ORT pass for Beau (Hank)!

In previous posts we have heard that Howard and Hank have been doing a lot of nose work.  Well this past weekend they attended an ORT test and here is what Howard had to say...

Beau and Howard have been busy in the last two years with a new dog sport called nose work.  This sport has been described as the pet version of canine detection. 

In this sport, the dog is the leader (actually his nose) and the handler reads the dogs signals concerning what and where the dog finds certain scents.  The three scents that are used by the National Association of Scent Work are birch, anise and clove. 

In training, the foundation is to get the dog to find the location of the scent.  The hardest job the handler has is to read when he dog is in the scent cone and working the scent.

Before the dog is permitted to enter a nose work trial, it must pass an ORT (odor recognition test).  There are three ORT tests, first birch, then anise and finally clove.  The dog must pass the birch ORT to be permitted to enter an NW1 trial. 

I am very happy to report that Beau passed his third ORT Sunday in Bloomsburg.  So, we are finished with ORT tests!

He is entered in a NW1 (nose work 1) trial in MA on Friday July 3.  I will report the results over the weekend.  I hope that the results this time are better than the last NW1 trial we entered in the winter.  Beau did his job in all four of the searches!  I read him correctly in the first three searches and called the fourth search early.  I screwed him up! 

I urge all of you to explore this sport.  Dogs noses are amazing!

Hank (Oct. 2011)

Good luck in the NW1 test boys!