N120S NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Did you know that the MOST important time in a dog's early career in Nosework happens AFTER they learn target odor (as in NW101) and BEFORE they start their general searching? Making mistakes now are costly. In this transition time, the dog (and handler) learns searching habits, passive indication, precision, consistency, and the ability to work in new and novel locations. THIS class forms the initial foundation to get you off onto the right track. Without these skills, a team may suffer from missed hides and false alerts and their ability to move up the levels successfully may be hampered.

Course Details

In this class we help you to avoid costly training mistakes.

We will use contextual cues to help your dog learn to transfer their skills to new environments. We will also help YOU to help your dog be successful. You will continue working in Interiors, search novel Exteriors, build Vehicle skills, introduce the Buried element, give you Container skills with good habits (no smashing), introduce multiple hides, and more!

I also recognize that many of you might feel "behind" from NW101 so the syllabus and support has been structured to help you to "catch up". Dogs all learn on their own curve and this class supports that with the help of either the Instructor (Gold spots) or the Teaching Assistant (Silver and Bronze spots). Our goal is to get all the dogs to the same level of competency at the end of the course.

In addition to leveling the learning curves of different dogs, this approach is meant to capitalize on the dog’s motivation for hunting. This approach maximizes good feelings that come from triggering the Seeking System with “Hunting” and delaying “Selection” type elements such as Containers and Buried.

This class is suitable for all students coming out of NW101 provided that at least a little progress was made (hunting for a hidden switch box) as well as being suitable for students from prior NW101 classes who may not have started NW120 or who need a refresher in introducing the elements.

Students coming from NW101 who need a little bit of catch-up can expect new lectures to help them with basic fundamentals which have been developed by assessing the general needs as observed in the Student Study Group and Gold Forums from NW101. Those who are farther along on the learning curve will be able to hit the ground running with a generalization approach that has been developed to make searching new places seamless.

Coming out of this class, students will have the foundations necessary to begin to prepare for Odor Recognition Tests (ORT’s) and low level competitive classes.

Long-term success in this sport hinges on a solid foundation and good searching and hide setting habits. This course will get you going in the RIGHT DIRECTION. Teams using Nosework for therapeutic reasons or without competitive goals will appreciate the structures approach that is based on emotional support for the dog and FUN!

i fNCjMXP X3

Watch the Trailer!

Teaching Approach

Each week you will receive several lectures released at the begining of the week. There will be theory based lectures as well as lectures and assignments on the current topic. Initially, searches can be done at home however the learner will be enouraged to also work outside of the home. This class offers extensive written lectures, no verbal lectures, and videos of varying lengths. It is rare that relevant speaking takes place within a video; they are designed to be watched in order to follow the ideas presented in the lecture. Lecture videos may run from 1 to 4 minutes long, with the average between 1-2 minutes. The lectures are designed to help a student understand the purpose of the topic and how its application might vary by dog. Care is taken so that learners who learn by both watching and reading will be successful.

This class will have a Teaching Assistant (TA) available in the discussion group to help the bronze and silver students! Directions can be found in the classsroom after you register.

Syllabus

Lectures intended to provide additional guidance and support will be made available on Week 1. It is intended that students will progress at their own pace based on the needs of their dog. Because a Teaching Assistant is a part of this class, all students regardless of enrollment level will have access to feedback targeted at helping your dog to develop thee necessary fluency to progress. Students who are searching Interiors successfully may skip the optional material.

A Self Assessment approach will be utilized (in addition to feedback) in order to help students to decide where to start.

Throughout the course we will emphasize:
• Marker & Reward Timing
• Hide Placement skills, including using alternative hide vessels
• Establishing routine, good habits, and optimal arousal
• Reading the dog

Prerequisites & Supplies

Prerequisites: NW101 (Introduction to Nosework) or equivalent. This class would also be appropriate for dogs needing to revisit search element foundation skills. Dogs should be able to search for a hidden switch box prior to taking NW120.Equipment needed: Metal Switch Boxes (or alternative)… a set of 6 is perfect! Put together with the ring edge FACING DOWN….We will start using other items to hold the qtips in for hide placement other than a tin. Here is a picture of some of the items we will be using. One of my favorite items to use are the flat heat shrink wrap tubes that you can get at your local hardware store.Quake Hold (earthquake putty) or Sticky DotsRegulation ORT White cardboard boxes (approximate size used for ORTs and NW1 containers is 11-1/8" x 8-3/4" x 4 but slightly smaller 9 x 6 1/2 x 2 3/4, is often used. These can be purchased on Amazon or Uline.Space required:The great thing about Nosework is that the world is your training area! Parks, etc are great for Exteriors. As long as you have access to one vehicle, you will be able to do vehicles.

Sample Lecture

Hide Placement

In Nosework, you will hear terms Accessible and Inaccessible. These terms are often misunderstood. All too often new handlers will confuse “visible” to be “accessible” and “hidden” to be “inaccessible”.

In NW1, all of your hides will be “Accessible”. This means that they will be sourceable by the dog… or rather that your dog will be able to access the highest concentration of odor coming from the hide (from within 1-1.5 inches away). It doesn’t actually mean that your dog will be able to get his actual mouth on the hide. The hide will be hidden from view and you will need to time your Alert call on the dog’s indication that he is at source. You will NEVER see a hide at a trial.

"Inaccessible" simply means that the highest concentration of odor is not available to a dog. Picture a drawer with a hide in it. As the hide is aged, odor concentration will build up inside the drawer. This is where the concentration is the highest. Odor will also seep through the cracks to the outside of the cabinet. The concentration of odor will be less at the point of seepage than it will be inside the drawer. During the search, the dog can only get his nose to the cracks where odor is seeping and therefore cannot access the point at which odor is most highly concentration. That means that this example of a hide is Inaccessible. A hide placed 4 or 6 feet high, will be inaccessible for most dogs and moreso for small dogs! There are varying degrees of "inaccessibles". Some inaccessibles, my dog will alert just like an accessible if it's placed in a locker or cabinet. She'll source it to the closest she can get and keep her nose there. If the hide is elevated above her head she can only bracket and not be able to get at source. However, if we were to place a straw with a Qtip in the seam of the drawer, the area of highest concentration of odor will be at that seam and will be accessible by the dog. Also, that drawer seam hide will indeed be hidden from view.

Using my definition of an accessible hide, a box could be considered a lesser degree of an “inaccessible” hide. Your dog cannot get to within 1-1.5" of the source, but the entire container is hot and has odor and can be accessed on all sides so your dog can indicate anywhere on the container. But not everyone considers boxes to be inaccessible hides. Non-box containers used in NW2/3 like bags, purses, suitcases, the odor can be on the "outside" in a pocket, wheel, or handle so those would be "accessible". Other non-box containers will have enough venting so that the odor is not so "contained".

Your dog’s indication in a non-container search will likely be different than in a container search. Their indication will develop over time and your job as a handler is to recognize A CHANGE OF BEHAVIOR when at source. You will learn and are ALWAYS learning to read your dog’s body language so that you can identify when your dog has reached source. You won’t be able to rely on seeing a tin or a straw. Your dog might nose the area strongly or perhaps touch the area with a nose or paw and then look at you, or your dog may do something else entirely. Every dog is different!

Here’s a video of some dogs with different alerts.

In this class we will be dealing exclusively with accessible hides during our searches. As your dog starts to learn and you start to place hides, you need to make sure that the hides are accessible. Accessible hides build confidence because the dog builds a strong belief that he can get to source. Inaccessible hides won’t be introduced until NW130 and then will be worked on extensively in NW230. It is VERY important that your hide placements at this point in your training are NOT inaccessible.

Here are some examples of accessible hides. Notice that these hides are also hidden! When placed well, these hides will also not be retrievable.

Something to note… in NW1, you can have hides up to 4 feet high. If you have a little dog, these hides will automatically be inaccessible to your dog. We will work on elevated hides in NW130.

Notice how in this picture, this hide is accessible to a small dog:

However, this hide is inaccessible to a small dog:

When you start training, make sure that your hide is within an elevation accessible to your dog. In the beginning, the dog should not have to put his paws up on anything to get to source. Also, make sure your dog can access all sides of the item where the hide is placed. This allows the dog to work source from all angles since airflow could affect where the scent cone is and how the dog can more easily work it to source.

HOMEWORK:

Take 5 pictures of Accessible hide locations and post on your Gold thread with a description of the hide.

When you add your images to your post, you select the Add file button and then you need to select insert to add it to the post!

Instructors

Stacy Barnett

Stacy Barnett is a top nosework competitor and trainer, being the first handler to put multiple Summit titles (16 so far) on 3 dogs (Judd SMTx3, Brava SMTx7, Powder SMTx6) in the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW)...

Registration

Choose the plan that fits your goals and start learning at your own pace.

Gold