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Originally Posted by Starlette  I do want to say "Congratulations!", but the truth of the matter is that I don't what I'm congratulating about  *sheepishly stated* Can you explain more of this kind of competition? Thanks. |
Ha ha. I've been doing it for so long that I forget it's still a new dog sport! No sheepishness needed in asking.
K9 nosework as a dog sport was invented by an LA police officer who worked with K9 dogs for much of his career. In doing so, he realized that the dogs LOVE their work. He found that doing something they're naturally good at gave timid dogs confidence, made aggressive dogs mellow out and made all dogs happier.
He also realized that it's not just German Shepherds and bloodhounds who have a phenomenal ability to sniff. All dogs, including our Yorkies, can smell 1,000 times better than humans. They are master sniffers even before taking a class.
So the LA police officer started a sport for pets. Instead of searching for drugs and bombs, etc., they are taught to search for specific odors -- birch, anise and clove in the form of essential oils. A few Q-Tips are exposed to the odor, and that's what the dogs hunt.
In classes, the dogs are the instructors. Students are encouraged to watch their dogs. They start by finding treats or toys hidden in boxes. Eventually, the odor is added along with the treats. Lastly, the treat is removed and the dog is left with just the odor.
In competitions, they have four levels. In NW1, dogs have to find the birch odor in four elements -- an interior search, an exterior search, a vehicle search and a container (boxes) search. Each element is limited to about 3 minutes.
The sport is so new, Alaska has only had two competitions ever. But I don't really care much about the competitions -- other than bragging
My dogs just love searching for the odor. I used to come home and they'd be bouncing off the walls with energy. Now I come home and hide the odors around the house, and they put on their game face and have a great old time finding it.
As a spectator sport, it's boring, but the dogs love it so much that it makes it worthwhile for me. We play nosework at least twice every day.