Recently in my Facebook dog groups and on Instagram I’ve noticed more and more people trying out different sports with their dogs. Now I know these sports have been going on a long time but I’ve been seeing more friends try them. It kind of gave me a push – “why not?!” I thought. They gave me the encouragement to finally attempt Dock Diving with Remy a few weeks ago and we had a blast. I had been wanting to try it for so long. Remy and I have done different classes in the past – basic obedience, Agility, and Tricks. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to build a bond with your dog.
So I decided to dive right in and sign Remy up for an upcoming Nose Works trial. Nose Works is scent detection. The dogs have to locate a certain scent ( in our case, at the Novice level, it is sweet Birch oil) and alert you that they found it. I had been working with Remy around the house with treats playing ” Find It!”, a great way to stimulate them while in the house. Remy loves it! Well, when I found out that they use Birch Oil in the trials, I quickly ordered some on Amazon and we got right to work on it! I signed him up for Novice Trials in Container, Interior, Exterior, and Vehicle. I started in the house placing the scent (which I put on a cotton swab) in an empty cardboard jewelry box and put a few other ones around it and had him sniff it out. We would also work with me hiding it in a room somewhere and telling him to “Find It!’. Then we moved outdoors and I did the same around the outside of our house. We then moved to my car and I would put in somewhere on the outside of the vehicle. Remy really enjoys doing this. Especially since he gets rewarded with Remy Kitchen treats! I was so nervous the day of the trial, not really sure what I had gotten us into! Well the day turned out great, I met so many nice people! They were so welcoming and giving me pointers. Remy left that day with a Qualifying Search in Interior!!!
Soon after we started proper training classes. I really enjoy it. Remy had his second trial a couple weeks back. We ended up Qualifying in 3 out of our 4 runs! And placed in all 3! A first place, second, and third! I’m hooked now for sure 🙂
At the same time as signing up for the Nose Works, I signed us up for a Barn Hunt trial. A friend of ours had just gotten into it and it looked like a lot of fun! She encouraged me to just go for it and try it out! Barn Hunt is a different kind of scent detection – there is a rat hidden safely in a tube, somewhere in the hay and your dog has to find it in the time allowed. They also have to go through a tunnel made out of hay bales and “climb” up onto a bale with all four paws. (Note – the rats are very much cared for. We would never enter into anything where the welfare of another living creature was threatened. There are many rules in Barn Hunt just on rat care and handling. The dogs never come in contact with the rats, just the large tubes they are temporarily housed in for the event.) There was no way I could do any prep work for this ahead of time – I do not know anyone that has rats and hay! And the nearest training center is pretty far away. I was just riding on her encouragement that Remy could do this! Meeting a friend there made it a lot easier to try something new. Her dog was already a pro at this – he loves it! We had a lot of fun watching the different dogs compete in this sport at the different levels! Remy got a Qualifying Search in Instinct. But did not find the rat in his Novice run. (see video below)
Have you tried any sports with your dog? Would love to hear about your experiences!
