Sniffing Around Scent Work

I admit it, I love a good vehicle search. Once upon a time, back when I was only doing UKC nosework, and was working Riley the chihuahua, I hated the vehicle searches. Mostly because I didn’t understand them, and they kept going wrong. Especially after we reached the Superior level. Two hides plus a distraction just seemed beyond us. I buckled down, sought out some knowledgeable people, and learned some things. And eventually vehicles became Riley’s best element.

Yeti was the first dog I trained for nosework from a puppy, and his whole journey has been different. We have focused a lot more on AKC trials, which lacks the vehicles element, and so our vehicle training has been a bit sporadic.

Perhaps this has been just as well, since Yeti has been slow to mature.  I have had challenges getting him to focus on the vehicle, and getting him to source accurately.

So, when I decided to  go to an out-of-town UKC vehicles trial, I wasn’t sure how successful we would be. We managed to qualify in Superior Vehicles last spring (four vehicles), and the Masters level seemed a little daunting—Five vehicles, three hides, and a distraction hidden somewhere.

We did some one car drills. I worked myrrh a lot, as he has not had a lot of practice with that odor, and myrrh travels a LOT, and is harder to source than other odors. And we practiced inaccessible hides in door seams.

Then I worked searching a car with ONLY  a distraction, so I could be sure that he understood that not just any odd odor on a car was worth alerting on.

I made sure we packed Yeti’s booties, as he has a tendency to paw when he is frustrated, and I didn’t want him accidentally scratching anyone’s car, and off we went.

The day of the trial was fairly warm and there was a brisk wind which was swirling the odor around the search area, which was surrounded by walls on three sides. This didn’t bother me—Yeti knows how to work the wind, and he can usually use it to his advantage. In fact, in my experience most dogs can, it is usually the handlers not understanding what the dog is doing that is the problem.

Our first run was bumpy, and of course that was all my fault. I got some video so you can see it—AND I have figured out how to caption my videos, so you can see my interpretation of what is happening in the moment. Bottom line was I had a hard time believing Yeti. It seems VERY OBVIOUS when you watch the video, but, well, trial stress (See my post on this: Why we are all so stupid at trials). Also, in my defense, I had never actually searched five vehicles with him, so I was insecure. Here is the video:

The one thing I did do right, was to verbalize that I did see his alert, but didn’t trust it. And then after that, when I made him go back and re-search a car, I apologized to him. I think this helped. Many of us were taught to search in silence, for fear that our chatter would distract our dogs. And truly, before we learn to read them, many of us tend to nag our dogs by repeating “search, search search….keep searching!” even when they are fully engaged and searching as fast as they can.

But I have learned that it helps to talk to my dog, to let him know what I am thinking. Especially if I am having doubts because of trial stress, and I need him them to check something one more time.  I think that dogs are experts at reading our tone and intention, and it helps them to know that I saw their alert, I am not ignoring them,  I am just having problems in the moment.

Oh, and,  our second run was beautiful, I trusted Yeti and called alert quickly, and we got second place (but of course I didn’t get video of that run!!!)

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