Sniffing Around Scent Work

Sunday morning. I am awake early, but I lie in bed for quite a while, luxuriating in having the time for a good “lie in” and mulling over some thoughts, waiting until it gets fully light to get up and feed the creatures. After breakfast crunchies all around, the dogs and I go for the morning walk.

The temperature has dropped and there is actual frost on the ground, and the dogs delight in it, frisking and frolicking and then suddenly slowing down to sniff the grass extra thoroughly.

The temperature drop means that the scents have all changed significantly—the smells in general will be less available, so the dogs will need to slow down and get their noses close to catch them, instead of being able to cruise along and snuff them up quickly. The humidity is also lower and different aspects of the odors will become more prominent,  changing the character of the odor. Though we walk this same path every day, both dogs are exploring the grass and shrubs at a snails pace, as they delight in the differences the weather has brought out.

The same holds true when you are at a scent work trial—your exteriors search in particular might be very different from what you usually see if the weather is extra cold. Chances are good that your dog is going to be slower and spend more time detailing areas before deciding to alert. You might want to make a note NOT to get “alert blurty”! Make sure your dog has made a final decision before you call it. We are so used to certain conditions, that we tend not to take the weather into consideration at trial, and this does not work in our favor.

The slower pace that the dogs are taking this morning means that I, too, am freer to enjoy the walk. I love the morning light and I examine the changes in the trees—I can see some blushes of yellow among the green foliage, but chances are good that this will be one of those years that the leaves  never really change color and all just drop off when we get a really good frost.

I notice the stiffness of Astra’s gait, it is probably time to get a chiropractor appointment for her, and maybe a good does of rimadyl. And I notice signs that Yeti is maturing, changing for the better. He spots a rabbit, freezes, and then starts to chase as it takes off, flashing it’s tail like a flag. “No, not for you, Yeti!” I call, before he reaches the end of the long line, and he stops, still tracking the path of the bunny for a moment, before dropping his head and tracking it’s path back to the place where it had been grazing, snuffling long and hard in the grass where it paused, lifting his head again to see if it had come back, and then resuming the sniff.

This is an interesting development: he has previously shown a lot more chase behavior and excitement in catching the prey. Astra, on the other hand, has always been opportunistic about the chase—it it’s right in front of her, she is happy to stalk it and  run after it for a little bit, but I have seen her, stop chasing a squirrel in order to drop her head and just take in the trail and the scent of the squirrel. She is truly a scent hound: the smell is more important than the chase, or even the prey itself.

Soon enough we have finished our morning round and it is time to head back to the house to warm up. Is it cold enough to treat myself to some hot chocolate? Yes, yes it is!

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