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Continue reading →: Calling Finish on Unknown Hides: Strategies and Philosophies
I was talking with a friend the other day, and we got into a discussion about calling finish on unknown hides. In the upper levels of most of the competition venues you are required to search an area not knowing how many hides there are, and to indicate to the…
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Continue reading →: Once Again, Vehicles
I admit it. I have been proud of my ability to train a good, competitive vehicle search. My first nosework dog, Riley the chihuahua did well in vehicles. Astra has had multiple first place searches in vehicles in both UKC and NACSW searches. My students have generally done well in…
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Continue reading →: For the Readers: Book Reviews (part two)
My second review is really of a series, three fiction books, whose main character is a SAR handler and B&B owner. They are titled K9 Search: One Handler’s Journey, and K9 Search: Journey Through the Storm, and the last one is K9 Search: Navigating the journey by Sharolyn Sievert. The…
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Continue reading →: For the Readers: Book Reviews (part one)
It’s been almost a year since I posted some fun scent work related reading, and I feel like it might be time to do some more. I have been on a Search and Rescue reading binge…who knew there were so many fictional, biographical or semi-biographical books on Search and Rescue?…
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Continue reading →: Making the Buried Element Easier
Yeti working a buried hide On a regular basis (seems like every few months) the topic of the buried element comes up on the Friends of AKC Scentwork Facebook page. It goes something like this (every time): AKC should get rid of this element, women our age cannot set up…
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Continue reading →: Mantrailing! The Newest Scent Sport
Last week I attended a two day beginner seminar on Mantrailling, offered by Mantrailing Global, only the second one given in the US! This is a brand new scent sport in this country (although I understand that it is very popular in Europe), and I have high hopes for it…
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Continue reading →: Training the Handler Discrimination Element
My collection of distraction cotton balls So, it has been a very busy month, but finally I have had some time to sit down and work on the post I promised about training the Handler Discrimination (HD) element. These are not step by step instructions, exactly, more like some tips…
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Continue reading →: Trusting Your Dog on Vehicles
I know I promised more on training the Handler Discrimination element, and I am working on a post, it is just going to take a bit more time. In the meantime, I thought I would share this video of Yeti working a vehicle, from a trial last weekend. SPOILER ALERT:…
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Continue reading →: The Difficulties in Training the HD Element
A good friend asked me to blog on this topic, which, as it turns out, I have been devoting a great deal of thought to, as Astra has reached the Master HD level, and Yeti is just starting Novice in HD. Handler Discrimination, or HD, is a scent work class…
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Continue reading →: The Mysteries of Nosework: The Information at the Edge of the Cone
Of all the mysteries of scenting and scent work, this is my favorite: one of the most magical things in the world is watching a dog bracket on a scent cone, or work a hide from a distance. Bracketing I am going digress a bit here, to define some terms,…
Hello,
I’m Ellen
A Scent Work trainer, instructor, competitor, student, and judge. Welcome to Sniffing Around Scent Work, a blog where I write about my experiences, thoughts and musings on my favorite past time.
Sniffing Around Scent Work 