Putting your dog’s nose to work
In October 2012, Tigger and I competed in our first NW1 Trial. If you've read about Tigger's first Nose Work class, or his Birch ORT, you know that he has some serious behavioral issues. I worked very hard to prepare Tigger to survive his very first competition....
Preparing and storing Nose Work odors isn't very hard. But it's important to do it right. If you don't take proper care with your oils, your dog's drive to find Nose Work odors will suffer, or maybe even vanish.
Nose Work odors are Essential Oils. The National...
What kinds of searches can you expect in an NW1 Trial? How should you prepare, as you train in K9 Nose Work? What will you and your dog be expected to do? Are you ready? Do you and your dog have what it takes, to compete in an NW1 Trial?
You've been taking Nose Work classes for a while, and now you're thinking that you might want to compete with the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). Before you enter any NACSW Competition, your dog first needs to pass an Odor Recognition Test (ORT). The ORT is meant to show that your...
Have you ever wondered, what is the Nose Work competition experience like? You must do some searches with your dog, right? Are you there all day? What happens when you're not searching? How will you know what to do and where to go? What is it really like to be there?
Is your dog ready for Trial day challenges? Routines are comforting, especially to dogs. Dogs can't comprehend leather-bound day planners or smart phone calendar apps. Dogs learn what to expect from prior experiences. Studies have shown that being able to predict what happens next reduces stress. Routines set future expectations. Consistent routines are...
It's 2012, and we've been enjoying Nose Work for a whole year now. Tigger and I both love it. He is good at it, and it's good for him. Nose Work class brings out the best in Tigger. He has charmed the people in our class by being funny, affectionate, and uncharacteristically sane....
The big moment arrived: Tigger's first Nose Work class. Was this a big mistake? Would he have a melt-down? Would I be shamed by the behavior of my dog?
It was never my plan. My other dogs had all been emotionally stable. But now I found myself living with dog full of...
A while ago we discussed what makes for a good Nose Work treat. I mentioned a recipe for Tuna Fudge. At the time I hadn't tried it. So, I got busy. Turns out, these home made tuna treats are not hard to make, and my dog Tigger is a huge...
Handlers need nice gear, too. We've talked about what our dogs wear for Nose Work: whether they should wear a Nose Work harness, what kind of harness might work best, and what kind of long-line might work best. What about us? It's time to...