Doggie Sports/Activity: K9 Nosework
Just curious if anyone on the forum do Nosework with their Shibas?
For people who are not familiar with it, here is a cut and paste from the National Association of Canine Scent Work
http://www.nacsw.net/home/whatisk9nosework.html
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What is K9 Nose Work?
K9 Nose Work is the specific sport created and sanctioned by the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). This sport was inspired by the training methodology of detection K9s and borrows elements of that training for recreation. The terms nose work, fun nose work, scent work, search work are all commonly used references to describe any activity where the dog is using its nose to locate a target scent or odor. K9 Nose Work is the term that defines this detection inspired sport that has evolved from the pursuit of many dogs (with their handlers) to practice nose work and have fun.
One of the many challenges faced by working K9s and their handlers is encountering new environments and scenarios daily. This challenge will be reflected in the sport through differing search environments and requirements of each trial location.
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I was first exposed to K9 Nosework about 6 months ago via a workshop held at the training facility we went. I found it very interesting and a great activity for any dogs regardless of breeds or whether they are reactive or not.
The dog works with its human and does not have to interact with other dogs at all. It is fun because the dog gets to used its nose for a change and scent is probably by far canines' strongest sense. They don't have to be a search and rescue or tracking dog, but they get to enjoy the joy of using their nose in a game and get rewarded generously for it. It's a win/win game for the dogs with no corrections whatsoever. It is also easy to start equipment-wise, you do not need expensive equipment or a lot of space and all you need are just a few cardboard boxes, collar/harness and leash, your dog and some yummy treats to get going.
I first enrolled my girl Maluko (almost 6 years old) in Nosework class about 2 months ago and she loves it. I would say it is by far her favorite activity. I then enroll Koji (a year and half) in level 1 class 2 weeks ago and he loves it too. I really enjoy watching them work and the different search style my dogs show. Maluko is very methodical and serious when she searches. She maps out the room and is very through in her search while Koji is the opposite when searching. Koji moves fast, but not over crazy like some of the other dogs in his class and still manages to focus on the tasks at hand. I learn so much by watching my dogs work their nose and I think this is one of the best doggie sports ever invented.
This was shot last week and it's week 2 of Koji's Nosework 101 class. Unique scent is not introduced in the game yet and they are only searching for yummy treats in boxes.
And to contrast their working style, here is Maluko in her Nosework 102 class last week. Her class has advanced to unpairing the scent (birch) with the treat and she was only searching for the birch scent in the room. In this video, it was just 2 small q-tips with birch scent in a tiny tin box slightly open and it was attached to the metal chair near the left wall.
For people who are not familiar with it, here is a cut and paste from the National Association of Canine Scent Work
http://www.nacsw.net/home/whatisk9nosework.html
---------------
What is K9 Nose Work?
K9 Nose Work is the specific sport created and sanctioned by the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). This sport was inspired by the training methodology of detection K9s and borrows elements of that training for recreation. The terms nose work, fun nose work, scent work, search work are all commonly used references to describe any activity where the dog is using its nose to locate a target scent or odor. K9 Nose Work is the term that defines this detection inspired sport that has evolved from the pursuit of many dogs (with their handlers) to practice nose work and have fun.
One of the many challenges faced by working K9s and their handlers is encountering new environments and scenarios daily. This challenge will be reflected in the sport through differing search environments and requirements of each trial location.
------------
I was first exposed to K9 Nosework about 6 months ago via a workshop held at the training facility we went. I found it very interesting and a great activity for any dogs regardless of breeds or whether they are reactive or not.
The dog works with its human and does not have to interact with other dogs at all. It is fun because the dog gets to used its nose for a change and scent is probably by far canines' strongest sense. They don't have to be a search and rescue or tracking dog, but they get to enjoy the joy of using their nose in a game and get rewarded generously for it. It's a win/win game for the dogs with no corrections whatsoever. It is also easy to start equipment-wise, you do not need expensive equipment or a lot of space and all you need are just a few cardboard boxes, collar/harness and leash, your dog and some yummy treats to get going.
I first enrolled my girl Maluko (almost 6 years old) in Nosework class about 2 months ago and she loves it. I would say it is by far her favorite activity. I then enroll Koji (a year and half) in level 1 class 2 weeks ago and he loves it too. I really enjoy watching them work and the different search style my dogs show. Maluko is very methodical and serious when she searches. She maps out the room and is very through in her search while Koji is the opposite when searching. Koji moves fast, but not over crazy like some of the other dogs in his class and still manages to focus on the tasks at hand. I learn so much by watching my dogs work their nose and I think this is one of the best doggie sports ever invented.
This was shot last week and it's week 2 of Koji's Nosework 101 class. Unique scent is not introduced in the game yet and they are only searching for yummy treats in boxes.
And to contrast their working style, here is Maluko in her Nosework 102 class last week. Her class has advanced to unpairing the scent (birch) with the treat and she was only searching for the birch scent in the room. In this video, it was just 2 small q-tips with birch scent in a tiny tin box slightly open and it was attached to the metal chair near the left wall.
Comments
You can definitely try playing the box games at home. It seems like a very easy game that a dog will enjoy without too much structures in it, but the dogs definitely learn more and gets challenged when they are in class.
I would suggest attending a Nosework Workshop if possible. This is usually 60-90 minutes in length and will give you a good idea of the sport.
A few things to remember about Nosework. There is no correction, no verbal correction, no "leave it", or no yanking the leash at all. It is supposed to be a fun game. The dog should enjoy it. Period!
To start, get a few cardboard boxes of different sizes and scatter them around in an enclosed area (you don't want too many distractions initially). Pick one box as the cookie box and choose a very yummy treats to put in that one box. The goal for this stage is to let the dog get a sense of the box game and have quick, easy success.The cardboard boxes is a cue to the dogs that the game is on. Put the dog on a flat collar or a harness and dog on leash, so the dog will not wander off and not engage in the game. You don't need the leash much once the dog learns the game, but in a real trial, sometimes the dog has to be on leash. A harness is preferred as you don't want to accidentally yank the leash and choke the poor pup.
Once the boxes are set up and the treat in place, choose a command to signal the start of the game. I use "Nosework" and I know others use "Find it", "Search" or "Nose On". Choose anything you want, but just be consistent. Depending on the dogs, some will be more reserved and not sure what you want them to do. Just walk the dog with a loose leash around the boxes and when they find the treat, encourage them to take the treat and tell them what a great puppy they are. Throw in more treats in the box as a bonus. Remember to make the initial find easy and reward them generously, so they learn to love the game fast. Do this a few times and once the dog gets a rough idea of the game, you then can make it a bit more challenging. Put the treat inside a box that stands on the side with flaps, put the treat in a box that is upside down, but with an opening on the side (like a garage), put the treat on top of the box etc. Make sure the dog is not stressed when playing the game. The search itself should be fun and rewarding. Challenge your dog, but don't make it so hard that you wonder if your dog can find it. If the dog gets stuck, walk closer to the hide, but without actually pointing out where the treat is.
Practice different hides a few times and make sure the dog is successful before you change the difficulty of the game. If the dog gets a difficult hide and eventually find it, praise and reward generously (in the box) and for the next hide, make it easy, so the dog finds it quickly and gains confidence. Always end the game on a positive note, like any training session. Don't do nosework non-stop for an extended period of time. In class, we usually do 4 searches at a time, then the next dog is on. With a class of about 4-5 dogs, your dog get some down time and he/she builds up excitement when it;s his or her time to work. Depending on how difficult a search is and what level the dog is at, a dog usually get to go 2-4 runs in an hour class, with 3-4 back to back searches in each run.
Once the dog get treats in the box game, move it a notch by moving the treats outside the box (not too far from it though). Eventually, the treat can be anywhere, but the cardboard boxes are always there to remind the dog it is THAT GAME we are playing, along with other distractions (like toys, chairs, grocery cart etc) are there too.
You can move the treats to an elevated location (such as on a step stool) or on a chair, but remember to not make it too much higher than the dog's nose level. And always remember to reward dogs at the source (if only treats are used, reward bonus treats at the original location where the dog finds the treats. This is so because you want the dog to stay at the source (which will be odor only in later stage).
Odor will be introduced once the dog gets a very good idea of finding the treat and being able to find treats in different locations. Odor is first introduced with the treat and depending on the dog's progress, treats will be removed at the source and only odor is presented. You still reward the dog when he or she finds the scent, but you need to be great on timing to deliver the treats fast, but at the same time, not getting to close to the dog while he or she is working (it can push the dog away if you get too close).
Sorry for the lengthy response, but it is really a great activity for dogs of any breed, age or temperament. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
I could try it with Toby at home which would give him something to do and build up his confidence. (he SEEMS like a confident dog the way he swaggers around, and easily takes offense, but he's actually not--he was too scared to play with the treat game I got for Bel, simply because it was new. It took awhile for him to even try the game).
So this would be good to build his confidence up and give him something to do!
Week 3 of Koji's Nosework 101 Class. The dogs start to find treats outside of the boxes. This video shows Koji finding the hide on an elevated surface (step stool). The find was outside of the box (he did a few searches of treats outside of the boxes before this one, but the treats were placed not too far from the boxes). In this video, a box was placed on top of the step stool as a cue. His next search after this one, the treat was placed at the same location, but no box at the top of the stool.
I am told not to move around much when the dog is searching off-leash, so I am not distracting them or actually help them find the search. I only move slowly and casually when the dog is stuck for a while or when the dog may be distracted. My moving is to get the dog engaged again and not necessarily helping him with the actual search. I may move randomly or just move closer to where the hide is if the dog is really having trouble finding the hide. You never point and tell the dog where the hide is.
This video shows the hide on the top of the step stool this time. It is higher than Koji's nose level and he is trained not to climb up on furniture or stuff at home, so you can see he was a bit hesitant at first when he located the hide. For overly excited and strong dog, the instructor told the handler to stable the step stool when the dog finds the hide, so that it will not be knocked over and accidentally traumatize the dog.
As the search got harder, this video shows that I just use the kissy noise to get his attention when he wandered off. This is the 15th search of the night and it took him longer to find the hide now, but he was enjoying the process and not stressed.
He did 16 searches last night and it took him from less than 8 seconds to close to 2 minutes to find each hide. It may not seem a lot of exercise, but he was mentally exhausted and slept soundly through the night.
Hope these videos help anyone that wants to try this game at home some ideas of how to set up the own game.
As a comparison, Maluko only did 4-6 searches last night, but she is at a more difficult level with no treats and just the scent (birch).
When we entered the test room, there were 12 container boxes, 6 boxes on each side and only one box has the birch scent in it. I took Maluko to the start line and told her to go find the hide. She sniffed the first box and then moved on to the next box. She stopped and sniffed that box intently and then looked up to me and I know that was it. I told the judge "alert" and I was very pleased when the judge told me we were right.
I am very proud of my girl. She found the scent in 8 seconds!
Btw, we ran into a Jamthund (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jämthund) at the ORT today. I talked with the owner and she said she got the dog from Sweden as she has relatives there. It is one cool looking dog. She said the dog is used for hunting in its home country and that there are not many if any Jamthund in the US. She did not hunt with her dog, but she said the dog is super alert and protective, so when she goes fishing, she feels safer with the dog around alerting her of any wild animals nearby.
She had a blast searching for odor in all 4 elements - exterior, vehicles, container and interior and I held up my end of the bargain as a team - trusting my dog's nose, calling out "alert" loudly and confidently when I noticed her change of behavior when she searched (None of the hides were visible, so you really need to trust your dogs and be able to tell when they found it). You only get 1 chance of identifying the location of the hide in each element under the time limit defined.
Only the 3 fastest dogs in each elements and overall are recognized with a ribbon. Anyone that knows Maluko know she is not a speed demon, but she is steady and ranked #4 overall among almost 40 dogs in the Nosework 1 trial.
Nosework is a great sports for any dogs and if you can find a Nosework class in your area, I highly recommend it to anyone with a dog. It is a fun game/sports that requires very little equipment and space or prior training - very low barrier of entry and all dogs love it. Fearful, reactive and old dogs all can enjoy it.
On the National Canine Association of Scent Work's website, you can look up titling information of any breed at any level (NW1, NW2 and NW3) and Maluko is the 4th Shiba that earned the Nosework Level 1 (NW1) title.
I poked around this function and found 1 Kai earning its NW1 title in the summer, which is really cool. No other Nihon Kens were represented.
I met the 3rd NW1 Shiba titled at Koji's first NW1 trial (Koji got 3 out of 4 elements and I screwed him up on the interior search) Saturday - a 9 year old rescue sesame Shiba named Wiley.
There is 1 Kai Ken that earned its NW1 title back in June this year.
If you can find a certified Nosework trainer in your area, I would recommend you checking it out. Ask to observe the class. It is a lot of fun.
For Agility, I really would encourage you to check out classes in your area first. Go to an Agility trial and observe. Look at teams that you like (the bond they have and how smooth they run, how the dogs and handlers interact will tell you a lot) and ask people where they train (of course, after they already run). There are a lot of foundation skills needed for a team to be successful in Agility and it is always much easier to get the basic skills down before you introduce obstacles to the dogs very early.
Harnessing the Power of Your Dog’s Nose: An Introduction to K9 Nose Work
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3276
There was a cream Shiba at the same trial and they drove all the way from Texas to WA for this. They did really well until Atlas heard fireworks going off before their interior search and he refused to work after that. I talked briefly with Atlas's owner and he has 2 other Shibas at home. He said Nosework is a great activity for Atlas since he is reactive to other dogs. It gets his brain working and he enjoys finding the hide and working with his human!
I am sure there are Akitas doing Nosework out there, but not sure if they are on the forum. I just check the Nosework titles by breed and saw one Akita named "April" that has earned the Nosework Level 1 (NW1) title.
I have seen dogs of all breeds, ages, health, temperment doing and enjoying Nosework. I know a friend used to take her old deaf Shiba to do Nosework until she passed. It was the highlight of that dog's life whenever they got to practice or go to class. One thing interesting I noticed about Nosework is that the dog really does not use their vision that much when they search. It is all about the scent and sniffing. I am confident that a blind dog can enjoy the sports as much as any dog!
I have my buhund in a beginning nosework class but I'm not interested in competing. I'm interested in teaching my dog to find truffles
The concept of Nosework can be applied to other areas, such as detection work, search and rescue, Barn Hunt, tracking etc. Koji does Barn Hunt too and because of the experiences we have in Nosework, I am much better at reading him when he searches.
The key to any successful search dog is first the ability to focus on the search task (be it specific odors in Nosework, truffle hunting, live rats in Barn Hunt, drugs/blood in detection work etc) at hand regardless of the environment/distractions around them and the second part of a successful search team is the handler's ability to read their dogs and understand how they can help the dog when it is stuck.
@lwroth I thought about taking a truffle hunting class, but people recommended taking a general nosework class instead to build a good foundation, because it can be applied to truffle hunting (among other things) later, as @sandrat888 pointed out. A group nosework class might work for your akita because the dogs are trained one at a time, and a good instructor will make sure that reactive dogs don't cross paths. You should look into it! Nosework is a really good class for reactive dogs