Yesterday, I took Tiki through a Scent Recognition Test, hosted by Dogs On Source who we have been taking nose work classes through. Tiki was introduced to odor in November, and so far has learned to detect wintergreen. This is a test where she has to tell me which box has the odor in it.
At the start line, when did her little face and legs become so grey??
Just in the last week, she has starting working the boxes in order, checking each one.
Teek has just realized the wintergreen is in the next box, and isn't going to waste her time on this one!
WINTERGREEN! Tiki has found the correct box and she lets me know by her interest in the box (she usually smashes it).
I stand beside the box and announce "alert" to let the judge know we have found the correct box. Once we're confirmed as correct, Tiki gets a food reward.
Tiki found the odor in 10.12 seconds! I'm very proud of how far she has come in a such a short time. We will continue to work on our skills together in this fun sport!
Nose work is great for dogs of all ages, especially dogs with reduced mobility, as it does not require much physical activity, yet the dogs get a great mental workout. It also helps boost the confidence of shy dogs. If you are interested in learning to do this with your dog, check out the classes available through Dogs On Source