My face in the photo pretty much show how proud I am of myself with my nose work news that I am sharing today! As you may recall, I did pass my Birch and Anise ORTs, so I can compete in either odor, but a dog normally works with instructors for at least a year before competing. Bailie and I are both taking classes and she has passed her Birch ORT, but she is still young, and just has trouble focusing on the task at hand sometimes. I take my nose work very seriously and am getting pretty good at it as well as getting Mom to understand me when I tell her alert (I found it).
Okay, okay, I know you are wondering what my nose work news is. My teacher told me and Mom two weeks ago that I’m doing really well, and she thinks I might be ready to enter my first trial. The first trial ever in Minnesota is in September and there were a couple spots left. Wow! Mom and I were so excited! We raced home and got our entry in right away. It is official, I will be competing in my first NACSW NW1 trial on September 8! We are practicing extra hard right now and I also have to read all the rules and regulations so we don’t do something stupid and get kicked out! We will be posting all about it after the trial, how it works, how it went, etc. We know we have a lot of work to do, but it is worth trying and if we pass, great, if not, we will have some good experience under our fur.
Bailie and I just completed a three week “What the nose knows” class where we search for blind hides and our searches are video taped. We can watch our searches later and see what we missed that could help us in the future with searches. Every week we met in a different location with totally different stuff to search, so we learn to search in any environment. I chose a couple videos that I thought my friends might find interesting to watch. The first two are about 30 seconds, the third a bit longer, but they go by real fast, so you won’t get bored.
This first one was from this week. The hide is in the door stopper. At first I was confused because of mirrored doors behind me and an empty room, but then I realized there was odor to be found. Take note at how well I point out the hide to my mom and how she doesn’t get it! Seriously, if we are going to pass the NW1 trial, she needs to up her game a bit!
This second one was last week. We had a vehicle search on this RV. I’m showing Bailie’s video on this one. Look at how busy and fast she is. You can see how she is sidetracked and starts tracking something else on the ground, but when Mom holds the leash, she shakes off and refocuses and finds the hide almost immediately. We have both started shaking off to help focus. Because Bailie is easily distracted and often loses focus, she won’t be doing a trial for a while yet.
My last video is the one from week one that Mom finds totally amazing. Remember, we are looking for 2-QTip ends with odor that are stuffed into an about 1.5 inch straw and hidden out of sight. Our hide was in an old shed with a dirt floor, tons of junk and stuff, critters live in this shed, there are openings where odor can come in from outside, and we need to focus and find that tiny 1.5″ hide. The shed was divided so we did have boundaries which is why Mom kept me in the certain area. Considering all the stuff and smells, it blew Mom’s mind that I could find that odor as fast as I did.
K9 nose work is a workout! Bailie and I are both dead dog tired after a class. We work our nose and brains really hard, so that is why K9 nose work is fitting for FitDog Friday! If you are in the Twin Cities and want to give it a try, we recommend Active Dog Sports! They are great and offer all kinds of dog sports. Iβm co hosting the FitDog Friday Blog Hop with SlimDoggy, and To Dog With Love!Β Please join us on Fridays to share your fitness stories with others, find new ways to have fun, and new fitness ideas too! Tell your friends to stop by as well – fit dogs are healthier, happier dogs!
Good luck at your competition!
Thank you. We have high hopes but we also know it is a long shot.
We so wish you the best of luck. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
Thanks, you have a great Friday too!
Can’t wait to hear about your first competition! I’m sure you’ll do great! I love how in the first video you have to nudge your Mom’s hand to get her attention. It’s amazing to me how you know the rules and realize you have to tell your Mom when you smell something specific.
Sometimes Mom is really dumb as a rock! I know exactly what I am looking for, it is her I’m not so sure about π
What exciting news Emma – we can’t wait to hear about it. Your videos are very interesting – mom does need to work on her recognizing the queues a little bit though!
I know, she is just not understanding the concept!
Congratulations, Emma, and good luck at your first competition!
Thank you. We will see how it goes.
So cool you guys!!! Keep it up and good luck at the trial. I can’t wait to hear about it!
Thank you, we are excited. Mom has to trust me which is the hardest part! Bailie just started her tracking class and is still doing nose work too. Hopefully she can try an NW1 trial next time and get her TD title this winter.
I’ve seen some of KΓΌster’s SAR companions locate scents of dead people who have been dead and buried a long time (it was in a cemetery, so that’s how we knew they were there), so it’s not a surprise to me that you can find a Q-Tip with scent hidden! Our noses are finely honed pieces of equipment that humans will nevr be able to replicate with a machine! Sending you the very best of luck on your trial!
Bunny
Thank you, Bunny. It will be a fun and exciting experience for Mom and I.
Great job you two! I think Torrey needs to join you in this game.
I bet she would really love it. The hard part would be getting to classes since you all are always traveling around.
Hi Y’all!
OH I can’t wait, can’t wait! I know you’ll do super duper!
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
I’m pretty confident in myself, not so confident in my mom, but she will try her best to read me.
Emma, that was great. I’m deep impressed that you only searched for the hide, although I bet there were a lot of interesting smells in that shed… maybe even mice? I cross my paws for the trial on september 8.
Mice, squirrels, wabbits, old food, it was all there, but when I know I am working on my nose work I can concentrate really well.
Great job! Good luck with your first trial. You’ll do great!
It’s not me I worry about, it is Mom. Hopefully she will be paying real good attention to my signals and trust me.
Emma, I find it so interesting that both you and Bailie shake your bodies as a way of getting focused. Did they teach you that or is that plain old instinct? good luck with the competition, all paws crossed at our house for you! your doodle friend, Dash
We just started doing that recently on our own. We have noticed that a lot of dogs do that, and we did not, but I guess it has something to do with our level of training maybe. It kind of shakes some sense into us!
Bow wow, bow wow, bow wow (that is “all right, all right, all right” in dog talk!) you did pawsome, Emma, and Bailie is not too shabby either! Were you scared in that shed like building? I am clapping my paws in excitement for you. XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
The shed wasn’t scary, but it was so interesting, just packed to the roof with good smells. I’m excited to see how Mom and I do at the trial on the 8th. Hopefully she won’t let me down.
Wow, good luck! Looks like a lot of fun and yes, tiring! Have a great Friday!
A big nasal/brain workout!
Humans can be so hard to train sometimes π Good luck at your competition.
It is so easy, but Mom really has trouble reading me sometimes so I have to really make a big effort to get her attention.
Congratulations Emma! I can’t wait to hear all about your competition. Good luck and don’t study too hard! Love Dollh
Mom says we are going to work real hard until next Friday and then take a couple days off before the trial so I am fresh and ready to roll.
well done – you are a champ for sure
It would be really awesome to get my NW1 title, but we will see.
Congrats Emma! Good luck with your first trial, have an awesome weekend π
Youβll do just fine Im sure!
We are going to do our best, but it is a team effort and I’m not so sure about my partner, but she does her best.
Best of luck, you guys look like you’re doing great. I love that first video “she needs to step up her game” lol. I agree that the 3rd one is amazing – finding some Q Tips in a place like that so quickly is impressive.
Mom says it just blows her mind, but it is pretty simple if I know what to look for, and I do.
wow! Sounds exciting! Good luck!
α¦ husky hugz α¦ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Since we never planned to think about competing until early next year, it is an exciting surprise.
We are so, so proud of you!!!
π
How exciting and what a great compliment for you! I am very, very proud of my Sweetie! β₯ XXOO Bentley
Hopefully we can pass. It is a four part test and I have to pass all four parts.
Awesome job. I love it when “normal” dogs can help do things they never thought that you could and prove them wrong.
Hopefully we will be able to pass the four tests. We will see.
Good luck! The first trial is always nerve-wracking.
Mom is volunteering on the first day so she can get a feel for the whole thing and that should help. We hope to do well, but are not going in with huge expectations, so we shall see.
Always fun to watch you guys in action. And I love the pre-shake both pups do. It’s like an athlete right before their event. Instead of whistling while you work, I also enjoy that the tails wag while working.
That is very true. Never thought about whistling vs tail wagging!
Good luck π
Thank you.
Excellent job you two. It is really great to see how you work it. π
Mom could use your help as Bailie needs to have search maps drawn for all her tracking tracks. Mom thought of you and your great diagrams all the time!
How exciting! Good luck! Barley and I have been slacking on noseworks this week with me going back to work, but we’ll get back at it soon! I wish it wore her out–instead she’s just rarin’ to go still! We usually followed our hour-long noseworks classes with an hour-long walk before she’d start to get tired π
We get all wired up at class too, but it is a good half hour ride home which lulls us into a bit of a sleepy mode and when we get home, we usually go in the yard to run off that last energy. We are tired but wired is what I would say.
Emma, that is so exciting, and we can’t wait to hear how you do!!! I really enjoyed the videos….I think you just surprise your Mom sometimes when you find it so quickly, and she’s not ready yet! π
She is having trouble trusting me, but we are working on it.
Wow, good job in the videos! And good luck on the 8th! π
Thank you. We hope for the best.
Wow Congrats Emma! That first video is pretty amazing. Good luck in your competition!
Mom says if I did my alert like in the first video every time she would never have a problem trusting me!
Yay for you!!!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!!
I can’t wait to give it a try.
Wow, Emma! You rock. Can’t wait to hear how your first trial goes. I’ve done a little nose work myself and was quite good at it. We’re looking for a new teacher for the ‘rainy’ season!
I’m in it for the long haul, so I’m in class year round. It is so much fun, isn’t it?
How very cool for you, I’ll be rooting you on. Good luck to you and your mom!
Thank you. One week to go, which means a few more practice sessions.
Good luck in the trial, Emma! I hope you have a great time and I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Six days to go, not that I am counting. Hopefully it will go well.
How exciting! You will do great, I’m sure. Can’t wait to hear about it! =D
Only six days to go until we give it a shot. Hopefully it will go well.
I hope everything goes well. Good luck !!!
Thank you. We will try our best to pass all four tests.
Congrats, Emma! You must be doing really well! You look so happy doing your searches in the videos with that wagging tail. Impressive work!
I adore nose work. We are really excited to see how we do at the trial.
You totally told mom right where that hide was in the first video. Are you working with her to help her identify when you’ve found something?
Good luck with the trial next week, I know you’ll do GREAT!!
I’m trying to train her, but humans are tough.