Nosework Level 2

Oh, how I wish I had asked someone to record Caleb's very first nosework run! When we first started he was so unsure of himself, unsure of the practice area, unsure of the boxes ('You want me to put my head where?!?'), I truly thought we needed another round of level 1 just to get him comfortable playing the game. But in the last couple of weeks, something clicked for us. To see him now, you would never know how much he struggled in the beginning!

We are now doing searches off leash, with Caleb pulling at his harness to get to the field to get started. I have been able to decrease the value of the treats, because the game is starting to be rewarding in and of itself. No worries, though, his "downgraded" treat is yummy grilled chicken (Previously I was using was canned venison - particularly smelly and messy!), so Caleb is not suffering too badly!

On our first night of nosework level 2, Caleb and I were set up to do a hide when another dog who was waiting her turn in her crate had a bit of a meltdown. Caleb looked towards where she was crated and looked worried for a second, then looked back to the field. The second he looked back to the field I let go (It was an off leash hide), and he made the decision to ignore the dog's hysterics and get to work! It was wonderful, and the perfect example of just how far Caleb has come!

We have just started to introduce the first scent, birch oil. To do this, you play the exact same game you have been playing all along with the boxes and the yummy treats inside one of them, you just add a tiny tin with a q-tip saturated with birch oil in it to the box This way, the dog starts to associate that smell with finding the yummy treat. This is called pairing, because that is what you are doing, pairing the scent with the food in the box. I thought it may startle Caleb, suddenly changing an aspect of the game, but he took it in stride, and found his hides pretty quickly.

I have to admit, there is a teeeeeeeny tiiiiiiny part of me that is now thinking about the ORT (Odor Recognition Test) in November. You have to pass the ORT before you can participate in a trial, and basically it demonstrates to everyone that your dog knows the scent he is supposed to be looking for and can alert you to it. When my trainer first mentioned it, I almost laughed and quickly dismissed the idea, I thought there was no way we would be ready by then. But in the last few weeks it has been like a switch was flipped inside Caleb, and with a lot of work, I actually think we may be ready to do it by November. Perhaps. Maybe. Did I mention we will need a lot of work?

I guess we will just have to see how things go from here.