Last weekend was our big nose work weekend! Mom was on a committee with some of our nose work friends, that helped SPDTC host four element specialty trials. It was a lot of work to get the entire weekend to run smoothly, but the committee and our super certifying official pulled it all together to make a big success. Those six humans made a great team!
The entire event took place in my backyard which was awesome! The Lakeville Hasse Arena was the trial site for the weekend. I had my photographer get a shot of the place first thing in the morning when just a couple cars had arrived to unload supplies. It was a wonderful nose work venue!
Mom volunteered to get poop bags for the trial. We contacted a few companies, but the only one who came through was Earth Rated, which is our brand of choice anyway! With over a hundred dogs competing over the course of the weekend, the potty area is a popular spot and Earth Rated bags helped keep it tidy! Always scoop that poop is our motto, as you know.
I was entered in the Saturday afternoon Level 1 Interior Trial, and the Sunday morning Level 2 Container Trial. My mom was working as a volunteer coordinator and volunteer for the other two trials, so I got to hang out in my kennel in the arena office. It was perfect since it was inside, air conditioned, and a safe place to leave dogs in their crates. I also got to lounge on my new fleece kennel blanket my friend Kira made for me! I did really well and never howled or barked despite being left in there for several hours each day. I was not alone as there were four to five other dogs from the committee crated too.
Saturday afternoon was my time to get my Level 1 Interior Title. I had a leg from May 2015, which means I only needed to find three of the four hides, but Mom and I like to do it right and find them all. Being as it was interiors, there is no photography or video available. The search areas are not that big, and there have to be three to four people in the room for various jobs like timer, and judge, so I have no photos of my searches. This was the first photo of me right after I got my new Title, L1I.
Sunday morning I was lacking in the energy department, but we were still excited for container searches. Unfortunately, I wasn’t “in my zone” for the first search which was boxes on benches, and didn’t find the two hides. I did find the other five in the next three searches, but didn’t get a title. The other three searches were luggage in a circle in the arena, paint cans and boxes on a concrete area, and boxes on a sidewalk. When finished, I returned to my car to assume my usual “cool as a cucumber” position. In the afternoon, I went back to my crate in the arena office.
All in all it was a great weekend. We had a blast and Mom’s mental management is really coming along. When I messed up my first container search, it was not a big deal, we went right on to our next searches and did well. Mom is learning to manage her mind, and I’m working on my search speed and communicating quicker when I find odor.
Earth rated poop bags are my favorite too. I buy them in bulk. 🙂
That must have been fun for mom to help get the event ready, gave her an idea of what it was like on the other side.
I’m glad the mental management is helping mom, and she didn’t get flustered when you were a bit ‘off.’ No big deal, there is still plenty of time for you to get your title.
good job all around!
Elements titles are fun, sort of like speed dating only nose work. They are super fast searches and very creative stuff too. We love any title, but element titles are not as important as the NW1, 2, 3, etc. They are great for practicing and we can always use practice.
Sounds like a really fun event! Congratulations, ladies!
It was a super fun weekend and the title was a nice addition to the fun.
We haven’t tried Earth Rated poop bags, but will keep an eye out for them. Glad things went well this weekend and that your mom’s mental management practice is helping!
She still needs to keep working on it so it becomes more of a habit, but it was a good first test.
Congrats on a job well done and the new title too!
Thank you. It was a fun weekend.
Congrats!
Thank you.
Yay!! Another winning weekend, even sounded fun Sunday despite the loss. Good job being such a good girl Emma, that must be such a relief to your mom knowing she can leave you alone and you’re fine.
Thanks. I do howl at home when Mom leaves sometimes so she thought I might howl since the room was right next to the scoreroom where people were going in and out plus talking, but I was nice and quiet the entire time.
Me and my three Portuguese Water Dogs love the Earth Rated poop bags too! Thank you to Emma for having her mom get these for the trial. I had a great time at the trial too and want to congratulate team Emma on a job well done!
Next time you will have to delegate the host job to someone else for a day or part of a day so some of your gang can run 😉
Wow what a cool event
Lily & Edward
We had a real fun weekend!
I am so glad that you had a fun weekend. I apologize that my connection didn’t come through. WTD?! I LOVE your shirt. ♥
We tried three different companies, only one got back to us. Not sure what happened with yours, but we did try. It was just a small part of a big fun weekend!
Congratulations on your new title, Emma!! That is so great your Mom helped out so much, and that you were able to relax while she did all that. It sounds like you both had a super weekend!
We were both wiped out by Sunday night, but happy!
Congratulations. It sounds like a fabulous weekend.
It was a lot of fun for both of us and everyone who attended as well.
Hosting an event is a lot of work. good job to you and the others for taking it on. Congrats on the title!
It is a big job which was made easier by having our committee work on it all and share the work.
Kudos on the Earth Rated bag score. Well done.
That worked well, and the whole weekend was a success.
Sounds like a fun weekend! I’m doing a “mental” type of program too at agility-u.com… called the mental prep of motivation. It’s a good one!
There are a lot of good ones out there. This one was focused on mainly nose work and agility. Mom thought she had mental management down, but she learned a lot about where her old program fell apart and why. Now it is training with it so it all becomes habit.
I have to read your blog carefully to make sure I know which dog is doing the nosework because you and Bailee are starting to look so much alike! Congratulations to you, and your mom, on a great job! Love Dolly
Bailie is the tall skinny one, I’m the short slow one! LOL! Just love nose work!
Except for Sunday morning WHERE Your Eyes Are closed it looks like you had fun and got a title. Congrats
I was not on my game on Sunday, but the Interior Title was more important to us anyway. Next time I’ll get the other one!