Candid photographs from our nose work trials are always so much fun to look at. Aside from learning each time we compete in a trial, watching the videos of our searches and looking at the still photos are also great learning tools. It takes time to get the photos as they need to be edited before we can purchase them, but videos are usually available within a day. I thought Bailie at the start line would be the perfect first photo for this post!
You may remember these searches from the videos of Bailie’s searches in my previous post from her recent trial at Afton Alps. Even if you are not the one competing, watching others search can be a valuable learning tool. The first hide Bailie found in her container search is probably our favorite photo of all! Can you say, “Smile, I smell that prime rib payment heading my way!” If you don’t know much about nose work, the people in orange vests are the volunteers. They work each search element in different jobs such as the timer, videographer, and gate steward.
Bailie sniffed the second container hide on her first two trips around the circle of boxes but did not alert. Why? We don’t know, as she says that information is for her to know and the rest of us to find out. We know she checked it out both times without calling it by watching her video and looking at the still shots.
Mom did make a mental note on the second pass to make sure and go back to this box. On the third pass, Mom keeps going, but you can see by Bailie’s posture and the tight line, she is not moving, thus Mom correctly called the alert. One way to test if your dog is serious is to keep moving. A good nose work dog should not leave the odor until they have been “paid”.
We love this shot of Bailie coming around the furthest golf cart in her vehicle search with the snow. She looks like she is on the hunt!
Because she wasn’t picking up the odor, Bailie was kind of wandering along, not really into searching. At one point on the back of the second vehicle she caught odor. You can see her air scenting. She does a lot of air scenting for nose work and in her everyday life.
She went right over to the back passenger wheel on the first golf cart from her air scent and had the odor.
There are no videos or photos allowed in the interior searches, so the last search with photos Bailie had was her exterior search. As she caught the odor and approached the hide location her tongue came out. This is a telltale sign Bailie is on odor, but Mom is usually behind her and can’t see it. This is another reason these candid photographs come in handy.
Bailie went directly to the snowboard and got her nose right in there as close as she could to the odor. I guess when you are at a ski place, you should expect to find hides in or on ski equipment.
That is it, she has earned her NW2 Title finding all eight hides in the five searches! I have to admit, she does look pretty happy!
One other note, Bailie seems to be on a roll. She earned her L1E (Level 1 Exteriors) Title last Sunday. The trial was held at a fairgrounds, thus the striped background. She has now completed everything for level 1 in nose work and is working on the last three elements in level 2. We will post more on her trial in a few weeks when the photos are out.
Thank you once again to Caprise Adams for taking such wonderful photographs of our searches. We have purchased these photos for our own use.
Great photos! It’s nice that your Mom can get those. I love the first one where both Bailie and Mom look fired up and ready to go!
It sure sounds like Bailie has found her groove, and will be a nose works star just like you, Emma!
Mom is hoping their groove continues which may mean she will surpass me, but we shall see. With all three of us working on different things, the field is wide open.
Our favorite photo is the last one! Bailie looks so proud of her accomplishments! Hooray! have a great day, your doodle friend Dash
She was happy after getting her NW2 but after earning her L1E on Sunday a bunch of people cheered for her and gave her lots of loving which really made her feel special which she loves. Mom is thrilled and hopes their team success continues.
These are such great photos!!! Wonderful! Well done Bailie!!!!
Caprise photographs most of the trials around here and always does a great job. The hard part is waiting for her to edit and post the photos.
Go Bailie!!! What a wonderful photo journal of Bailie’s trial!
xoxo,
Jakey, Arty & Rosy
We always look forward to the photos and videos. Mom says the funny thing is a lot of times what she thinks happened in her own mind was actually something different when we look at the photos and videos.
Great Job Team Purple! I guess Mom is going to have to watch for Bailie’s tongue now?
Until you actually compete you can’t even imagine how many things there are to think about! The tongue is so hard because Mom is almost always behind us. With me, my tail can tell what I am up to but humans usually forget all that stuff in the moment and watch our noses.
Wooftastic work Bailie!
3 bum swings! 3 more!
You must be so proud of your accomplishments in stink work!
Nose nudges,
CEO Olivia
Mom says she smells a winner in me these days!
How adorable that her tongue pops out when she is on to an odor! I like your mom’s purple vest matching with Bailie’s purple harness and leash.
Mom says, it’s not just how you do, it’s how you look doing it. She wears pink for Madison and red for me. Last weekend when both Bailie and I were in a trial on the same day, she changed her shirt so we would match correctly 🙂
Way to go Bailie, congrats! We enjoyed seeing all the work you were doing!
We have to live up to our name, scent hounds, and we love doing it!
Congratulations on your L1E and your NW2!
Bailie seems to be on a nose work mission. Hopefully it will continue when she has more trials.
Ballie you look so cute when you scent the odor.
Once she hits the odor cone, she is totally into it.
Congratulations, Bailie! We are sooooooo proud of you! These are great photos too.
Mom is thrilled with Bailie lately. It seems like she finally matured a bit and is getting to business with her nose work, doing what we knew she could do all along.
I love those photos! They are well done, and we can really see the expressions on Bailie’s face. She is intent and having fun. Thanks for sharing!
She has never been really into nose work, but lately she has matured a bit and is really doing well. It is a lot more fun for both her and Mom these days.
LOVE the photos. Way to go Purple girl!!! Keep the wind under your sails!
We are hoping it keeps going as Bailie doesn’t have any trials coming up in the near future. Winter is slow.
Those are some really nice photos!
Caprise always takes great photos!
I just LOVE that you have found a sport that you all love. Exercising your brain is so important, as you and I both know.
Kudos to Bailie and Mom for sticking with it, and learning to work as a team.
Our lives revolve around nose work, and we all love it. We need to get some tracking in as well, but it is so much harder to practice as we have to find fields, let tracks age, etc. Nose work is the perfect sport.