Anybody done K9 Nose Work?

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav and I are taking a class in K9 Nose Work.  This is a for-fun class, not to be confused with drug sniffing, cadaver-finding, or other working-dog trainings.  (And would you really want your dog to alert on a car truck while you were on your daily walk?!)

In a large room, a number of boxes are scattered around, one of which contains a high-value treat.  The dog searches, finds the treat, gets rewarded and praised.  It’s fun for the dog, and fun to watch other dogs do their searches.  There are more advanced trainings, but this box training is the beginning.  It’s a good class for dogs that are dog-reactive or shy as they work one by one, staying in the car between turns.  The dogs in Trav’s group are at various stages in their training.  One little terrier is a no-nonsense worker and just trots in, finds the treat, and is finished.  There’s an old lab that wanders arthritically around, only mildly interested in treats. 

Trav loves playing ‘find the fox,’ at home, and will patiently search the living room til he finds the hidden toy.  This game didn’t translate at all to the nose work.  Trav was delighted to see a row of people sitting in the training room and wanted to say hello to everybody.  After some coaxing, he found the treat.  He loves going to this training, but I can’t say he’s a star searcher.  He did do a lot better at our last class and found the treats in practically record time. 

If you continue on in the Nose Work, the dogs learn to search the perimeter of the room, vehicles, etc., and to search for three specific scents–birch, anise and clove–and there are trials and competitions.

Has anybody else taken their dogs to this training?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack just can't tolerate being left alone in the car for even a minute, even when he can see me.  I've often thought that it might have something to do with his life before I got him. I think the man traveled with him and might have left him in the car overnight alone. He's absolutely fine alone in the house, always has been, but not in the car.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Poor JD.

[Pat and Traveler]

Awwwww....there isn't much Jack won't tolerate.  Is he okay in a crate?  I've left Trav alone in the car for short periods of time ever since he was a baby.  He just looks out the window or sleeps---never tries to get into the front seats..

[GBK]

Will he do a soft sided crate Karen?  If Jack will search for the chicken, you don't ever have to change the treat...  he might also love the hunt and excitement enough he will get used to being crated.  This is what happened with Buddy.  He started off right next to me and would go barking crazy if I got out of his sight, but now I can go to the bathroom, or leave the training area to go to the car etc. and he is fine.  What a change! 

The classes and competitions allow reactive and dogs that don't get along with other dogs to take the classes and compete.  It is the reason it is important for all dogs to be crated and secure before the next dog does their run.  It gives owners and their dogs a chance to compete in something their dog would otherwise not be able to participate in.  My instructor told me not to buy a red harness for either of my dogs, for the competitions, it is a signal that the dog is reactive.  I was glad she told me because Buddy looks so good in red :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do appreciate all of the suggestions. It sounds wonderful for many dogs, but I just don't think this is our thing. JD is in some clinic or another every week for some procedure that does bring him some level of stress, and if we do participate in some activity purely for recreation, exercise, etc, I would like it to be as stress free as possible for both of us. But thank you for the ideas.  

[Pat and Traveler]

Yup.  Confined when not working.  I leave Trav in the car between turns, but am not sure what we'll do when the weather warms up.  I'll probably just stroll around with him on leash, and watch for the dog ahead of him in the rotation to finish. 

[Stella]

I have been doing Scent Games classes with Hartley and Chase, which I'm pretty sure is the same thing as nosework.  The dogs are supposed to be crated when it isn't their turn to allow reactive dogs to take part and still keep everyone safe.  My Chase is reactive around new dogs or those that get into his space uninvited!!  So, I was really pleased to find a class that invited dogs with problems!  Our instructor is fairly laid back and she keeps the classes fairly small, so she allows dogs that are calm and well behaved to stay out of the crate.  Because I work two dogs and usually attend the classes on my own, one of my dogs has to be crated while I work the other.  My two are big boys (Hartley is 75lb) so it can be quite comical watching me trying to carry two very heavy wire crates into the building!  We search in the other end of the room which is fenced off, so the 'problem' dogs can be off leash without worrying about there being an issue. 

You should call the instructor and ask how she sets the class up, it might be possible for JD to be out of a crate as long as he is on leash and is able to reliably stay on his blanket or something.  You can also take your own treats to pre-load the box with.  Again the instructor should work with you to make sure he is searching for something he is allowed to eat!!

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

Congrats Ozzie!! Tank is going to do a mock ORT in a few weeks as practice and we'll go from there. They have moved from inside to outside car searches. Outside is more difficult for Tank with the wind and different smells. I agree it is a great sport and the dogs love it. His class has both older and younger dogs. In the summer, we even had a blind female in class and it did wonders for her confidence. Her personality was totally different at the end of the sessions.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

Karen, it is the norm. It is keep the dogs from being distracted by other dogs when they are working. I'm not going to drag a crate around so we take Tank to the car and stay with him. At ours, there is a rotation so when the person in front of us comes out, we know it's our turn to go in.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was assuming that the dogs who participate in these classes had had some basic level of training and were able to ignore distractions like other dogs being present.

[Pat and Traveler]

Each dog has three or maybe four turns per class, so the rotation is fairly fast.  It's a good class for scardy-dogs to build confidence and also for dog-reactive dogs, though I think most of the dogs in my class have pretty good manners.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

You can walk them outside or any other way you wish.  They just can't be in the same area.  As for treats, the goal is something they will search for.  Whatever that is works.  Tank has done everything from salmon to Hebrew hotdogs.