Nosework Class

Last night was Pongo's fifth nosework class.  We signed up for it because he loves to work, is getting less exercise these days, yet still needs to have something to occupy his mind.  However, he has already gone through both beginning and advanced obedience, and passed the Canine Good Citizen Test.  He loves training, and gets so excited whenever we pull into the parking lot of the building where he has had his classes.  He can't do competition obedience because he has a repaired ACL, which causes him to sit with that leg off to the side.  I considered agility, but since he is now twelve years old, he has arthritis.  Jumping and sprinting would only aggravate it.  And so I settled on nosework - what dog doesn't like to sniff??

From day one, Pongo loved the game.  Get rewarded for sniffing?  Doggie Heaven!  In the first couple classes, treats were hidden in a food dedicated box that was moved to different locations.  When Pongo found the box with a treat in it, he was given two or three more treats to reward him.  These initial sessions were done off-leash within a sectioned-off area.  For home practice, I gathered a variety of boxes that now are housed in the corner of our living room (to my husband's dismay).  When I first set them up to practice with Pongo, our two male cats, Dewey and Zoumie were thrilled and came to investigate. I had Pongo run through a couple hides just to see what he would do, knowing that it was too early to be introducing a distraction - especially a cat!  Interestingly enough, Pongo ignored the box the cat was in and did not sniff it.  Yeah, the cats rule our house, not the other way around!  It was time to put the cats out so Pongo could work.

 

After hides in cardboard boxes, during subsequent classes, the instructor added a separate area search in a gated area. Next, we began to work on-leash, as trained search dogs do, and the treats were hidden in closed boxes arranged in rows or in a circle. Pongo gets so excited when he's told to "search" that sometimes he's panting too hard to sniff. But when he slows down and uses his God-given nose, he's amazing! I am in awe.

Yesterday, the instructor introduced searching outside on cement (too early in our training for grass). Pongo was unfazed by people or noise or moving scent . . . he found it quickly every time. I find I am disappointed that next week is our last class.