It pays to know your dog, especially when doing nose work! My sisters and I all work very differently, but Mom knows each of us and our styles really well. Bailie has trouble applying herself, and that is key knowledge if you want to work successfully with her!
The Level 1 Container Element Trial was on May 14th, and Bailie did get her L1C title, but it was not easy! She was not herself at all that day. She spit out treats, refused to search, and was distracted all the time. There were four searches, Bailie needed to pass three for her title. It should have been an easy day, but it was anything but! The trial was at a hockey arena but there was no ice in the rink at the time. Had mom noticed the judge (left side of the photo) was looking at his cellphone when their first search started, she would have known it was an omen for a tough day!
Bailie had very little interest in working this first search. You can see in the photo, she appears to be on a walk, not even noticing the boxes. Mom is trying desperately to get her to search but to no avail. They failed the first search…not a good way to start the day.
The second search was outside. Bailie lacked focus, but Mom managed to get enough information to call the hide correctly for a pass. This short video was their third search. See how Bailie really isn’t working at sniffing the boxes. It was a 1 1/2 minute search with just six boxes which “should” be a piece of cake. Bailie turned it into a real nerve tingler for Mom! They passed at the last minute, thank goodness!
A circle of seven boxes outside on the grass with 1 1/2 minutes was the final search. Find this one hide and get the title. Sounds easy, but Bailie made it quite difficult! Note at the start her tongue was out which is a sign she is on odor. The odor was right in front of the start line, but Bailie walked right by!
Once again, she was totally interested in everything but the boxes.
Sniffing the grass, not the box.
Looks more like she is out for a walk than a nose work search!
“Hey Mom! A flying bug!”, said Bailie. Mom knows Bailie loves to chase bugs, but she pulled her off that bug and had her get back to business right away because they already had their thirty second warning. She also likes to chase shadows. Things like this are good to know when you are competing with your dog.
Finally, with just 4 seconds to spare, Bailie told Mom where the hide was! Everyone was laughing, including Mom, because no one expected her to say “alert” at the last second. It pays to know your dog so you know if they are goofing off, not feeling well, or are not being honest with you. Bailie is a big game player which really keeps Mom on her toes all the time!
Thankfully, they managed to squeak out that L1C Title! Bailie wasn’t her usual self that day, but nevertheless, they have been working on some motivational training in anticipation of her trial spot this weekend. Paws crossed Bailie applies herself for a change! It will be almost 100 degrees on trial day which will add a whole different challenge!
The still photos in this post have been purchased from Caprise Adams, the trial photographer, for use by My GBGV Life. They are the property of My GBGV Life, and are not to be copied or used by others without permission from My GBGV Life.
Oh boy nerve wracking for sure. You gals got it done and that’s great!
Hopefully she will be on her game this weekend and spare mom the worries.
Just like people, some days you feel it, some days you don’t.
But Bailie is the big piece of the team, so it is not a good thing when she isn’t in the mood!
WHEW! I wonder who was testing whom? Gotta love us. XOXO, Sparkle
That is a very good question. No doubt Bailie knew where the hides were right away, but she just didn’t feel like bothering to mention it to her teammate!
We gotta keep our humans entertained!
I think Mom is more entertained when Bailie actually works and points out the hide location like she is supposed to!
Ducky has a mind of her own, too; but I’ve learned how to work with her when she’s being difficult. Just like your Mom with Bailie. ???
Mom loves our independent spirit, but when we are a team, she says it is no fun!
Hope you found goodies in there
Lily & Edward
Find the odor, get paid in treats…that is the game!
Oh gosh, Bailie just looked like a bored teenager in that video! We’re so glad she squeaked by in the end. We’ll be hoping she is more focused this weekend!
Bailie is good at just being difficult. We drove to IL for a tracking test only to have her lie down, eat clover, and watch birds after the first turn. One never knows which Bailie will show up, but Mom is working on motivating her.
Yep, it’s always smart to understand your dogs. Glad your mom and Bailie squeaked out a win. Good luck to both of them on their hot trial this weekend.
It will definitely be an interesting weekend!
All dogs are so different that knowing them as well as you know yours is paramount in your success! Give Bailie some huggles for me ♥
Bailie always has trouble applying herself, except in the case of huggles. She is always into huggles!
So was mom able to figure out why Bailie was having such a hard time that day? I hope she has settled down for this weekend’s test. I’m sending good thoughts for good weather.
Bailie is not one you can rely on to apply herself. When she does, she is amazing, when she doesn’t, Mom gets pretty frustrated. We will see if she is on task this weekend. Strong work ethic is not a description for Bailie. Madison has the best of us all and she is still a puppy!
Great job Bailie, you surprised everyone!
Especially mom, twice! Once because easy turned to hard, and twice because she actually did it!
Congrats on passing Bailie!! It was an awfully nice day and we can understand how distracting that must have been, but you still did it!!!
Bailie has issues with her desire to work, but we work on it.
We all have ‘off’ days. Good thing your mama was there to save the day. Canine congrats to Bailie for the L1C title.
Bailie just has her issues with getting to work, and then she wasn’t feeling quite right, so it was a wonder that they actually passed!
Wow, that looked hard! I hope that Bailie is feeling better and can pull out a great trial this weekend. Congrats on the title!!!
Bailie was on her game last weekend, but there was a speed bump, and it was a rough start to the day with storms. We’ll post about it later this week.
I loved the video – nose work is no joke. It looks like a lot of work. What a wonderful sport to do together.
It’s based off of K9 detection work. Easy, it is not but we love it and it is a lot of fun but challenging too.
Congrats on the title.
Thank you.