In Jackie's nose work class we played four hides. We practiced for our upcoming Odor Recognition Test (ORT) trial where Jackie will find birch, anise, and clove to qualify for competing at further National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) trials.
In novice level NACSW hides, any of these three odors may be used, while in AKC novice birch is the only odor used until the team reaches advanced level where birch and anise are used.
Today Jackie played interior containers, and interior buried for both sand and water, with good success.
Always allow your dog to lead the search. Don't lead the search if your dog can't find the hide, do a happy exit and then go re-set the hide so it's easier for your dog to find.
Move naturally with Jackie through a search; avoid being rigid. Follow her and rotate on an imaginary person-hole cover with smooth, natural movements.
Keeping your leash taught while searching becomes a signal to Jackie to continue searching, that the search is still in progress. Hold the leash as though it were coming out of the middle of your chest, no higher.
Keep enough positive tension in the leash so the clip stays up off the dog's back and there is a definite pressure as Jackie leans into the harness to search.
Continue to play the cat food bowl game at home, so that Jackie continues learning that searches sometimes have six hides, sometimes, four, occasionally one. Never play the same number of hides twice in a row. Instead, each search has a different number of hides so Jackie never finds a pattern to follow, and each search is fun and fresh.
Jackie searches containers, buried sand and water, and practices for her ORT:
