Nosework: The Trial.

Incredibly proud of this girl!

Overall
Time: 2:01:74
Place: 5th
Score: 100/100. Title: YES!
3/4 Elements Pronounced
Received the Harry Award - given to the most spirited rescue dog with extraordinary Nosework ability. Can only be received once in the lifetime of the dog and only for NW1. Elli got it on her first NW trial ever! So incredibly proud to know and love this little pound puppy.

This was quite possibly the most competitive trial I've seen results for; if you want to see them, click here.
And here is the breakdown per element.

The thing I am most proud of regarding her performance this past weekend: Elli stuck her indication like glue. I had zero guesswork on my part - if she indicated, she damn well meant it and I trusted it entirely. Felt so amazing to hear the comments from the judges regarding that almost-over-practiced indication behavior. :) We've worked so, so hard to get it to that level! Huge payoff!

The trial was held at an elementary school in Washington. The outdoor searches took place on the playground and covered basketball courts. The indoor searches took place inside the school. Elli amped up really well every time, though I really wish that I hadn't gotten her so excited because, oftentimes, it was just to move from station to station to sit and wait some more. She maintained her drive and determination for the odor, kept her happy hunting tail, and was (surprisingly) not fazed by the spectators/videographer/photographer all standing around. I think we, also, should have practiced more double-hides just because of the way the trial was run. We were to do an outdoor hide (am), then an indoor hide (am), one right after the other, then again - outdoor hide, indoor hide - in the afternoon. Normally, there is quite a bit of set-up time between hides when I place them myself or when Joni and I have practiced. While Elli amped up really well... her indoor hides (the second run-throughs of both morning and afternoon) were remarkably slower, though environmental factors definitely played a part, too.

Things to work on:
-- More multiple hides (NW2 will allow officials to tell how many hides are present)
-- Reintroduce Anise (NW2 uses both Anise and Birch - I want the same indication for both)
-- Teach Elli to maintain her indication, regardless of
a) if she has the leash on;
b) I touch her;
c) if I move around her/toward her;
d) if I am far away or nearby
-- More distractions -- food especially. Elli's not particularly drawn to toys... unless she smells her Cuz. ;)

Vehicles
Time: 16.98s
Place: 3rd, Pronounced

There were three vehicles all facing the same direction at an angle. The hide was located in the hubcap on the rear left tire of the middle vehicle. Little to no wind. Elli traveled around the backside of the vehicles, and I thought that I'd lost her for a split second when she turned away from them for a second but she must've just been picking up fringe odor of some kind as she snapped back toward the vehicles, detailed, and sourced really well. I pulled back on her leash like always and she opposed it with so much force. The judge asked me if I was trying to pull her off odor; I told her definitely not, and that it is part of her indication. The judge responded that Elli's opposition reflex was her most favorite part of the search. And, after 8 dogs ran, Elli's time was the fastest that morning. First place went to a dog in 10s. Second to a dog in 14s.

I am so proud of her for this, though -- we practiced vehicles maybe three or four times in the history of our Nosework training and she got 3rd place for it at the trial!

Interior
Time: 57.39s
Place: 14th, Pronounced

A fairly large classroom with so much search area (chairs, desks, cubbies, floorspace, tables) and many people searched this off-leash. I chose not to simply because Elli and I have never practiced her indication off-leash. I didn't trust the difference to still mean that the indication would stick. I probably should've kept her at the start line longer. Elli led me around the entire room very quickly; she had the entire line out at one point, often choosing to airscent rather than to detail anything.

The hide was on a the back of a chair, pushed underneath a table. The scent was flowing across the belly of the table and Elli was in odor at the opposite far end of the table. I very nearly called Alert when she wasn't alerting but rather detailing; if I had trained the NACSW way, this would've counted for a "change in behavior." Elli was legitimately sticking to that end of the table, but not indicating. She was actively sniffing the entire time. I chose not to on the basis that I trusted my training. Elli followed the cone up the underside of the table and indicated perfectly, even driving back to the source when I pulled her back enough to make her slide on the tile floor.

We definitely have some work to do regarding interiors. For some reason, I thought it'd be her strongest element being that the majority of her foundation work is in interiors. It's possible I just didn't work them in large enough areas. Ah, c'est la vie.

Exterior
Time: 12.17s
Place: 6th, Prounounced

This was a fairly small search area, surrounded by traffic cones/dots and yard flags to outline the search area of a playground structure on bark chips. The wind was blowing just slightly and I took Elli upwind. She was in odor after crossing the start line. The hide was low and located on the jungle gym's base. Once again, she stuck her indication like glue and I almost didn't believe her because, really, 12 seconds is ridiculous fast. She was determined to stick that source, I called it, and it was over!

Container
Time: 35.20s
Place: 20th

I knew this one took a long time. There were probably 25 boxes laid in one small circle surrounded by larger circle inside of half of a gymnasium. The hide was located in the center. It was revealed in the debrief that there was a small refrigeration device that would turn on periodically and quietly (I didn't even hear it when I went into the ultra-quiet room) blow odor away from the start line. This was not purposeful and it screwed up many dogs who would have probably done really well if not for that. I believe this is what happened to Elli. Her search pattern was incredibly strange and I knew it was taking way longer than it should've. She blasted off the line and began with the close boxes, working her way out further, she spun around (behavior change!) (I believe she picked up odor here as the source box was directly upwind of this behavior change), but the scent cone must've been really large and spread out thinly because she continued around the outer boxes. It was at this point that I muttered under my breath - come on, Elli... It was pretty disappointing, to be honest, that it took this long. Considering that the dog who received First place in this element was a four second search time, I know for a fact that something was environmentally off about Elli's search. It wasn't until she was at the rightmost edge of the scent cone that she followed it back to a box the odor was fringing on, then moved to source after a short and sweet closer inspection of the empty box. Once again, she held her indication beautifully, maintaining her position as I pulled her back.

Nosework Trial Prep: Part IV.

This week we practiced with Joni twice (two videos) but I'll separate the posts. Couldn't make it work last week, sorry.
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If you're interested in the full Trial Prep blog series, the Nosework label should bring you to the most recent posts.
If you're interested in seeing all the videos (Parts I-IV) in succession, here's the playlist.
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Tuesday's session was all about vehicle searches. I had multiple vehicles at my disposal (thanks, Bree and Joni! I hope you got a great idea about what Nosework is from observing and videoing!). Elli would need to source on one of the vehicles, while either disregarding the other vehicles or searching and deciding that there wasn't odor on the others. Elli and I haven't done many vehicle searches and the ones we have done haven't been double-blind hides. For that reason, I went into practice feeling like it'll be our weakest and possibly most troublesome element. I set out to change that.

What makes vehicle searches difficult?
Odor on vehicles can potentially flow in very unique ways:

• Odor can flow right through a vehicle (from grill to exhaust pipe!)
• Odor can flow underneath, over the top, wrap corners, and/or along the length of the vehicle. In the past, Elli had a particularly difficult time sourcing a hide near a windshield once (the odor was not falling to her level, it was running the length of the car and over the top). 
• Odor can flow between multiple vehicles: source exists on one but scent is pooling on a second vehicle. Elli needs to discriminate between pooling odor and source odor, which can be tricky for some dogs.
• Odor is at the mercy of the weather - vehicles are always outdoors, so wind and air temperature make this element a triple-threat challenge.

I want to work these situations out in training so I can tell the difference between whether she's sourcing, stuck in detailing mode, or potentially confused by pooling odor.

Video Link

Pay attention to:

• Elli's indication behavior - Does it hold up even when she's working vehicles? 
• Elli's happy hunting tail - it's lower because it's colder outside, but still wagging!
• Elli's determination to find the odor - watch her detailing process closely. What would make you think she's close to source if you didn't know where the hides were?
• Elli's search pattern - which direction/path does she take to source? Do I lead or does Elli? Do we switch roles at all?

Rewards included: Mac and cheese, cooked pork sausage, and bits of ham and string cheese. Irregularly rotated and randomly mixed, as per usual.

Wordless Wednesday: Field Trip.

Observing a herding demonstration for school. 

B&W Sunday: 2o2o.

Credit: Bree Caldwell

Nosework Trial Prep: Part III.

This week, along with enacting the new 1-hide/daily plan to increase her drive right off the start line, we practiced with Joni at a local park. The focus was ground and exterior hides. Her average search time was 20.6seconds! Blazing fast! The Part III video follows.

For the most part, this week's practice emphasized that Elli absolutely understands her job... and that I clearly don't understand mine. Nosework is not just about following your dog around while they sniff out the source. It's about being able to read your dog's searching behavior, yes, and also about having total awareness of everything that could potentially throw your dog off her game, including any weather, any distractions (toys, food, grass, other dogs, other people), and/or any obstacles that may get in her way (trashcans blocking access, or a big picnic table underneath a high hide). I've been so focused on Elli's ability to search new areas, to get drivey about the game, and to indicate properly that I have completely negated my role in the whole thing! Because we've never worked with a CNWI (NACSW's Certified Nosework Instructors), these things have to be self-taught through trial-and-error.

Upon reflection, I'm glad this came out in training. If it would've come out at the trial and nixed the winning streak (confidence) we've had during training, I would've come back heartbroken. Elli depends on me just as much as I depend on her to find the source, and I let her down twice today by not being aware of the wind's affect on the search area until after it was over. She made up for my discrepancy once, but I had to reset and restart us working upwind the second time because it was blatantly obvious that there was a problem. I could see her happy hunting tail lowering as she kept trying to find the source for me. I appreciate her dedication to the game, but I owe her more than what I gave. So, I'll work on my awareness over the next few weeks.

Elli's rewards included: salami, string cheese bits, spinach and ricotta ravioli, canned tuna, and pork sausage. Again, rotated randomly or mixed together.

Here's the video; enjoy!

Jackpot Training: Got Attitude?

I've just finished watching Bridget Carlsen's Got Attitude? DVD set recently. There are a few criticisms. She uses primarily "balanced" training. But, she works on her dogs having attitude and getting things right 100% before she applies "pressure" (corrections, distractions, excessive duration, etc). So, there are a few gems in what she teaches. And, guess what? She was doing it long before I figured out it was a thing. FYI: This is the thing that works for Elli: Jackpot training. It has a name!

"If I can’t go into the ring with my little [low drive, low work ethic] dog and let him know – through verbal cue – that at any point we’re going to go to your jackpot -- ...he would’ve never become an OTCh [Obedience Trial Champion]."

Her training is all about effort. The dog puts in effort (drive, bounciness, happiness, frustration, precision, speed, cute behaviors), he gets rewarded. It has nothing to do with completion of the exercises or of maneuvers. It's simply about getting your dog drivey. In the beginning, it's not even obedience work. It's a classic shaping game: "Show Me Something Else". It's creating a motivator. It's creating an association. It's conditioning. It's everything that is great about positive training.

Happy heeling face.

She recommends it for dogs who "amp down" (stress down) when presented with new things, new environments, new expectations, and also recommends it for dogs who have been shown for years and years to get their energy and desire back. She recommends it for dogs who have low work ethic, little ability to get high for anything, dogs who see no point in chasing a toy or chasing their handler. She recommends it for toy-driven dogs -- dogs who see no point in eating because playing tug is better. Possibilities are whatever you want to make them. Limitless.

"The reason why dogs get really mopey in the ring is because you have no food on you and they’re like “I’m never gonna get it...” [drags feet, walks slow, sighs big]. 'You don’t have it… I’m not gonna get any.' That’s what they’re thinking! Because that’s what you've conditioned them to think! They only get cookies when cookies are on you… What this [style of jackpot training] is gonna condition your dog to believe is: “[Handler:] 'I know I don’t have no food, but, Buddy, you put in effort, you’re gonna get it!'"

Well, hello there.

Elli figured it out: I had no food on me. She left the ring to find something more interesting. Heelwork is boring. Paying attention is boring. What was in it for her? Nothing she found valuable. Through this process, guess who has started playing with me again? Playing isn't a terrible thing anymore. Playing doesn't mean boring heelwork will come next. Playing is fun. Running around and bouncing and pouncing is fun. Without food. We just do it to do it. Playing has no rules, no pressures; it's not necessary, it's just fun. She played keep-away with a damn pinecone, for goodness' sake. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen.  And then I had to guard the pinecone from her afterward because it was the single best!thing!ever! Frickinadorability.

There is maintenance if you go this route; there are rules to the madness. For instance, the dog is never allowed to go to the food alone (self-serve). Even if you've released him. You go together. The act of giving and getting food is a team-thing. I find it rewarding to give Elli food; Elli finds it rewarding to get food. We must do it together (I just learned this rule; if you watch this video, you'll see I was letting her serve herself. And, at the end, I reaped the consequence: she ran to check it out again without my say so. So, now we go together).

I just really liked the colors in this one.

The question then becomes: Does the dog get rewarded for what happened in the ring? Maybe in your mind. But in his? Probably not: There is a lot a dog sees from the exiting of the ring all the way back to the reinforcement -- other people, other dogs, other objects, etc, etc -- all of which he could connect with the reward over time. So, that's not the goal. Reinforcement history plays the primary role in this type of training once you enter the ring. The dog has been rewarded in drive for speed, for precision, for whatever a million times before he gets into the ring. He also understands the motions for each exercise and each exercise has been worked separately for attitude. Once you've exited the ring, does that change? Nope. What are you rewarding? Effort. Running to the reinforcement isn't effort. Ask for effort by saying your conditioned cue word when you get to the reward's location, get the effort in whatever form the dog gives it (Elli's defaults are to quickly swing into a beautiful sit at heel or to leap), then reward.

If you watch any of this DVD series, please take her advice on corrections and when to apply pressure with a grain of salt (this includes the jostling of the leash to get "pretty" heelwork head position and prancy feet). Sure, corrections work. And for the hard dogs -- the ones who can take corrections and remain in a state of drive -- it'll probably be fine. But I hold myself to a higher standard and I encourage you to do so, as well. I think it's possible to use this type of training without even thinking of corrections now or in the future.

This is what we're working toward. And I sincerely can't wait.

Nosework Trial Prep: Part II.

This week, we practiced twice. First, in the backyard, specifically on exterior hides. Next, at a mall in Helena. This is one of the locations Joni uses for classes. Elli and I arrived immediately after class ended, so we could take advantage of the doggy smells that would be prevalent and use them as distractions. Another mash-up video of the Mall hides follows.

Backyard Exteriors
Elli hasn't practiced exterior hides much since I taught the new indication behavior. This is why I was so pleased with her performance of 12 seconds at Home Depot last week. I had been working on Astronomy homework all day and really needed a break. Elli must've forgotten that she needed to warm up because my girl was on fire right from the get-go! The first hide was a low hide, visually hidden by a tree's helicopter seed pod. She found and indicated it in 10s. This is what I've been waiting for! Drive for the odor right from the start line.

The next few hides included:

• a high in the tree hide (about 4.5' off the ground, she used the wind to source it, going behind the tree where the wind was pushing the odor to), 
• on a rock wall (the wind was pushing the odor into the wall and along the cracks, which she followed to source), 
• inside of a tree stump (bracketed from bottom of the stump to the source), 
• and an actual ground hide (she struggled with the indication but found it just fine -- I blame myself entirely... we've never ever done ground hides before - color us unprepared, right?)

Overall Average: 26 seconds/hide. Not bad!

Mall Interiors
I consider Elli to be fairly distractable: Big noises, small children, adults who talk at her, prey animals, other dogs that she is not permitted to greet present very difficult ultimatums for her. However, nosework helps her channel a focus I've yet to see in her otherwise. Elli's biggest distraction during this session was the class ending and all the dogs exiting the building. She was very anxious and unsettled. Even when the dogs were gone, her arousal level stayed at a constant medium. Once the buckle of her Nosework harness snapped on, she was all business. Doggy odors be damned. Strange camera lady be damned. She tuned everything out. Is this what they call odor obedience?

Still, the challenge we're facing these days is her warm-up time. I will be able to counteract this (I hope!) at a trial, where Elli will receive a big reward for a non-blind hide in the "warm up area" that isn't counted as part of the element scores. I've observed that once that first reward is given, Elli's search times take a nosedive. I'll also probably need the warm-up area for myself; sometimes working is the only way to calm nerves. Even so, I would prefer immediate drive for the odor, though. In the hopes of achieving such a goal, I will be integrating a plan over the next few days:

We will do Nosework once a day. A single hide will be placed in the environment. A big reward occurs. And then the session ends for the day. No more hides. She gets that single chance to succeed for a big payout and that's it. The hides will be relatively easy ones, so I don't accidentally crush her drive in the process of trying to build it. Over these few days, I hope to see her drive increase.

Here's the video for the Mall double-blind hides:

Pay attention to:

• Elli's indication behavior - nailed it every time! 
• Elli's reducing search times over multiple searches.
• Elli's paths to the source - note any zigzagging, air scenting.
• Elli's detailing/bracketing process - watch her behavior as she hones in on a hide. I wish I had a tiny microphone to put on her collar because part of my ability to read her stems from what you cannot hear in these videos: her breathing patterns. As she begins to catch the stronger scent, she shortens her breaths, moves back and forth more quickly, and, then, when she sources, she holds her breath. Pretty fantastic to see in real life.
• Elli's happy hunting tail. Shown here.

Finally, this week's rewards included: salami , pork sausage, spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli in marinara, swiss cheese, and canned tuna. Again, mixed and/or irregularly rotated.