Today I’m thankful for points and placements. Once you get to the higher levels of nose work every trial doesn’t mean a title but you can earn points and placements in your searches. It also means, if you don’t earn the minimum number of points, you go home with nothing. Thankfully I have not lost my points…yet. It could happen to anyone but we don’t worry about it. I had an Elite Select Trial Saturday afternoon and an all day Elite Premier Trial Sunday both trials were at the Andersen Scout Camp in Houlton, WI, under an hour from home.
It was quite steamy out on Saturday but I don’t let it stop me. I search like a champ in any weather. An ELT-S trial is four speed searches which is super fun. Mom decided not to wear the GoPro and just have fun. There are no placements in this level only points. Even without official placements, the results give everyone their placement. We had a lot of fun but missed one hide and got one no. Mom was a bit disappointed but then we saw the trial results and we placed first out of the twenty dogs, the only team to find twelve of the thirteen hides. Everyone else found eleven or less. Hopefully I will earn my ELT-S Title at our next one.
Sunday was the ELT-P. I earned my title at the last one I entered back in June. Now I’m working on getting another four hundred points for my second title at this level. Mom did video these searches. Most of the searches on Saturday and Sunday had one high hide. Mom and I used to miss those a lot but this weekend we got all of them which is really fun! The video above is our favorite search of the day (including the high hide). It was a known number of four hides and we had three minutes to find them in the Petersen Cabin. I found them all in one minute, eleven seconds, and still only placed ninth out of thirty dogs!
We had one bad search at the beginning of our day, but the rest of our day was super nice and we did well. I placed second in the bunkroom search which was five and a half minutes with an unknown number of hides. The space was two big bunkrooms, and two bathroom and shower rooms. I found all four hides including the high one on an upper bunk. This search earned me a second place ribbon. The next two weekends will be Nelsons and then we both have trials in mid-August. Nelson and I sure do love sniffing and so does Mom!
We’re joining Brian’s Home Blog in the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
You are so smart and cute, Olivia, and you always look like you’re having so much fun!
I love my sniffing so much. Mom has to really have a good hold on my leash as I pull like crazy to get to my searches.
that is so wonderful how you like what you do.. and to have something what we do together is like the glue what makes us to a unit… a special unit ;O) nall the good luck for next event…
Nelson and I love our sniffing so much, we can hardly stand waiting for our turn and Mom has to have a good hold on us or we would pull her over trying to get to our search areas.
What fun!!!!!!
Sniffing is my favorite thing, I always have a great time.
We always love how excited you and Nelson get during your event…and bet your Mom’s upper body strength gets a good workout too BOL!
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
Mom has weight lifter arms as we really pull. Sniffing puzzles are so fun and the snacks sweeten the deal.
Awesome post. We love your videos. When you say you got one “no”- does that mean you thought you found a hide? or does it mean mom misread what you were saying?
Mom and I just love learning all about this sport! And you definitely love it too!! have a great day your friend Chester
I really do love it. Mom isn’t sure what happened there as she doesn’t call things she is not sure of and I am very honest but there was pot roast in the container next to one of the hides and I was checking it out so it could be that she called to early or that the odor from the odor box was blowing on the pot roast box. No’s are rare for us but it happened. We have to move on from it and we did find all four of the correct hides after that. Nose work puzzles are so much fun and Mom loves watching how we find things and the fun we have. It’s a sport that is constantly changing as we sniff in different types of places all over the US, different people setting the puzzles, and the way odor travels is always changing too. Something like agility is boring because it is the same stuff in a different arrangement every time. It’s hard for us to stay interested in it. Besides, we are scent hounds not agility hounds so we love using our noses.
I am thankful for you sweet doggies and Bravo to you and Mom for all your hard work ~ hugs,
an artist reflects,
(carol and ziggy)
She loves being our teammate and watching us solve all the puzzles.
Very very wonderful post Olivia and OMDs you and Nelson are the dream team.
Olivia your ears are absolutely beautiful and wavy and I am a tad jealous
Hugs cecilia
Don’t be offended but I think if you had wavy ears it would look a bit odd 😉 I have soft wire furs that do get wavy and curly.
Fun, fun, fun! I was sniffing as I read it!
Did you sniff out anything good?
Congratulations. Well sniffed
Thank you. It was a fun short search to end our day.
Excellent work! I’m glad you are still having fun and earning points, placements and once in so often, titles.
Hopefully some titles coming up again but we enjoy the sniffing with or without titles.
It’s very cool that we know a famous scent pup like you, we always enjoy your wins! Thanks for joining Angel Brian’s Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Thank you. We love our sniffing work and Mom loves it too. It is what we are meant to do.
Way to go, Olivia! You darling, smart little showoff curve-wrecker!
I love my sniffing work, it is so fun!
You’re always a champ in our books!
Thank you. I’m pretty good and sniffing and I love it so much!