Riley's Nose Knows

I've always been curious with nosework/scenting/tracking in dogs, so I decided to take a canine nosework class with Tracey Louper (http://aintmisbehavin-k9.com/). She is a dog trainer who has trained her own dogs in search and rescue, and have obtained tracking titles. I have been working with her on Riley's nosework training for about two months. It has been very fun, and maybe I will enter Riley in a nosework competition next year. 

A little insight on nosework that I've learned thus far:
Nosework is a canine sport that any dog can do! All dogs have powerful noses that can sniff out the slightest scent. It teaches fearful dogs to venture out into small crevices, and to build their confidence in new places. I also had to train myself to let the dog lead me into the scenting course. I am also used to the dog walking next to me NOT pulling. However, the instructor said that he needs to lead me to the scent, and to avoid obedience work so the dog can take the time to just think about nosework, and not about obeying commands. That was a hard habit to break. The dogs wear a harness instead of being clipped to a head halter or flat collar because it is easier to lead on a back-clipping harness and doesn't restrict access to what's in front of the dog. Riley now wears a harness during nosework, which he percieves as "let's get to nosework" when he has it on. As we approach the "start line" of the nosework course, I keep ahold of Riley for about 3-5 seconds to let him take in the atmosphere, and he is released when I say "Search."

For the intro to nosework class, the instructor put out opened empty cardboard boxes. She puts treats in one of the many boxes randomly laid onto the ground. The dogs are curious and sniff every box to see what's in it. Once they find the box that has the treats, they eat, and you reward them for finding those treats by dropping more food into the box. This way, they are learning to keep their head inside the box. In other words, "good things happen when my head is in the box," says the dog. When yo are done, do not drag the dog away from the box. Rather, pick up the box and walk away with the dog. This way, the dog doesn't perceive you punishing him by dragging him away. When the dogs learn that the boxes mean it's nosework time, you start putting the treats in a small container (like a small lotion can or soap box) and poke holes so the scent can permeate. The container is put into an empty box among other boxes on the ground. The dogs search and when the find the container, you place treats onto the container so they learn that good things happen near the container and they are rewarded when the find the container. When they are good at this, you can remove systematically remove the boxes and start hiding the container between doorways, next to trash cans, door stops, etc. If they get stuck, add in a few empty boxes to prompt them that this scenrio is for nosework time. In class, we practiced outside, but at home, I practice in my living room. I started hiding my soap box container on bookshelves, under the coach, under the dog bed, on top of boxes, etc.

A few hints on success:
1) Never stop moving. If you stop walking, your dog may stop searching.
2) Deliver the treat to the dog as soon as he finds the scent, and deliver right next to the scent.
3) Have your dog potty before nosework class, and in between trials. Do NOT let him pee while he is searching in order to prevent the search from becoming contaminated. They should not be allowed to do anything else but sniff out the scent.
4) Hold the dog for 3-5 seconds before allowing him to cross into the scent arena. This helps the dog get a grip of the scenario. 

Scent is a very strange concept to me. But of course if comes naturally to the dog. The wind can either help or inhibit the dog from finding the scent. In this video below, Riley is doing nosework indoors. He walks past the soap box containing the treats, but then catches the scent and makes a "hook," meaning he makes a U-turn back to the scent. This happens alot during nosework. One other interesting aspect is that not only does the dog learn to sniff out odors on the ground, the dog learns that sometimes he needs to smell one level above his head. So I started hiding the odor on the couch, on the third shelf of the bookshelf, on a chair, etc., so that he learns he needs to lift his head to search for the scent as well.

As we move onto more advanced levels, Riley will learn to scent odors that aren't food related such as anise or wintergreen. THEN we'll see about entering him in nosework competition. More updates later about this!

Cheers,
Tina & Riley