K9 Nosework

[leih merigian]

Geyser and I just finished our first K9 Nosework class, and as expected, we both loved it!

Being that I am totally new to this relatively new sport, I had no idea what to expect from the first session, and was pleasantly surprised.

The first class, you start out with a bunch of boxes in a relatively small, well-defined space, cordoned off with fencing. Each dog works individually, with the others in crates until it's each's turn. There is a find (treats or a toy, your choice, whatever motivates your dog the most), and you take your dog inside the space and let it watch the instructor place the treat container within one of the boxes, then let your dog go. No commands are given, no verbal cues or help, you just watch to see what your dog does.

The dogs catch on pretty fast. For the next trial, you keep your dog's attention while the instructor places the find in a box without the dog noticing what's happening (right<g>). Then release the dog and watch it work. Every time it makes the find, you have a little party and deliver a jackpot into the container with the treats, so the dog is rewarded at the source (and learns to stay at the source, rather than returning to you for the reward).

Then the progression over time...more boxes, the space gradually gets larger, then random objects are added to the search area (open umbrellas, traffic cones, chairs on their sides, buckets, toys, everything you can think of). Eventually, boxes are gradually removed and they are searching for just the container with the find in it. Elevation is added, then closed containers (the find is within a box with the lid closed), then more rooms are added. Throughout training, the boxes will always be a cue to the dog that the search is on. This comes in handy at home when, for example, you're adding another room to the search area. You place a box at the entry to the room, which tells the dog that that room is included and needs to be searched.

We practice regularly at home, since I love to train and I plan for us to compete in this activity. Geyser has taken to it like you wouldn't believe. She loves it. When I ask her if she wants to do nosework, she goes nuts .

We have reached the point where we're not using any boxes at home at all, unless I add a new element. I'd guess, over time, as we progress, they'll be added back in as new things are added too, then gradually removed again.

She is now searching all 5 rooms of our house, plus our enclosed back porch, for each trial (tho I don't use the particular room she's crated in, so she can't see me hiding the find, of course). We generally train for about an hour to an hour and a quarter per session, and as far as I can tell, we could go longer, but I wear out (besides, I always want to quit while she's still eager and having fun).

I am now hiding her finds under things (rugs, books, pillows, etc.), and within drawers and cabinets. At this point, the dog has to be able to self-reward at the find, so the drawer or cabinet won't be completely closed, but cracked enough for her to get her nose in to open it enough to reach the reward. (It will be quite a while yet before we teach the dog to indicate the find.)

At this point in our training, the whole object is to get the dog to love the search, and to be diligent in searching. She loves it and is amazingly diligent...some of the finds turn out to be much harder for her to get than I thought they'd be when I planned them, and I am just amazed at how consistently she keeps at it until she makes the find, without losing heart, focus or steam. We are just having a blast.

I don't know when we will be introducing scent; they use essential oils of clove, birch and walnut. The dog has to be ready for it and I am in no rush. I think the general rule is about 9 months of work before introducing scent, but it varies from dog to dog.

For now, I am just jazzed to have a great activity to train in, something to do together that we both love and which is so much fun. I look forward to each step along the way, in it's good time. And, someday, I believe my girl is going to be an awesome competitor!

I heartily recommend this activity to anyone who has any interest at all in it.

[FG167]

Sounds like a blast! And something I could add into Madix's regime of "things to do when the weather is crappy". What sorts of things will you compete in? Like, what venue??

Oh, and you should video her doing her "work" if you can

[Christie M]

That's awesome Leih. I thought I was brilliant when I decided to offer classes to pet dog people, teaching them formal nosework like we do for narcotics, explosives, bed bugs...etc. Apparently other people are equally brilliant

I do things a little differently. I start indication from day one and prefer to clicker train the whole thing. I just found it helps me keep the dog with the hide later on - if they are used to being released.

I do think you can start pairing odor right now. In fact, she is already searching for "some odor." It just happens to be the scent of her toy/food/etc. So by pairing one of the oils, you are only teaching her to detect another level of scent. The pairing process is where you really help the dog make associations. You can even pair all of those odors at once. She will detect and hit on them all when you separate them later (just like we teach dogs to smell heroine/cocaine/maryjuana/meth all at once....then separate them later.

Don't worry about rushing her. Its a very self rewarding activity if they really love hunt games. The only sticky point is when you start to remove reward from odor source. Sometimes they get confused, but only briefly. And remember, most narc dogs are trained in 4 odors complete with search technique and indication in about 6-8 weeks.

PS - the "big" activity in my class was to find scented key chains. I figured then my students couldn't loose their keys. One person decided to make a scent pad for the remote control for her husband

[leih merigian]

Sounds like a blast! And something I could add into Madix's regime of "things to do when the weather is crappy". What sorts of things will you compete in? Like, what venue??

Oh, and you should video her doing her "work" if you can

There is a K9 Nosework venue...these three people out in CA developed this program. One has like 20+ years of drug dog experience, the other two, don't remember .

Here's a link to the site for the folks that developed the sport:

http://www.funnosework.com/home.html

Here's the national association:

http://www.nacsw.net/home.html

So, we'll be competing in their nosework trials, but also, in agility, and probably obedience.

The only drag about the nosework trials is that since it started in CA, the vast majority of the trials are out there. Wouldn't be a problem if the Royal Treasury had more wiggle room . Trials are gradually spreading across the country, and there are some happening around here (in MD...I'm in VA), and perhaps by the time we're ready to compete, there will be some in VA. One can hope .

[leih merigian]

That's awesome Leih. I thought I was brilliant when I decided to offer classes to pet dog people, teaching them formal nosework like we do for narcotics, explosives, bed bugs...etc. Apparently other people are equally brilliant

I do things a little differently. I start indication from day one and prefer to clicker train the whole thing. I just found it helps me keep the dog with the hide later on - if they are used to being released.

I do think you can start pairing odor right now. In fact, she is already searching for "some odor." It just happens to be the scent of her toy/food/etc. So by pairing one of the oils, you are only teaching her to detect another level of scent. The pairing process is where you really help the dog make associations. You can even pair all of those odors at once. She will detect and hit on them all when you separate them later (just like we teach dogs to smell heroine/cocaine/maryjuana/meth all at once....then separate them later.

Don't worry about rushing her. Its a very self rewarding activity if they really love hunt games. The only sticky point is when you start to remove reward from odor source. Sometimes they get confused, but only briefly. And remember, most narc dogs are trained in 4 odors complete with search technique and indication in about 6-8 weeks.

PS - the "big" activity in my class was to find scented key chains. I figured then my students couldn't loose their keys. One person decided to make a scent pad for the remote control for her husband

Hey Chrisie...I know she could deal with pairing scent now. But, this program has it's own system, and the trainer is new to it herself, and there are rules about how they teach the program. Since it's the only game in town (she's the only one teaching it around here), I am content to follow their system.

Like everything in dogs, every trainer has his/her own beliefs about how to go about training something . I have no doubts that there are more than one (or several) ways to end up at the same result. But, for now, I'm gonna go with their program.

I think their program is geared more to lower drive, pet dogs and owners without much training experience. If you ask me, it doesn't take 9 months to create a solid passion for the work, and a determination to work as long as it takes. Then again, I have a very high drive, talented pup. Easy for me to say . As usual, it all depends on the dog.

Aside from this, we play a lot of "find it" games (different rules totally). She found my lost camera (for real) when we were out hiking in the woods when she was only 6 months old, and I lost it under some leaves when I fell on the trail (miss twinkletoes). It's one of those games that really comes in handy in real life, eh?

[vneerland]

I never heard of these things. (for just joy and fun) It sounds like a great activity. While reading it, I am surprised that they would take so long between steps (and of course, every trainer takes their steps differently) but I have to remind myself that most of the dogs in the pet classes (present company excluded, no doubt: it is not a jab at you Leih!) would have zero talent for the real job, and need a good deal of building up.
There is one scent school that is on my list of things I want to do: the KNPV 'search dog' program. It is not restricted to SAR work, and has a lot of totally difficult, cool and hard to do stuff in it.

[Marjolein]

I think this is great! A lot of dogs that turn to "bad-stuff" to this because they are bored, if every one of those dogs would have an owner doing this with them a lot of problem zould be solved I think! I used to do SAR work with Dingo, one of the first puppy things to do was search and apport anything with human scent on it, worked great, got home with bags full of garbage the first weeks Every empty crispbag/bottle has human scent on it if it hasn't been there over 3 days
Later we did the "find lost item" thing where you throw small things into a field, no track, just a coin, a small wallet etc. They get SO tired!
I hope you guys do more of this, sounds like good fun!

[leih merigian]

I never heard of these things. (for just joy and fun) It sounds like a great activity. While reading it, I am surprised that they would take so long between steps (and of course, every trainer takes their steps differently) but I have to remind myself that most of the dogs in the pet classes (present company excluded, no doubt: it is not a jab at you Leih!) would have zero talent for the real job, and need a good deal of building up.
There is one scent school that is on my list of things I want to do: the KNPV 'search dog' program. It is not restricted to SAR work, and has a lot of totally difficult, cool and hard to do stuff in it.

Most, if not all, of the participants aren't the least bit interested in being serious about it and competing. I think it's great they do stuff like this with their dogs (agree with you totally Marjolein!).

I have a feeling we'll progress fairly quickly. Still, I have no desire to put any pressure on her at all...this is all about having fun, after all. Of course, that's how I approach all the training I do :fluffy: