Nosework Revisited: Learning to Keep My Dog Safe

This submit is within the “I used to be fallacious” class as a result of the embedded video consists of practices that had been unsafe for the canine. I didn’t know higher on the time. I do know higher now, and I imagine in being clear concerning the studying course of.

I checked out an previous video of mine on YouTube with new eyes, and regardless that I like it, I really feel it’s irresponsible to depart it publicly accessible with out annotations. My practices had been unsafe. I can’t discover the unique anymore, so I can’t add an annotated model.

The previous video options Cricket at 15 years previous after I first launched her to looking for meals in bins. I can’t bear to delete it, so I’m altering it to Unlisted and that includes it on this submit. Hopefully, my mistake can assist others and their canine.

Studying about Nosework

I went to a two-day seminar in 2011 with the founding members of NACSW and took my sniffy canine Zani. I cherished the seminar and was thrilled to see what our canine may do. I began organising field searches at residence for all my canine. That’s after I made the video on this submit.

A 12 months or two later, I took a weeks-long course on nosework from some well-known instructors, and labored with non-food odor, including one other layer to my schooling. I didn’t pursue coaching with odor a lot past that course, aside from educating Clara to discover a misplaced merchandise with my hand scent on it. However my curiosity, and particularly my canine’ curiosity, remained, so I did nosework video games at residence.

Not too long ago, I signed up for Kate Woods’ Scent Expertise 101 on-line course. I wished one thing enjoyable to do with Lewis. My vitality for coaching has decreased during the last couple of years, and I do effectively with some construction, like lots of us. I knew I’d love the course as a result of I like something Kate does, however I used to be blown away. First, the best way they construction the course is a big-picture view of scentwork and facilities on ideas (see the course web page), however with workout routines and really concrete, particular recommendation on every one. It’s applicable for somebody who’s making ready to compete in addition to for somebody like me, who plans actions at residence and needs to department out from those we already do.

Second, Kate’s concentrate on security, each bodily and psychological, for the canine, is entrance and middle. Kate works with lots of canine with bodily limitations, diseases, and, in fact, fears. They describe the right way to create protected setups. They remind us in each lesson to “Maintain your canine’s emotions!” and go over the varied wants particular person canine may need.

Non-Slip Surfaces

Kate’s directions embrace, in each lesson, using a non-slip floor. In my residence, I’ve largely hardwood flooring and a few tile. For years now, I’ve achieved any strenuous, energetic coaching on a yoga mat or within the yard. The latter is an efficient alternative for lots of the 12 months, however not proper now.

For the scentwork workout routines, I introduced in one other yoga mat and generally added a carpet runner as a station for Lewis. I get the mats and runner out and put them again for every session. It is because carpets, throw rugs, and canine mats are statistically an enormous threat of inflicting falls for folks my age. Then again, safe footing for canine of their actions is a should.

I can see the advantages of the non-slip floor in Lewis’ posture and motion.

Present and Inform Turns into Cease in My Tracks

I bought it in my thoughts to point out Kate the previous video under. They’ve a coated American Hairless Terrier and my canine Cricket was a rat terrier, two breeds which are nearer than cousins. So far as I’m involved, Rory inherited Cricket’s title of Cutest Canine within the World.

So, I lately discovered my video on YouTube and watched it, anticipating my enjoyment of seeing feisty little Cricket. I filmed the video shortly after getting back from the nosework seminar, and on the time was delighted that even my 15-year-old canine may do that factor. (She was already displaying early indicators of dementia, though I didn’t realize it on the time.) However my delight upon revisiting it was blended with deep concern and chagrin. I thought of what I used to be seeing, in view of what I’ve discovered within the years since, particularly from Lori Stevens, who helped me with applicable train and care after Zani’s damage, and now in Kate’s class.

The exercise I arrange for Cricket was not protected for her. The ground was slick concrete (my den was a transformed storage). The bins had been too tall. From the start, she stepped into the bins along with her entrance ft, which improved the footing for these ft in a method, however left her again legs behind to slip and splay on the concrete. Within the video, I confer with her strolling into the bins as a superstitious conduct. However I feel she did it at first due to the excessive partitions of the bins and continued as a result of at the least two of her ft had been on a greater floor. You may watch her again legs all through the video and see how usually they’re slipping and sliding. She was on each day carprofen for arthritis.

On the finish of the final session proven within the video, Cricket was panting. I acknowledge within the voiceover that this was a tough exercise for a senior. Nevertheless it shouldn’t have been. I want I had stopped earlier than she bought to that time. This was approach an excessive amount of for her. To not point out that panting may also be an indication of ache or stress.

By following the steps I discovered on the seminar, which was compressed for time, I went approach too quick with the method. I modified in a single session from all bins having meals to just one, then within the subsequent session, scattering the bins. I’ve discovered higher since then, not solely from my trainer years in the past, who emphasised that the objective was to construct conduct, to not “problem” the canine, but additionally in Kate’s course, the place they emphasize many straightforward wins for comparable causes.

I nonetheless love seeing Cricket. She was a tiny, daring bulldozer pushing into these bins for meals. And the hell with standards; I want I had given her a deal with when she bought in a field, sat, and appeared up at me.

This video is now unlisted. Though the hyperlink is accessible, I’d desire that you simply hyperlink to this submit as a substitute, so all viewers will get the context.

Canine Physique Language

Canine physique language is considered one of my passions. Within the Pet Socialization e book I co-wrote with Marge Rogers, it’s a theme all through the e book, and now we have a whole chapter stuffed with examples. It is among the largest classes on this weblog, and I even have a curated web page devoted to it. I even have a bit in my e book on canine dementia about figuring out ache in canine. Will probably be expanded within the second version with some new assets.

However even with all that, I appear to categorise indicators of ache in a different way in my thoughts. I’ve not discovered sufficient concerning the delicate behaviors linked to ache, regardless that a number of instances in my life with canine I’ve been within the place of making an attempt to determine whether or not a canine was hurting, afraid, or each.

I feel we don’t see it mentioned as a lot partly as a result of folks whose first worth is to be variety to their canine are fairly averse to posting movies of their canine in ache on web sites or social media. Even when they’re searching for data, they threat nasty feedback in response to their try to assist their canine.

I posted a video of Clara’s development with Rocky Mountain Noticed Fever, wherein she was in a lot ache that it’s onerous for me to look at. I did this within the hope that it may result in consciousness of this lethal illness.

So, I’m conserving Cricket’s video up on YouTube, however unlisted. Individuals don’t at all times learn introductions, and I don’t need my unhealthy practices seen as some kind of mannequin, some kind of win, regardless that that was my feeling again then.

Dwell and study.

Copyright 2026 Eileen Anderson