Preparing For Pongo's First Nosework Trial

When I recently entered Pongo in a nosework trial in Whatcom County over Labor Day weekend, we were wait-listed.  Nosework is becoming so popular and there are so few events in Washington state that trials fill up quickly.  We were number nine on the list even though I submitted my online entry on the opening day of entries.  Thankfully, last week I got an email confirming that we had made it off the waiting list and that we were entered! 

Although I had such good intentions at the beginning of the summer to practice nosework, in reality we have done very little.  We dropped in on a class at Paws-abilities once and practiced a couple times with friends.  Now it was time to up the ante!  Last night we did another drop in class where we practiced uneven surfaces.  Our instructor had created some very unique hides around the room.  There were a series of baby gates laying on the floor, folding tables upended, tarps covering boxes and more.  I was a little concerned that Pongo would not do well, as he doesn't like working on gravel.  Because we did lots of obedience in his younger years, Pongo has a strong sense of  what's right and wrong. He was taught to stay off furniture and he doesn't climb or put his paws up on things.  This has been challenging in training him to do nosework where I want him to get on his hind legs and put his paws up to find high hides.  When it was his turn, he initially skirted each obstacle, but once I showed him it was okay to walk on each one, he had no problem!  However, he needed all of the hides paired with food, a signal to me that we have not done enough work.

This morning we met for a nosework date at our friend Ellie's house near the lake.   We met early to try and avoid the heat, but at 9 a.m., the sky was clear blue and the sun reflected sharply off the water.  Ellie prepared outdoor hides in her yard, on her deck and on the neighbor's deck as well.  After initially pairing hides with food in Ellie's yard, Pongo alerted to odors that were not paired in the neighbor's yard.  Here he alerts to an odor that is hid behind a plastic container.  An unexpected distraction for him was the neighbor's sprinkler that moved in a circular pattern, raining on us from time to time.   He initially started but was able to keep working.  It is exciting to see Pongo making gains in his nosework skills.

 

Working with Lincoln, Ellie rewards him for finding a hide underneath a tomato planter on the deck. Daisy had an off day, failing to alert on odors she was standing right over.  We speculated about the angle of the wind and which direction the odor was wafting. But I wondered if her unusual performance was more due to residual odor from the baked liver I was using to reward Pongo.  It was a little crumbly and we kept accidentally dropping small bits. Although Pongo loves liver, I'm not sure that I will use it again for nosework.

 After working in the heat, Mary let Crosby swim in the lake - a wonderful reward for a hot dog! I loved watching him and his natural swimming abilities. He glided effortlessly through the water, seeming to barely move his hind legs. 

 Alas, Pongo eyed the water and refused to go out farther than the first step! My silly Po!  He's not a swimmer, and he decided it was too deep by the docks for him to wade. But he went home a happy boy and has been sleeping most of the day.   Maybe he was dreaming of more nosework training on a beautiful summer day with views of the lake and Mt. Rainier . . . ah, the life!