Saber sniffs: UKC Novice Nosework titles!

*Sniff sniff*... what's that I smell? You're back to read about more of my adventures in nosework! So happy to see you! Please leave the cheese, steak, and bacon in the basket by the door and I will tell you the story of a Shepherd who taught her Mom to let her sniff.

I have a long history of Obedience-trial sniffing which I had perfected and also employed in the Rally ring, but in training Mom was always telling me "no sniff!" As obedient as I usually am, I persisted in the sniffing because there was a bigger lesson to be learned here. Mom needed to understand that sniffing is one of my best skills! Eventually, I think the idea clicked because Mom quit doing Obedience for a long time and started me in Nosework! It was a dream come true. You can read more about it by clicking on the "Nosework" link over to the right, and you can see how I excelled in Obedience and Rally after I began Nosework by clicking the Obedience link.

Anyway, we've been continuing on with the nosework practices, sometimes indoors with boxes...

sometimes outside in the desert...

or with outdoor furniture.

I've been doing so well finding all the scents, Mom entered me in a UKC Nosework trial up near Seattle in October. I was entered in four Element trials. On Day 1, I did a Container search and an Exterior search. Containers is pretty straightforward with a lot of boxes and only one of them has scent. I found that easily. Up the row and back down, and then I laid down at the scent.

Next was the Exterior search. It was raining, cold, and windy. In fact, we heard it was record rainfall for the area and gusts of 45 miles per hour! I do not enjoy rain, and do not generally search in the rain, but when Mom said "search" in the Exterior area, I went right to work! There were some great, smelly bushes, a large children's toy, a table and chairs, and random stuff on the ground. I sniffed all around and then found the scent right under the corner or this black metal thing on the ground!

When Mom said "Alert!" and the judge said "yes," I got treats! I was so happy that I pranced around wagging my tail in the rain! Nosework is great fun.

The next day, we came back for an Interior search and a Vehicles search. The Interior search was very interesting! It was a small room full of lots of things: a table and chair, a file cabinet with a TV on top, and a large exercise machine, among other things (no pictures were allowed of this search, because it was a small room). There were so many good smells in there! I sniffed each thing carefully and then went over to the trash can in the corner and stuck my head in. There was a delicious-looking Kleenex in there, but Mom trusted me not to eat it and did not pull me away. I heard that lots of other people pulled their dogs away when they put their heads in the trash. Not sure why... trash cans are always a great find! But I pulled my head out of the trash myself and went on with my search for a few more seconds. Then I went back to the trash can, put my nose on the edge of it, and laid down. Mom called alert! and yes, the scent was there on the trash can! Victory for this nose.

Next, I got to do a Vehicles search. This is one of my favorite things because we hardly ever do it in practice! There were three cars parked in a row. I quickly sniffed around and found the scent on the front of the last vehicle, in the edge of a little round fog light. Mom said "Alert!" and I was right again! Treats rained down form heaven and I was one happy puppy!

In the end I passed all four Elements and also got a 4th place ribbon in Vehicles with a time of 22.22 seconds.

Since I was such a success at my first trial, Mom went ahead and entered me in another one just a month later! So a couple of weeks ago we traveled north again, where I found this sign. Smells like chicken.

This time it was not rainy, but was rather cold and frosty. But freezing weather could not deter this Shepherd from succeeding. Again Mom entered me in four Element trials. These trials were held at a dog training facility, so it was very different from the last one (which was in an office building). There were so many great dog smells! The Containers search was in a large room with some agility equipment in a corner. There was a long row of boxes, but when Mom said "Search" I ran past most of the boxes to the end of the row. Do you know what was near the end of the row, in the corner of the room? Two large dogs on top of a pile of mats! One looked like a yellow lab and the other was a smaller dog of some sort. So I hit the end of the row of boxes and watched those dogs carefully to see if they were going to approach, interfere, or leap off the mats onto my Mother. They did not move, and I was able to discern that they were in fact fake, stuffed toy dogs. And, they were staring unblinkingly. The nerve. Anyway, I went back to the row of boxes, mulling over the strangeness of the situation, got to the end of the row and Mom once again reminded me to "Search" so I put those dogs out of my mind and got to work. I laid down at the correct box and passed Containers for a second time, earning my Novice Containers title!

Next, we did our Exterior search. This was outside at the edge of a parking lot, but when I got there I saw there was a vast field of bunnies (assuming the wildlife) right behind us! I tried very hard to get Mom to let me run over there and lure course, but she made me stay in the parking lot. That's okay, though. I love sniffing as much as I love chasing. So this search had a wheelbarrow, a bench and chair, a kids' toy, some kids' chairs and other things. I went for the grass at first, but then started sniffing all the things in the search area. I found the scent on one of the childrens' chairs and let my Mom know it was there. She said "Alert!" and of course the judge said yes. Another successful search, and another new title: Novice Exterior!

The next day we came back and it was even colder. I spent a lot of my free time sniffing frozen grass and waiting in the car, but when we went inside for the Interior search I was very surprised. This search was in the same room that the Containers search was in, with those two dogs still staring in the corner. Even more shocking was when my Mom pointed to four plastic dog crates in the search area and told me to "Search!" I'm sorry, but looking into someone else's dog crate is VERY RUDE behavior, which I detest when I am resting in my crate. Mom always told me not to stare or sniff at another dog's crate, so I slowly crept towards the front of the first crate and peeked in to be sure there was no occupant. Finding the crate empty, I relaxed and began my search. There were, I think, four dog crates in the search area along with some other things, a door, and that stack of used mats with the fake dogs on top. I had a great time smelling those crates for awhile (doggy smells!), but then I went over to the mats, smelled the scent at the edge, and laid down to alert my find. Right again! This finished my Novice Interior title!

Finally it was time for the Vehicle search. I ran out and sniffed the row of cars, then back again and laid down on the frosty ground with my nose at the center bottom of one car's licence plate where the scent was (it was behind the plate). Mom gave me great rewards, and I got a Novice Vehicles title!

Passing all four Elements again completed my UKC Novice Nosework title. I got lots of ribbons at this trial! But no bacon, what the heck?

I finished my Novice titles with zero faults! Mom was very proud of me and gave me plenty of yummy treats and took me to the dog park to play Frisbee, so that was almost as good as bacon. I think in the spring we are going to trial in UKC Advanced, so stay tuned for more sniffing adventures!

Saber Actually Does Obedience (and Rally)

Saber here! As promised, I am back with some news from the Obedience and Rally front. It's been about two years since I updated about this, but boy have I been busy! First, let me share a little about the practices we were doing back in early 2014 or so.

Here is a typical Down Stay practice in the grass with other dogs. One thing I liked to do to pass the time while staying was to chew some part of my body that has an itch, Here I display my phenomenal flexibility and extensive reach while chewing my right hip. Notice my use of tail lift for counterbalance.

Usually, staying is pretty boring. You just have to lie there on the floor waiting for something interesting to happen. Here we are waiting in an indoor down stay.

Sometimes, a dog isn't doing their job properly, and their person comes and takes them away. (I do not ever have this problem. I always do my job properly, for at least 2.75 minutes out of the 3 required minutes of down stay. No promises about not getting tired on the sit stay, though).

Sometimes I stay with many dogs. Other times I stay with one Corgi.

After lots of classes and practices, Mom decided I was ready for another trial in April last year (2014), She was wrong! But we had a grand time in Walla Walla because the grass in the Obedience ring was so nice and tall and smelly. I did some epic sniffing during the heel on leash and figure 8, and as soon as that leash came off I was off like a shot, romping around the ring with my tail wagging to smell all the wonderful smells. It was a sniffing festival! (This was before Mom got me going in Nosework, so I had to get my sniffing done somewhere!) The judge was not amused and excused me, but I got two more chances to sniff because Mom also entered me in Rally Advanced twice! Lots of wandering and sniffing time this weekend. No qualifying scores, but that's okay because there were no good prizes anyway.

Mom knew that I actually do know how to do Novice Obedience, so she was not discouraged (yet). Just a month later, she entered me in four more trials at Spokane and Cour D'Alene. These shows were indoors, with no wonderful grass to distract me, so she just knew I would do well! But you know, there are so many fun things to do in trials when your Mom can't correct you. Mind you, this was a year and a half ago and I was still rather immature, without the amazing work ethic I have now. Well, the three Rally Advanced trials were fun for me, but not so fun for Mom. While I was in the ring, interesting dogs were walking by and I had to watch them to make sure they were listening to their handlers and not goofing around. The broad jump looked suspicious so I carefully walked over it instead of jumping, just to be sure there were no strange creatures hiding beneath it. Some dogs were barking and whining in their crates (the nerve!) and this made it hard to concentrate. So I didn't qualify, in the judges' eyes, although in my eyes I did a fair job keeping Mom and all of the spectators safe, and preventing random dogs from breaking rules as they walked by the ring.

On the last day of these trials, Mom had entered me in Obedience again. Remember when I said that stays are boring, because you have to sit there and wait for something interesting to happen? Well, this is where the stays got really interesting! After I did all the Novice exercises, but didn't qualify due to my mother not staying close enough to me during the heeling/sniffing pattern, I went back into the ring for the group stays. There were 6 of us, all sitting lined up in a row, staying as we were told. All of us, that is, except for this other German Shepherd. You are not going to believe what this other dog did, DURING AN OBEDIENCE TRIAL. I have never seen such disrespect of rules in my life, and trust me, I work with poodles. Anyway, this dog was staring at me. I ignored him. So, DURING THE STAY, he got up and ran over to me and started SNIFFING MY FACE. Oh yes he did, and I was about to give him an obedience lesson he would never forget but my Mom yelled, "Leave it! Stay!" So I had to turn my head and stay there sitting, while this "dog" (and I use the term loosely) starts sniffing my other body parts and the Judge is yelling at the other lady to get her dog! (Yeah seriously lady, GET YOUR DOG!) I sat and stayed, I did not growl or move. I did not correct this overt display of DISobedience. And then when the lady grabbed her inconsiderate canine by his collar and started to pull him away, he had the absolute nerve to LUNGE at me and SNARL in my face! Mom again reminded me to "Leave it! Stay!" and so I did. I stayed until the exercise ended, and then the Judge congratulated me and my Mom and the other competitors applauded me for my self control. Yes, they literally applauded, and told my Mom what a great dog I am. Then I finished with a perfect group down stay. Alas, I had already gotten a non-qualifying score because of the heeling, but Mom said she was prouder of me than she has ever been, and she took me to play in the park and bought me an ice cream cone. Now isn't that better than any ribbon? I still would like to have a chat with that other dog about his lack of manners and blatant disregard for rules.

Over the summer, we did some more practicing in Obedience and Rally, and then in September 2014, Mom entered me in the local shows. Those are outside in the grass! I was thrilled. She entered me three times in Rally Advanced, during which I did lots of great sniffing (think she was getting the hint about Nosework yet?) The best part was when I was at the start sign with Mom and saw a figure 8 with food bowls way over on the other side of the ring. I was drooling in anticipation! Was it hamburgers? Hot dogs? Leftover lasagna? As soon as Mom said "Heel" I ran straight over there for lunch, but some rude person had put plastic grates over the top of the food! What a rude joke. How am I supposed to heel when there is lunch caged up in a bowl right in front of me? I got 3 non-qualifying scores. I also got 2 NQs in Obedience: one because I was still sniffing a lot, and the other because, after doing a much better job on all the exercises, I got tired on the sit stay and laid down for a rest. (I personally think a 15 second rest during the one minute sit stay should be allowed, even encouraged. Perhaps that will be one of the Obedience regulation changes in the future, along with removing the grates from the lunch bowls in Rally).

After all those NQ's Mom kind of gave up about the trialing for awhile. She stopped taking Obedience classes and stopped going to Rally practices. We didn't even do any run throughs or anything for almost 5 months. Instead, we started Nosework! Oh, that is so fun, and much more useful than stays! I am, after all, an expert sniffer, as demonstrated in all the preceding Obedience trials.

Mom finally decided this February to take me to a Fun Match and see if I remembered any Obedience. Sure I did! And no other dogs got up to sniff me this time. I kept an eye on them though.

We didn't do anymore practices or classes, but Mom wondered if maybe I was finally ready to give it a try again. So after over 6 months of almost no Obedience or Rally, in April she took me to  Moses Lake for a trial. And all of that break time paid off! I got my first CD leg with a first place ribbon! I also got this cute squeaky toy as a prize:

On the second day, I got another CD leg and a 3rd place! Mom was so excited and I was just glad we were 2/3 of the way to being done with this Novice stuff.

The best part of the trip was getting to play in the park after the trials! I got to go down the slides with my girl...

 

...swim in the lake...

...and fetch sticks!

Two weeks later, Mom took me to the Walla Walla trial (indoors this time) and I got my second leg in Rally Advanced!

Well, finally Mom learned her lesson about what this Shepherd needs to win in Obedience: way less practice, and way more time sniffing! Now that I was active in Nosework, I didn't really need to be so sniffy during obedience trials anymore. Plus, since we never practiced anymore, it wasn't as boring. Mom got the point and for the next 6 months we did no Obedience or Rally practice (one or two run throughs, that's all) and lots of nosework! I was one happy puppy!

Last month, Mom entered me in the trials at Cashmere to see if I could finish either of those titles. We did not practice at all; Mom just brought me to the trial, let me wait in my crate, and then took me straight into the ring when it was time. And I rocked it!

Here I am with my New Title ribbon in AKC Novice Obedience: Saber Jet, CD! (Companion Dog)

The next day I rocked it again, and earned my 3rd Rally Advanced leg for the RA title!

This has been such an adventure! Mom was so happy when we finished these titles and promised me she would never make me do Obedience trials again if I didn't want to. But you know what? There are jumps and dumbbells to fetch in the next level of Obedience... so game on! I'm ready!

The Birthday Shepherd!

Well hello! It's been a very long time since this shepherd has written, and I have so many exciting things to tell you about! I have thrilling updates in obedience, Rally, nosework and Barn Hunt... but today is a day more special than any of those things. Today is my birthday! Yes, it is hard to believe, but this magnificent shepherd is FIVE years old today. I thought it only fitting that I share with you the excitement of my birthdays, past and present!

First, let me introduce my parents. Here is my mother, Eris. Isn't she lovely? I inherited her focus and stunning good looks, as well as her athletic build and useful pink tongue.

This is my father, Tobi. I got my intensity from him!

Dad doing Schutzhund. This looks fun, right? If only the man had a roast turkey on his arm instead of that sleeve. 

So my parents met and fell in love, and I am the result!

I was born on a chilly fall day in 2010, along with my four stunning sisters and one handsome brother. Here we are with our beautiful, attentive mother. I am the one with the orange collar.

We were so tiny! That picture kind of reminds me of the rats in Barn Hunt (shudder). But that's okay, we grew and got cuter really fast! Here I am at one week old.

Just look at my tiny ears and perfect little nose! I was adorable! But time marches on and I did not stay small for long. Actually my ears grew first...

But soon the rest of me caught up. Here I am on my first birthday. I was not too sure about the hat...

But I WAS sure about the birthday cake!! Yum! Notice my perfect stay, not diving for the cake before I was given the go-ahead. Even then, my obedience skills were impeccable!

Here I am a year later, turning 2... (Mom says I was starting to "mature" then. Sorry, but I disagree. Just because I wanted to eat the Barbies earlier in life is no sign that I was ever immature! And I'm not saying I know anything about this personally, but I'm sure there are probably plenty of grown up shepherds who enjoy the delicate flavor of a Kleenex once in awhile.)

Turning 3, with fancy candles and going for a dignified, Presidential type portrait:

Last year, turning 4. Check my awesome "Party Girl" hat! I think I know a poodle friend who may like to borrow this hat.

Don't worry, I got cake too! A delicious, meaty cake. Again, lit on fire by my mother, who seems not to quite have the concept of cake-warming down yet. (Not enough fire).

Today was another great birthday! I turned five and Mom made me a yummy cake out of canned beef and little star shaped treats! I did endure the birthday hat ritual before indulging in my cake. I am not actually that interested in modelling, even though I am highly attractive and modest. Also, the hat is not German, and not made of gold or bacon which would be more fitting for a canine of my stature. However, I wore the hat because it made my family smile. Do not judge.

I was allowed to shred the hat afterward, so that made it worth it! I was very happy to eat my cake.

I always get presents, treats, and an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen for my birthday, too! Aren't I a lucky shepherd? Life is good.

Feel free to bring, send, or mail me food gifts on this day next year. One can never have too much dinner! Trust me on this.

Check back later for more thrilling updates on what I've been up to! (Don't ask the cat, please. She lies.)

Saber Does K9 Nose Work: The Nose Knows!

Hi again! Saber here. It's been awhile! I've been enjoying a new sport that I wanted to share with you.

I've been sniffing since I was a very small puppy. My mother used to hide treats around the living room and tell me to "find it!" and of course, having the excellent nose that I do, I always found them quickly. I have used this skill in many venues before, from tracking to obedience to Rally! My excellent sniffing skills in the Obedience ring have been quite unappreciated. For some reason, my finding teensy particles of ancient food crumbs in the grass at Rally shows has never been rewarded. They have never even given me a ribbon for doing that. Their loss. But I think I have finally conveyed to the humans around me that there should be appreciation for my wonderful sniffing ability, because suddenly and without warning, I am being taken places JUST to SNIFF!

It started last fall - in October I believe - when some friends of my mom invited us to join them to practice something called Nosework (well, there is UKC Nosework and NACSW K-9 Nose Work. We practiced both. It's sniffing either way). Mom's friends started by putting food in boxes and telling me to "Find it". I knew this game! It was easy! But soon, mom started putting other smelly things in the boxes with the food. After awhile, she took the food away (oh the horror!) and changed her command to "Search!", but I caught on quickly and discovered that if I found those other smells, I'd get a treat! This was fun!

Practices were never boring. Sometimes it was boxes in rows, or piles of boxes. Sometimes it looked like this:

Where's the scent? Is it in that tree? I had to check everything.

Look, the scent is on the wheelchair this time! I found it. What a good puppy I am!

After a few months of practicing on all five UKC scents as a cocktail, and all 3 NACSW scents individually and mixed, mom thought maybe I was ready to try for my ORT: Odor Recognition Test. That's the test you have to pass in order to enter NACSW Nose Work trials, and it also allows entry into UKC trials for the scent passed. Mom decided she may as well enter me in all three test levels: Birch (NW1 level), Anise (NW2 level) and Clove (NW3 level). We went all the way to Whidbey Island three weeks ago for my ORTs and look at what we found.

Yes, bunnies. Dozens of them. They live all around town and they were all over the place outside our motel AND at the middle school where the tests were held. Very distracting for this shepherd.

We made it to the test and I had to stay in the car for a long time. I couldn't wait to get out and chase bunnies! I love lure coursing. But alas, that is not why we were there. Here was my first clue:

Yep, a giant nose. My second clue was the "warm up boxes" that were set up outside the venue in the grass. Tell you what. I have never done box searches in dirt or grass before, and it is very hard to focus on boxes and scent when there are dozens of bunnies hopping around beyond the fence. But I did catch a whiff of scent and somewhere in the recesses of my brilliant mind, there was a remembrance of the nosework we did back in the clubhouse.

The third and final clue was when we walked in to the school gym and there were orange cones, a start line, and rows of boxes. Yep, now I knew exactly what we were doing! I was ready to sniff!

Mom said "Search," and search I did!

Down one row, up the other, and then I caught it! The scent of Birch which I knew would trigger mom to give me lots of cookies. I whipped around and clearly gave my alert at the correct box:

Mom was thrilled! Treats abounded! Spectators and the judge were amazed! But that wasn't the last of my snifftastic performance! Later that day, I came back to a new arrangement in a new spot in the gym and just as smoothly passed my ORT for Anise! Here I am smiling after my pass:

Although there aren't pictures of my third and final run, I did in fact pass my ORT for Clove, too! That test was in a different gym but I found the right box in no time.

After the ORTs were over, I stayed and did a little NW1 Interiors trial practice! There were three searches. First, I searched a hallway near the cafeteria. Here I am doing a perimeter search:

I thought I smelled the Birch right here, underneath this thing on the wall. But actually the source was just across the hall and the scent had drifted over here. 

After a bit more searching and a hint or two from the Judge, I found the source hidden way back here under the edge of the Lost and Found table, beside a vending machine and a folded-up lunch table!

The second search was IN the cafeteria. You can't see it in this picture, but there were snacks all over the ground! Mom says there were noodles, Cheetos, chips and crackers trampled all over the floor. For some reason she thought I would "Hoover them up" and get sick from eating all that junk. Doesn't she know the difference between Birch and snacks?? This nose knows! I didn't touch a thing on that floor. I was busy searching each table for scent: (seriously, just because I am an expert crumb finder in Obedience does not mean I don't know when it's time to work!)

I worked up and down a couple of tables and then, there it was! I found the Birch source under this table. And yes, I got treats!

There was one more Interior search I completed, but it was in a bathroom. Trust me, you do not want to be the one sniffing around in a middle school bathroom, but this valiant shepherd persevered and found the scent quickly. No photos of the shepherd sniffing in a bathroom, sorry. I have my dignity.

So there you have it: I passed all 3 ORTs in one day! Now mom is training me for my NW1, which includes interiors, exteriors, containers and vehicle searches, I can't wait! And I hope I never have to hear mom say "No sniff!" again!