Suzanne’s Introduction to K9 Nose Work

Although I’d heard about K9 Nose Work® for the past few years, I had never seen a trial or attended any workshops or training classes.  So I decided to attend Jill Marie O’Brien’s and Amy Herot’s half-day workshop at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Conference in San Diego last October.

Jill and Amy gave a brief introduction to Nose Work and then put five or six dogs from the local animal shelter through three rounds of working with treats stashed in various configurations of cardboard boxes.  It was intriguing to watch.  In their introductory remarks, the two women mentioned that nose work reveals much about a dog’s nature or temperament.  I thought that was an interesting piece of information but was a bit skeptical about just how that would be the case.  I discovered the answer when we watched the dogs.

What sets Nose Work apart from other canine activities is that no training is involved – at least in the beginning.  Instead, it’s creating a setting that allows the dog to make use of his olfactory abilities.  In doing so, the dog reveals how comfortable he is in his immediate surroundings.   And because the dog is free to choose how he approaches the task, rather than specific behaviors being elicited, controlled, or shaped by the handler/trainer, by paying attention to the strategies dogs use, we can gain insights into how they deal or cope with the world.  It’s almost as if we can see how the sum total of their previous life experiences influence how they react to the task before them when they are free to choose what to do.

Several dogs at the workshop were quite confident, and immediately began using their noses to find the food.  Some were quite methodical, sniffing each box in turn.  A few were like a bull in a china closet, knocking boxes all over the place.  One “bully-breed” looking mix decided the better strategy was to jump on the podium and pull down the entire bag of treats rather than wasting time on the few hidden in the boxes!

And one small, Bichon-looking mix was in some ways the most memorable.  He wandered around a few of the boxes and then simply lay down in the middle of the pile and looked up at the person holding the leash.  The clear interpretation was that this dog was accustomed to looking to his owner to take care of things for him.

To me, that indicates this dog had an owner he trusted to “run interference” for him and who would take care of things for him.  Another interpretation was that this dog was indulged or “spoiled”, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with that.

On the spur of the moment a few weeks ago I decided to see what our Irish setter Coral – who is likely one of the most indulged dogs on the planet – would do if I dropped a treat in a box that was lying on the floor.  This was not a planned “nose work” session, just a spontaneous opportunity with a box, some treats, a dog, and a video camera. 

I wasn’t too surprised that Coral was reluctant to put her head into this relatively deep box.  And clearly first displayed her frustration about the treat not being readily available (barking and scratching the floor), and secondly her default strategy which is to rely on me to get her what she wants (pawing at me).  You can see her behavior in the accompanying video clip.

So I think K9 Nose Work® is worth learning more about.  I also like the fact that only one dog works at a time in classes – a great plus for dogs that don’t do well with other dogs and thus many canine sports are trying experiences.   While I’m not a nose work expert, I hope to have the chance to ask a local instructor about the “whys” of a few of the procedures I observed at the workshop.  And I’ve started to collect cardboard boxes of varying sizes so Coral and I can dip our toes (and her nose!)  into this sport in coming months!