The 3 Out Of 4 Club

After yesterday's Nose Work 1 Trial in Oakville, WA, we are now solidly entrenched in the 3 out of 4 club. It's hard not to feel disappointed, but what I have to remind myself is that Pongo loved the excitement of the trial site, seeing all the other dogs, and playing the game he loves: find the odor.  He doesn't know that he didn't earn a ribbon or a title on a piece of paper.  Those are human constructs.

Pongo gets a drink of water in the truck.

 Oakville is not far from Olympia, just eleven miles off of I-5 on Highway 12.  Mapquest estimated it would take us an hour and seventeen minutes from our house.  We left at 7 am, stopped for coffee on the way, and jetted into our day long journey. Because Pongo has been slow to start in the last two trials, failing to pass the first element of the day, we pulled over at a rest stop on the way to practice.  I did two hides with him outside, practicing an exterior hide.  Pongo was understandably distracted on the first one, not sure whether he was there to pee. The second one was better, but he was still very distracted.  I hoped it was enough of a practice to help him get right into the game at the trial site.

Each trial we have been to has done things a little different.  Sometimes elements are run simultaneously, sometimes back-to-back.  There are always 40 dogs divided into two groups of 20.  Yesterday we were in Group B, Team No. 6.  I liked being at the front of our group, but the Oakville trial ran the containers and exterior elements back-to-back so that teams went directly to the exterior hide after finishing with containers. That meant that we had a long wait time before we even started, as Group A ran through two elements first.
Our number did not come up until almost 11:30 am.

Pongo rocked through containers.  Next we went out a side door of the high school to a flagged-off area that included grass and the side of the building. Pongo got to work after looking out at all the people standing around watching. I felt cautious, noting that he took interest in a couple different spots, but not wanting to make a mistake, let him keep going, then directing him back to the areas he'd shown interest before.  I called alert when he stopped again and stuck to a utility cylinder next to the wall. YES!  Relief and excitement washed over me.  We'd made it through the first half of the day!

At the truck, playing the waiting game.

We went back to the truck to wait.  Thankfully, they reversed the order in the afternoon and Group B would go first after lunch.  We purchased delicious baked potatoes from a concession stand inside the school which was being run to raise money for a senior class trip. We felt good about supporting such a small town school and were delighted to not have to leave to find something to eat.

The afternoon elements started with vehicles and then the interior search.  Pongo seemed perky and ready to go.  But when we came through the door to the vehicle search which was in a covered area open at both ends between school buildings, Pongo froze.  He looked at all the people standing in a line with timers or clipboards in their hands.  He sniffed the air.  The wind was blowing as if through a tunnel.  I took Pongo to the first vehicle and he started sniffing.  But at the end of each vehicle, he seemed to pause, distracted, and I had to turn him around and get him to go down the other side.  I started feeling nervous.  It felt as if I were in a vacuum, time getting sucked away.  I remembered the advice of the judge at our last trial. "You have to get your dog around all three vehicles."

The vehicles were parked side by side, parallel to each other with ample walking distance in between.  We ended up back at the first vehicle and Pongo showed a lot of interest at the back left wheel.  I wasn't sure if that was it, so I let him work it around to the other side.  At this point, I thought the odor was blowing under the vehicle, but Pongo was not giving me any strong signals.  We ran out of time.  The judge verified that Pongo had been in odor at the rear left wheel, but that the hide was in the hitch on the tailgate.  Pongo had walked right past it.

I buyoed my spirits as we went indoors to the interior and the last hide.  Dogs are allowed to be worked on or off leash, and Pongo has typically done well being off, so I started that way.  But as time passed, I felt he was not working the whole room and I put him back on the leash. I called alert just in the nick of time.  The entire room let out a big sigh as if they had been holding their breath.

"I'll call that 2:59." the judge said. There was nervous laughter.

"What a good boy, Po!"  We hurried out of the room and back to the truck.

Rather than stay for the award ceremony which was still hours away, we decided to leave.  We were tired and feeling defeated.  On the way home, we stopped in Olympia to look around.  As close as it is to us, I've never spent any time exploring there.  We took a downtown exit and left the truck at Heritage Park.  Pongo and I walked in the beautiful sunshine on the edge of Capitol Lake.

Next Del and I looked for a place to eat an early dinner.  We wandered into the 5th Avenue Sandwich shop.  I loved the old jazz music and pictures on the wall. Service was reasonably quick but the sandwiches were to die for.  Made from homemade bread daily, they were just running out of bread and closed after serving us.  I had a melted four cheese sandwich with an avocado spread and spinach.  It hit the spot!  Perfect on a crisp February day.  Del ordered a club sandwich without the bacon, but the waiter brought the thick slices of bacon on the side, trying to convince Del that it would be worth eating.  My husband, being a very particular eater, especially when it comes to bacon, declined.  Instead, the bacon went in a TO GO box where Pongo, waiting dutifully in the truck, devoured it immediately without question.

A Mock Nose Work Trial

Yesterday was a beautiful day for nose work in the Pacific Northwest! It was an unseasonably warm day with a brilliant blue sky.  Pongo is getting ready for another nose work trial this Saturday.  He's hoping to earn his Nose Work 1 (NW1) Title from the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). They say the third time is a charm, right?

My friend Mary set up a mock trial at her house for us to practice.  If you've read other blogs, you'll remember that Mary and her dog Crosby are longstanding nose work friends who are part of a practice group we've established. Crosby earned his NW1 title in Sandy, Oregon in November.  See "Pongo's Second Nose Work 1 Trial" posted on November 9, 2014.  I noticed a pattern in Pongo's behavior at this trial. Pongo starts off highly distracted and seems to need more warm-up time than just the trial boxes that are set up outside in the parking lot at trials.  Both times Pongo has competed, he has failed the first element (different elements each time) and passed the final three.  There are always four elements in a NW1 Trial: boxes, interior search, exterior search and vehicle search.  Your dog must pass all four to earn a title.

Knowing Pongo's tendency to a slow start, Mary planned five blind searches for us.  Each one was timed according to NW1 element standards.  The first one was an indoor search to get him warmed up.  Pongo circled the room, and was clearly working intermittently, but gave up easily and began looking to me.  Mary gave us the 30 second warning, then Pongo found the hide just before the time ran out at three minutes.  It was hung in a bag underneath a corner table.  Pongo was showered with lots of praise and cut up pieces of chicken Dog Joy Treats made by Freshpet.  Positive reward is important in training dogs for nose work to maintain their motivation.

Interior search with distractions.

Next, we went outside for a 3-car vehicle search.  Pongo was focused and quickly found the hide.  Pongo and Crosby took turns searching.

Crosby alerts to a find hidden in the wheel.

After the vehicle hide, the boys did a box search in Mary's garage.  There were lots of distractors with filled garbage cans, a parked vehicle, and shelves of your run-of-the-mill items stored in garages.  Boxes is where Pongo typically excels.  He got his best time on this element, finishing in less than fifteen seconds.  Pongo gave me a clear alert by pawing the box with the odor.  I love it when he does this on boxes and wish he'd do it on all hides!  But Pongo's alert is different depending on the situation, putting more pressure on me to make sure I read him correctly.  This is a team sport after all! 

Next, the dogs did an interior search in the living room.  This search area was full of lots of distractors.  It had some of Crosby's toys, a dog bed, a throw blanket tossed on the couch, etc.  This one proved to be very difficult for Pongo and was the only one he didn't find.  Mary hid the odor between the cushions and Pongo walked past multiple times without showing any signs of alerting to the odor.  But this is why we practice!  

Our practice session ended with an exterior search. Pongo found the odor hidden on a metal cat statue with plenty of time to spare.  What a fun day!  Many thanks to Mary for putting together a great practice session.  I'm so grateful for good friends.

    

       Pongo alerts on a metal cat statue.

Wish us luck! 

Happy trialing, Pongo!

Stay tuned for results this weekend.

Superbowl Sunday Vehicle Search

Recently, Pongo and I went to visit my parents in Pullman for a long weekend.  My job has been busy working twelve hour days or more, writing evaluations and IEPs. Sadly, Pongo's nose work training has suffered.  He has been grateful to get in one nose work session a week lately, and sometimes we just don't get around to it.  But with our next nose work trial coming up near the end of February, I was determined to fit in some nose work while we were out of town.

Pongo sporting Seahawks colors.

On Sunday before we got ready to settle down and watch the Superbowl, my niece and my brother helped me park three family cars up at the picnic shelter at Kruegel Park. Just two blocks from my parents' house, Kruegel Park was my childhood playground.  I grew up playing on the equipment, jumping on the merry-go-round and spinning until I was sick, learning to build a fire in the picnic shelter with the Girl Scouts, then later shooting baskets and playing tennis on the fenced-in courts, and watching cute boys play baseball on the diamond.

I chose the park for our vehicle search because I thought it would be a good place to practice with distractions.  During the search, Calder barked excitedly nearby.  If you are new to the blog, Calder is Pongo's BFF and belongs to my sister.  He was waiting for Pongo to finish so they could have playtime in the snow.  Also during the search, another dog who was in the park off-leash came running over to say hello.  To my surprise, Pongo (my social butterfly) didn't even pause and continued with his search, ignoring the other dog.  Way to work through distractions, Po!


Pongo worked the vehicle search with enthusiasm. He detailed each car. I had tried to set the search up to be as close to a real trial as possible. There was only one hide with birch.  I used cooked chicken chunks both for pairing and for rewards.

We did three different hides in this session.  Each time, I placed the hide in a different location or on a different car.  Each time, Pongo found it without any cues.  There was a license plate hide, a wheel-well hide and a door handle hide.

It was exciting to see Pongo so focused when we hadn't been practicing regularly.  It reaffirms for me how much he loves this sport and how important it is for me to make the time to work with him.  Pongo is happy when he's using his nose.

When we were finished, I let him off leash and he ran around in the snow with Calder.  Pongo was in his element.  He is a cold weather dog and loves the snow.  He and I have both missed it this winter in the Seattle area. Playing with his best friend, Pongo is young again.  He finds the energy to chase a stick.

We are counting down the days now to the next nose work trial.  While I hope Pongo will be able to focus on all four searches this time and come away with a title, it's all about Pongo and I being a team and having fun.

Pongo and Eva 

A Trip To The Farm

On December 14th, we decided to take a trip to the farm. Well, technically, it was two farms.  Saturday morning, we put Pongo in the car and drove to my cousin, Jen's house.  She and her husband, Marcus, have a small farm South of Bellingham near Lake Samish.  It's an idyllic little place that I love to visit. Pongo loves all the smells and always insists that we take a walk through the woods behind the house, which is an extremely muddy venture much of the year.

He gets impatient when I sit around the house, knitting and talking with Jen, which is what I love to do when we visit.  Pongo always reminds me that he wants to be outside exploring, by pacing and barking at me.  Finally, I indulge him. We go for a walk.  After all, that is what it's all about to him - all the wonderful smells on acres of land, a dog treasure hunt or smorgasbord.

Pongo ignores the sheep in their pen and keeps his head to the ground, nosing in the dirt and grass.

Jen and Marcus let their chickens free range in the yard.  It made me nervous the first few times we visited.  I didn't trust Pongo with them.  I was sure he might decide he wanted to chase one.  I kept him on leash when he was first exposed to loose chickens, and I never leave him unsupervised with them.  But he leaves them alone, focusing his attention on smells in the grass and the bushes.

Jen and Marcus currently have a cabin and a yurt on their property.  We visited both as we took a walk.  Here, Pongo says hello to Jen on the cabin porch.

 

Jen's son, Sam, stands chest to nose with their Great Pyrenees, Luther.  Luther loves to escort us through the woods, as he knows every pathway.  His job is to protect the farm animals from coyotes and other prey animals in the area.  A gentle soul, Luther will steal your heart. 

We fit in a vehicle search on Marcus' truck before we leave.  It's a great opportunity to practice nose work in a new location with lots of distractions.  At first, Pongo was more interested in smelling the surrounding terrain.  I kept him on a short leash and paired treats with the odor. 

Next, we drive North to Ferndale to visit my cousin, Aimee, Jen's older sister.  Aimee and Homero have a small working farm with several animals.  Here, the girls have just finished feeding the animals in the afternoon before it gets dark.  Ivory greets them at the gate.  Ivory is a greyhound mix who is about the same age as Pongo.  Seven years ago, she stayed with Pongo and I for several weeks when Aimee and Homero went to Mexico.  I love her dearly - it is always a joy to see her. 

The cow is the newest addition to the farm. 

Pongo meets Marley, a black lab, that Aimee's daughter, Rowan, acquired since the last time we visited.  They instantly like each other, but Marley is only a couple years old and has way more energy than Pongo does.  She wants to run and Pongo moves slowly at his own pace.

At Aimee's house, there are animals both inside and out.  They now have two ferrets, who were sleeping in their cage.  Pongo has never met ferrets.  I thought it was a good idea they stay in their cage.  Pongo once tried to eat my niece's gerbil.  He only gave it up after we pried it out of his mouth.  He definitely seems to have a strong prey drive for small rodents, which makes me continue to question his ancestral blood lines.  While hiking with Pongo and my sister's dog, Calder, last year, Pongo showed no interest when we encountered a pheasant, but Calder had to be called off the chase.  I am always fascinated how dogs have been bred for different purposes for thousands of years.  In today's society, most dogs have lost the opportunity to do the jobs they were bred for.  The result is that many dogs develop behavioral problems out of boredom, or a mismatch between the owner and dog's activity level.  Sadly, a large number of them are given up to shelters or ultimately euthanized.  In rescuing Pongo, who spent six months in a no-kill shelter in Washington, DC, my goal has been to provide him with the appropriate training and exercise to meet his individual needs.  At times, it hasn't been easy.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that this is my commitment to Pongo.  When I come home tired and all I want to do is sit back and relax on the couch, I remember my commitment to Pongo, and we go out the door.

Pongo sits happily sporting his winter snowflake bandanna ($1 at Walmart)! It has been a wonderful day visiting both our two- and four-legged family in the Bellingham area.

Vehicle Search

Pongo is back in class!  We are taking a Continuing Odor class at the Paws-ablities training facility in Fife.  Our first session was last Monday, and I quickly realized the two other dogs in the class were far more advanced than Pongo is.  It made me feel guilty for not practicing much since he took his ORT (odor recognition test).  We have only practiced twice. 

Being highly goal-oriented, I am already looking ahead.  I would really like for Pongo to compete at the Nose Work 1 Level (NW1).  To earn the NW1 title, your dog has to pass indoor and exterior searches as well as a vehicle search all on the same day.  Pongo has practiced both indoor and exterior searches, but we have never done a vehicle search. 

I have a friend at school who just finished taking Intro to Odor with her dog.  Yesterday, I texted her to see if she would like to get together to practice.  We decided to do a vehicle search in the Target parking lot.  We used my husband's truck since it is actually metal (my car is fiberglass) and you can stick things to it with magnets.

 The truck parked for searching.

The odor is placed inside this rectangular metal tin with a magnet backing.  There is a treat poised on top.  We paired all of our hides today with food.

Here the odor was placed inside the plastic end tube from a poop bag roll, then put into a clip with a magnet backing. 

Here the odor is in a plastic container with holes in the lid and placed in the wheel well. 

  
   Here the odor is in an empty seasoning bottle.  I opened up the top and placed it on the back wheel.

   My friend, Mary, and Crosby, her English Springer Spaniel, get ready to search.

Crosby showed us how it was done first.  It was fun watching his enthusiasm!  I had to laugh when he took the clip with the odor in the plastic tube off of the side of the truck with his mouth.  What a sweet boy!  Pongo has a much gentler approach, though it makes him hard to read.  I am going to have to work on teaching him to give me a clearer "alert." 

It was wonderful watching both boys work.  It warms my heart to see how much they love it.  I am in awe of their innate talents.  Dogs are amazing.  How incredibly blessed I feel to share my life with them!

Thank you Mary and Crosby for practicing with us today!