During the actual "trial" there are 4 elements that the dog is tested on: Exterior, Vehicles (we would bring 3-5 of our own), Containers, and Interiors. For the Interior Element we would need 6-9 rooms that are relatively close to each other.
We put out between 1 and 3 hides in each element that the dog has to find, the hides are Q-tips, usually two-three halves that have a very small amount of essential oil on them that is either birch, anise or clove. They are usually in some kind of container like a little 1" metal tin with holes.
One dog at a time runs one element, then the next dog and the next dog and so on. We then repeat the same order of dogs running for the next element. There is not a lot of commotion while a dog is trialing, it is calm and quiet and focused.
At each element we have a judge, certifying official, timers, judges steward, videographer and photographer and maybe a few spectators.
Here are some photos from past K9 Nose Work® trials that give examples of how it is set up and run.
We put out between 1 and 3 hides in each element that the dog has to find, the hides are Q-tips, usually two-three halves that have a very small amount of essential oil on them that is either birch, anise or clove. They are usually in some kind of container like a little 1" metal tin with holes.
One dog at a time runs one element, then the next dog and the next dog and so on. We then repeat the same order of dogs running for the next element. There is not a lot of commotion while a dog is trialing, it is calm and quiet and focused.
At each element we have a judge, certifying official, timers, judges steward, videographer and photographer and maybe a few spectators.
Here are some photos from past K9 Nose Work® trials that give examples of how it is set up and run.
Exterior Element
Container Element
Vehicle Element
Interior Element
Here are some fun photos of our latest NW3 trial. The first two are awesome of Peach, they clearly show a target and alert, about as perfect as it gets.
Our 1st place run in Vehicles, 2 hides on 5 vehicles found in 54 seconds!
Targets odor, nice head twist and pin point
Turns and a beautiful alert! Can you tell she loves this sport! What a smile.
Another beautiful sharp alert and finish! Boom! 1st place! (Can you believe I'm asking her are you sure?)
Clear, sharp alert in Containers! Hide number 1...
Nice speed and drive while searching
Hide number 2, finish with confidence!
First hide found super quick. (Hilarious face on Peaches!)
Nice alert! (And waiting for her reward at source.)
Searching
More good searching
The hide she found but I failed to call... I though she was just interested in the pizza box in the trash can! Oh, dumb me!
Peach and I tried for our NW3 again (4th time) in Seattle on Feb.17th. Overall the day was a great success, we passed "Vehicles" and "Containers", but no NW3 title yet… it is such a huge leap from NW2 to NW3 and it's all about the handler in NW3!
Peach got 1st in "Vehicles", 53:70.0 seconds to find 2 hides on five vehicles. WOW! She was awesome! (Next closest time was 1:45.89) Of course there is a very funny story that goes along with that, but too long for email and requires too many exclamation points…
We finally passed "Containers" at NW3 level and it was a beautiful run, with no false alerts on food distractions—our usual problem, and one clean pass on each container. So I was super pleased with that.
"Interiors" was a disaster! UGH… That is usually her strong suit, the first hide in the first element of the day was a false alert 6" away from source and she worked so hard to find it—she kept asking me for help and I floundered providing it, it was hard not to let that set my mood. We then went on to call an alert in the clear room which Peach is just so awesome at reading when a room is clear, I just never even worry about that. Several other dogs hit on the same place, so who knows what was there…. it really went south in the third room, we hit the first hide within 2 seconds, before the judge even had a chance to look up and then got lost in the converging odor vortex of hide #2 and by then I was so gun shy about calling "Alert" I called "Finish" rather that risking another false alert (not good for the dog nor points score). My big lesson from "Interiors" is to step back, re-orient, come at the odor area from a different direction, or even re-start Peach. And most importantly stop and think before opening my mouth, that lesson got learned in Vehicles too, but it did not cost us anything!
"Exteriors" was beautiful for Peach and a totally dumb move on my part she should have passed, I let my brain work instead of trusting my dog. Peach was alerting on a garbage can full of stuff and I thought she was interested in the garbage so I pulled her off of it, it was a hide! DUMB!!!! D.U.M.B.
We had a ton of fun though, and Peach was a star in my book. She knew what she was doing, it was just her handler that needs some more training! HA!
We'll try again in June, should be a fun month with her first draft test (assuming we get in) the first weekend and another NW3 the 3rd weekend.
