[alaskayorkie]

Little Miss Jillie had the last laugh on me today. I begrudgingly entered her in this weekend's Nosework trial by default. I had originally entered Eddie -- my nosework "star" -- but had to switch entries when he had leg surgery.

Eddie has been doing nosework for 4 years and taken a half dozen classes. Jillie has been doing it for less than a year -- and has taken no classes. I just worked with her a little in between training sessions with Eddie.

She has a ton of bad habits because of my faulty training, and at half Eddie's size, she really struggles identifying odors whose source is hidden higher off the ground. They can be hidden as high as 3 feet, and she stands all of eight inches.

But in a field of 22 dogs -- from a Bernese Mountain Dog to German Shepherds to hounds -- Jillie was one of six dogs to pass all four stages of the trial and receive her Level 1 certification. The four stages include an interior search of a house, an exterior search, a vehicle search and a container search. In the vehicle search, 3 full-sized cars are are parked next to each other, and the dog has to let the handler know within 4 inches of where the odor is hidden. It's hidden so well that it's impossible for the handler to know where it is. You have to trust the dog.

OK, Jillie, I trust you. You rocked it. Even Eddie didn't pass his first trial, so you're the first in the family to win a title.