From the 2013 July-Aug-Sept AWSS Newsletter
K9 NOSE WORK AND SHELTIES, PERFECT TOGETHER!
by Lisa Mason Stoddard
When you order your cup of coffee in the morning and you take the first whiff, you know whether or not that teaspoon of sugar you asked for was put in by the barista. Well, your dog’s nose is able to tell if that same teaspoon of sugar is in the equivalent of two Olympic-size swimming pools of coffee. While you can smell that beef stew cooking in your kitchen, your dog’s nose can smell each individual ingredient and spice. That is just how amazing your dog’s sense of smell can truly be… why not have fun with that natural talent and try nose work!
K9 NOSE WORK AND SHELTIES, PERFECT TOGETHER!
by Lisa Mason Stoddard
When you order your cup of coffee in the morning and you take the first whiff, you know whether or not that teaspoon of sugar you asked for was put in by the barista. Well, your dog’s nose is able to tell if that same teaspoon of sugar is in the equivalent of two Olympic-size swimming pools of coffee. While you can smell that beef stew cooking in your kitchen, your dog’s nose can smell each individual ingredient and spice. That is just how amazing your dog’s sense of smell can truly be… why not have fun with that natural talent and try nose work!
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Nose work is a relatively new sport that is taking off in leaps and bounds! If you have a sheltie that loves food and is eager to learn, you’re off to a good start! Nose work is great for anyone, even extremely high drive dogs. It is good for building a bond with your dog
or helping them to build their self confidence. It is a low-impact activity that is great for retired dogs who still want to have a job. It is also a great sport if you have an aggressive or reactive dog. The trials are designed with special parking, potty and practice areas for these dogs. They wear a red bandana during the trial to indicate that these dogs need extra personal space and to take special care when you see them. To get started all you need for your sheltie is a buckle collar or harness and at least a 6’ leash; long lines and flexi leads are good, too. Nose work is basically a game of hide-and-seek that uses the dog’s natural instincts. You start off with cardboard boxes and their favorite treat. The dogs very quickly learn the game of finding the one box amongst all the others with the treat inside. You then progress to hiding the treats in other containers, inside, outside and on vehicles. Nose work classes at your local dog-training schools will show you methods used to help the dogs learn to play the hide-and-seek games and when to properly reward them for finding the correct locations. |
Lucky,
shown here, quickly learns the hide-and-seek game.
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Ooh That Smell… Can’t You Smell that Smell…? Once the dog learns the game, you will start including scents in with the treats so they start to recognize the odors that are required for nose work competitions. The three scents used are all oils: Birch, Anise and Clove. Scents are trained in that order. A few drops of the oils are placed on a couple of Q-tips and the Q-tips are hidden instead of the treats. The treats will now only be used as a reward for correctly indicating where the Q-tip with the scent is hidden. Starter kits, like this one on the left, can be ordered on line for in-home training. www.leerburg.com or www.nacsw.net .
Calling the ALERT! Working as a team your dog learns to bring out and improve his/her natural hunting drive while the handler improves his/her skills of observation. The handler learns to read the dog’s body language and indicators when they have ALERTed the handler of the hide. A dog’s individual natural indicators vary and can be anything from pawing at a hide, sticking their nose on a hide, sitting, laying down or even looking up at the handler, etc. Because some dogs can be very quick indicating on a hide, the handler may miss it. A trained indicator is usually not taught to the dogs in nose work. This is so that the dog does not give a false indication out of frustration and only wanting that treat. It takes time and a good observation of your dog’s body language to read these signs, but you will learn quickly to trust your dog and know when to call the ALERT.
Remember they are the one with the “nose” in nose work!
When you and your sheltie are well trained, you are now ready for your ORT (Odor Recognition Test).
An ORT is required before you can compete in a nose work trial to prove to the judges that your dog recognizes the scent and understands their job. These tests consist of 12 uniform boxes and hiding in one of them is that Q-Tip with the scent. The first ORT scent you can test for is Birch; they must pass Birch before you can trial in Nose Work 1. The next ORT is for Anise and finally Clove, but you can have them tested for all three scents at one ORT if you feel your dog is ready.
Nose Work Trials: Whether you are entered in a Nose Work 1, 2 or 3 trial, they all consist of four types of search elements: containers, interior, exterior and vehicle.
Remember they are the one with the “nose” in nose work!
When you and your sheltie are well trained, you are now ready for your ORT (Odor Recognition Test).
An ORT is required before you can compete in a nose work trial to prove to the judges that your dog recognizes the scent and understands their job. These tests consist of 12 uniform boxes and hiding in one of them is that Q-Tip with the scent. The first ORT scent you can test for is Birch; they must pass Birch before you can trial in Nose Work 1. The next ORT is for Anise and finally Clove, but you can have them tested for all three scents at one ORT if you feel your dog is ready.
Nose Work Trials: Whether you are entered in a Nose Work 1, 2 or 3 trial, they all consist of four types of search elements: containers, interior, exterior and vehicle.
Containers can be a variety of items of various sizes and made of different materials. Your dog must locate the correct container hiding the source of the scent inside and at that time you must say “ALERT” based on the dog’s indicating.
Pictured on the left is Oscar aka: MACH TACh Boo Boo's Second Chance CDX RE MXB MJB MXF T2B THD CGC NW1 L1 CD-H TAM TMAG2 W-FD/MF ETD doing a container search.
Pictured on the left is Oscar aka: MACH TACh Boo Boo's Second Chance CDX RE MXB MJB MXF T2B THD CGC NW1 L1 CD-H TAM TMAG2 W-FD/MF ETD doing a container search.
Interior searches are hidden out of sight and may be anywhere in the designated room. The dog searches the room and again indicates to you where the source is hidden and you call “ALERT”.
Exterior searches are just that, outside in a designated area. Just like interior the source can be hidden any where in that designated area: sidewalk crack, in tree bark, in the grass, on a light pole, a picnic table, etc.
On the right is Oscar again with his owner/handler Renee, doing an exterior search.
Below is my Victoria also doing an exterior search.
Exterior searches are just that, outside in a designated area. Just like interior the source can be hidden any where in that designated area: sidewalk crack, in tree bark, in the grass, on a light pole, a picnic table, etc.
On the right is Oscar again with his owner/handler Renee, doing an exterior search.
Below is my Victoria also doing an exterior search.
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Vehicle searches are done with up to three vehicles. The source is never hidden inside of the vehicle, but can be placed part way under the vehicle. Wheel wells, bumpers, tow hitches, door frames, etc., are a few of the places for hides.
Victoria's photos are by Sirius Photography and Oscar's photos by Rozina Smith Photography. |
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Nose work 1, 2 and 3 trials: In nose work 1 your dog only searches for the source of Birch with only one hide in each element listed above. In Nose work 2 you and your dog search for both Birch and Anise.
In Nose work 3 all three scents, Birch, Anise and Clove, are searched for in every element listed above.
In nose work 2 and 3, to make the searches more challenging, along with the hidden scents are some distractions, including things like food or animal scents. In nose work 3 they also have “clean or blank” rooms with no scents hidden in them and your dog must not alert in these situations. In these searches you do not call alert but would call the room “CLEAN”.
Nose work is a great sport for the dog and the handler alike. This is one sport where the dog has more natural knowledge and an advantage over the handler. Every pure bred or mix breed dog can participate in nose work and benefit from the teamwork. So if you are interested in nose work please look into it and get out there and get sniffing!
In Nose work 3 all three scents, Birch, Anise and Clove, are searched for in every element listed above.
In nose work 2 and 3, to make the searches more challenging, along with the hidden scents are some distractions, including things like food or animal scents. In nose work 3 they also have “clean or blank” rooms with no scents hidden in them and your dog must not alert in these situations. In these searches you do not call alert but would call the room “CLEAN”.
Nose work is a great sport for the dog and the handler alike. This is one sport where the dog has more natural knowledge and an advantage over the handler. Every pure bred or mix breed dog can participate in nose work and benefit from the teamwork. So if you are interested in nose work please look into it and get out there and get sniffing!
The organization that we belong to is NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work) www.nacsw.net and the descriptions listed above are based on that organization’s rules.
The United Kennel Club has started a nose work program: http://www.ukcdogs.com/Web.nsf/WebPages/DogEvents/Nosework
And headquartered in Canada but also sanctioning events in the U.S. as well is the Sporting Detection Dogs Association: http://www.sportingdetectiondogs.ca/
