odor. When you see similarities, that is a great indication of where odor is flowing; how large the scent cone may be; where odor is pooling or collecting on objects in the environment and seeing the moment the dog makes the decision that he or she found the source of odor.
This video is Reggie, the Leonberger. The hide was just above his nose height. He's a big guy. The other factor is this is his barn. He had to make the decision that he was working odor and not just hanging out with Nadine.
It was a fun week at the Filer barn. Thank you so much Jim and Nadine Filer for sharing your place. 💜🐾💚
Our suspended hide training has been going all week.
It is so much fun seeing the enthusiasm of the dogs as they search for the source of the "floating odor".
Archie, the Yellow Lab and Betty, the Boston Terrier have different search styles and very different indicators when they find the hide.
Betty's video is in the "comments".
This week in our K9 Nose Work classes, we are working suspended hides.
This type of hide is challenging even for advanced dogs. It's a skill they must develop.
My newest group of students, who includes my Sonic, had the opportunity to work their first suspended hide last evening.
This was even more challenging because we were doing searches in a barn. The dogs had to work through the odors in the environment, but also air scent to track the Birch molecules floating down and collecting on objects and the floor.
With this being their introduction to suspended hides, I thought I may have to pair the hide with food. To everyone's surprise, no pairing was needed. This proved that all of our foundation work has and is paying off.
Sonic is young, not quite 7 months old. He's a happy searcher and very much wants to visit anyone in or near the search area. He's learning that he's working and not supposed to be visiting. 😄
I am very proud of how all the dogs and handlers worked their first suspended hide.
This video shows Sonic working. My little puppy is entering adolescence.
How to entertain a puppy: Give him a blueberry.😄
No matter what level you are training or competing at in K9 Nose Work, you can NEVER go wrong with pairing food with the target odor.
This wonderful team, Steve and Bearon, are competing at very high levels. They currently have 6 of 10 legs toward their AKC Detective Title and are half way to their NACSW Elite Champion Title. Achieving this is no easy feat. It takes time, a lot of training and not rushing the process.
Steve still goes back to basics with Bearon to work on skill building exercises.
During this past week's training, I set up two different types of searches: ground or "crack hides" as we call them and then high hides at different heights. All hides were paired. By pairing all of the hides, this helped build Bearon's drive and enthusiasm to keep searching.
Steve did not know the number of hides placed. I gave him a range. He allowed Bearon to lead the search and follow his nose. Even though Bearon was able to self reward on many of the hides, Steve still rewarded him at source every time.
This team is a joy to train with.
Don't rush the process. Enjoy every step of this beautiful journey with your sniffing partner.
