First Impressions of Scentwork

I have been wanting to get into scentwork for years. I took a couple of private lessons a decade ago, but couldn't continue for various reasons. I have been actively attempting to get into a scentwork class either in person or online for the past two years with no success. I now own a book on getting myself started and am working through it, but I'm not really enjoying the process and so far I am massively underwhelmed by this sport. Here are my impressions of scentwork as a completely inexperienced outsider attempting to get into the sport:

Patiently waiting to be released to eat treats off the floor.

1. We don't want newbies. Scentwork as a whole is trying to keep new people out. This seems weird at first, both online and in person training programs for scentwork are everywhere. My local kennel club has half a dozen different classes every session. There are clinics and seminars everywhere all the time. BUT, the prerequisite for all of these things is to have taken the intro beginner class. The beginner class is only offered once a year. The class at my local kennel club only has space for six dogs and has filled up in under 15 seconds one year and under 26 seconds the other year I tried to get in. I know this because that's how long it took me to fill in my information and hit the submit button when registration opened. So I started looking for an online class and found a great website for a great trainer with all sorts of online classes. BUT, she only offers her intro class once a year and it was last month so tough luck. This is proudly announced both at the kennel club and with this online trainer, they are very open about how few people they introduce the sport each year.

2. Odor is a sidequest. Scentwork is mostly just sniffing around for treats. My outsider impression is that scentwork is almost entirely about finding food. I had originally believed it was modeled after narcotics detection rather than foraging around on the floor for crumbs. A friend who managed to make it into the kennel club class reported that after a year of classes they were still hunting for food with no plans to look for anything else. My book teaches searching behavior entirely with food and says you don't ever need to teach them to look for anything else unless you want to compete. Another training website I looked at had a bunch of different exercises and said they could all be done with food and even if the dog can search for a specific odor they should mostly still be searching for food.

3. There is surprisingly little sniffing involved. I am working my way through the book with Sisci right now, and three weeks into it the "searches" consist entirely of scattering food on the ground around various objects. The dog is supposed to learn to carefully sniff around the object to find the treats, but Sis just cannonballs over and slurps them all up as if the object isn't even there. She can clear the room in seconds even when there are several objects to be searched. We can use up her entire daily ration of kibble in five minutes of "searching" and it takes less time than if I just threw it out on the lawn. I'm probably doing something wrong here, but so far I'm not seeing the fascinating searching behavior and puzzle-solving that I keep hearing about from scentwork fans. Maybe at some point the book will instruct me to start hiding the treats instead of just scattering them on the ground around boxes and bags. But then, having had multiple completely food-obsessed dogs in the past, I'm also not entirely comfortable encouraging my dog to forage everywhere for potential food. 

So there's the current state of our scentwork journey. I am throwing treats on the floor for my dog to eat while ruminating on why the sport doesn't want new people to get involved and wondering how this is even a sport in the first place. I am currently looking for an online class or program that isn't entirely about searching for food in the hopes that eventually I will discover why so many people like scentwork. Feel free to set me straight in the comments if your opinion differs.

Food Friday: Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete

Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete is a grain-inclusive adult dog food with the highest fat content I've found so far. This is a chicken, rice, and barley-based food intended for hard-working dogs that need plenty of energy to get the job done. It's a favorite of owners of working dogs around here, as it packs a lot of nutrition without a lot of carbohydrates.

The Company

I've written about Diamond Pet Foods before. They are still crawling back from a series of recalls in 2012 caused by contamination. Their production plant was in overall poor repair, and the inability to properly clean the equipment lead to salmonella that made both pets and their people sick. 

Happily, it appears that Diamond learned their lesson, cleaned up their act, and invested in their production facility. They co pack for a bunch of different brands, and the lack of recalls seems to indicate that the quality assurance programs they implemented are working now. There are still plenty of concerned pet owners that won't feed anything made by Diamond, but it's tough to disregard everything when they produce so many decent, affordable foods.

The Food

Grain-inclusive isn't usually my jam, but Extreme Athlete offers something I haven't found in any other food. This stuff packs a whopping 32% protein and 25% fat. Compare that to Purina ProPlan Sport, another "active dog" food, at 26/16, or Diamond's own High-Energy kibble at 24/20, or Orijen Tundra at 40/18. Humans burn carbohydrates when we are active, but dogs burn fat. 

Godzilla and Zip work on the sheep ranch with me, and often their jobs involve sprinting for quite a while, zooming after sheep and running wide around the flock. Most of the shepherds I know feed Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete because it has the highest fat content out there. 

The Verdict

My dogs will happily eat this food, including Ru who is not an extreme athlete unless snuggling counts as a sport. It rates 4.5 out of 5 stars on the Dog Food Advisor website, though the Diamond Naturals grain-inclusive foods were all judged together so it's tough to tell where Extreme Athlete lost a star. It's a high-fat, high-protein, nutritionally dense food, which I think is more important than feeding a grain-free food that's mostly made from carbohydrates like peas and potatoes. Both Godzilla and Zip do great on it, they're basically furry body-builders. So muscley!

The Magical World of Video Dog Sports

Dog sports are an awesome way to show the world and also yourself how far you are your dog have come as a team. There are tons of different sports to participate in, from lure coursing to obedience to herding. Lots of people enjoy dog sport activities casually, just for fun. Others, like myself, find earning titles to be immensely rewarding. What better way to demonstrate your dog handling skills and the accomplishments of your dog? Personally, my first measure of someone selling their services as a dog trainer is whether they've ever titled a dog in anything.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the option to demonstrate their skills at trials. Maybe your dog is a superstar at home, but shuts down in busy places with lots of people. Perhaps your fabulously talented dog cannot stand the sight of other dogs. Heck, maybe you simply don't have the means, ability, or option to attend trials for your favorite sports.

Happily, the magic of the internet now allows you and your dog to earn certain types of performance titles from anywhere in the world. You can show off your skills and earn certificates, ribbons, and letters to tack onto the end of your dog's name, all in comfortable and familiar surroundings. All you need is the capability to capture and upload video to the web.

Cyber Rally

A welcome addition to the world of rally obedience, Cyber Rally-O allows for accommodations of all sorts for both dog and handler. Someone in a wheelchair? No problem. Can't do a fast walk? That's ok! Your dog doesn't even need to be physically capable of sitting or laying down. The rules for your ring setup and equipment are minimal. You can record yourself, so throw you ring nerves away and get ready to show off how much your reactive dog loves heeling!

Trick Dog Titles

Do More With Your Dog allows you to earn titles for doing silly dog tricks. While they offer workshops, they don't really have performance events. Instead, you can have a friend or family member sign off on your dog's ability to perform a certain number of tricks for all but the championship title. How is that fair? Well, the championship title requires an extensive amount of video demonstrating a very high level of training, so it's going to be brutally obvious if you've been faking up till then. Don't have a cooperative human at your disposal? You can join an internet team led by a training coach who can sign off on your trick videos. They can also give you tips and idea, demonstrate training techniques, and help you solve training issues. Sisci and Brisbane each have their Novice Trick Dog titles, and definitely have the skills for the intermediate titles. Brisbane could potentially get his champion title, he's got some impressive moves.

Dog Parkour

Often called "Barkour", Dog Parkour is all about your and your dog interacting with various objects and features in your environment. You help your dog safely balance, climb, and move around and under...anything. Chairs, water troughs, boulders, tree stumps, childrens' playground equipment,  buckets, logs, fire hydrants, trees, decorative architecture...there is really no limit. You can earn parkour dog titles by submitting video demonstrating your dog's ability to perform a specific set of moves. Safety is a big concern, and dogs must be safely harnessed, leashed, and spotted in their videos. You can video and earn parkour titles with your dog in a major metropolitan area, deep in the woods, on a deserted island, or in your suburban neighborhood. 

So there you go! Go make some goals and start working toward them!

Product Review: Hero Pup 120 Discs

Hero's Pup 120 Discs are nice non-threatening 120mm mini discs. They are light and soft on the dog's mouth, and easy to throw straight. These are made from a dog-safe plastic that punctures rather than shatters when chomped. These come in a variety of bright colors.

Photo by Erin Koski

I knew I wanted to do dog disc sports with Sisci, but nobody local to me does it so I've been figuring things out on my own. The first thing I needed to do was get her interested in discs. I had one big one around, but Sisci wasn't so sure about it. She had never seen a disc before.

These itty bitty discs are awesome for introducing sensitive and smaller dogs to the whole concept of chasing a frisbee. The only throw I've been doing so far is a roller, where the disc rolls along the ground like a wheel. I don't want Sisci doing a lot of jumping until her growth plates have closed so she is less likely to suffer a major injury. She loves chasing rollers though!

Pros: Small enough even for Ru to play with, plus they fit in the pocket of my cargo pants. Tough and flexible enough to play tug. Not too scary if it accidentally hits the dog, and not super-threatening when I wave it around. Very light, so they kind of float in the air when thrown. Affordable, at #3 each.

Cons: Puppy-soft discs are very easily punctured when the dog develops some confidence and is ready to really grab them.

Bottom Line: I just noticed that the Hero website has a page on repairing punctured discs with a lighter. I need to try that with mine because they are now full of holes. Sisci has moved on to bigger discs, but Ru still likes the Pup 120s.

Product Review: Alpine Outfitters Urban Trails Custom Harness

The Urban Trails harness from Alpine Outfitters is designed for all sorts of dog-powered sports. It features wide straps padded with Polartec polar fleece, and allows the dog to pull comfortably. This is a custom-fitted harness, made to order. It is available in 11 different colors.

Photo by Erin Koski

When Brisbane was a baby, I had many ambitions involving dog sports. One of these was dog-powered sports. Often known as 'joring', these activities basically involve hitching a dog to anything and everything and having them pull for fun.

Sledding is the most obvious dog-powered sport out there, but it requires snow so is not an option for us out here on the beach. Scootering is one dry land alternative, involving pneumatic tire scooters like we all had in the 80's.

Photo by Erin Koski

Bikejoring is dogs hitched to bicycles and running out front, as opposed to running to the side via a bike attachment. I'm not sure if there are specific words for having a dog pull you on skates or a skateboard. Skijoring is the sport of having a dog pull you on skis. Canicross is the sport of running while having a dog hitched to your belt.

I had all these plans for teaching my fabulous, talented dog to pull me on various wheeled objects. We were totally going to start scootering. This harness was the first step. The second step was to teach Briz to pull while wearing it. This is where the entire process broke down, because Brisbane does. Not. Pull. Not at all. He is a master of loose leash walking, and nothing can convince him that leash pressure is ok.

After many months of failing to teach Briz that pulling in a harness was great, mostly involving marking and rewarding him for putting even the slightest amount of pressure on the leash and tossing treats and toys ahead of him as additional motivation, I finally abandoned my original plan. I still love the Urban Trails harness, though. As I ordered it when he was a puppy, Briz eventually outgrew the harness.

Several years after purchasing our original Urban Trails harness, I contacted Alpine Outfitters and asked about having it adjusted or extended. They promptly made me a brand new harness in exchange for sending back the old one. How cool is that! The custom harnesses have several inches of adjustment in the chest strap to accommodate changes in weight or coat. There is also an Urban Trails harness with an adjustable neck, and non-custom harnesses available in four sizes.

Pros: Great for hitching your dog to anything except a sled or cart, need a different type of harness for those. Custom-made for a perfect fit even on your weird-shaped dog. Soft, snuggly fleece does not rub on delicate skin. Includes dog's name or phone number embroidered on back. Can order it with additional leash rings on the sides or front. Super customer service.

Cons: Can take several weeks to arrive since they have to make it first. Needs to be pulled over dog's head and have their leg put through a strap, not great for head-shy dogs.

Bottom Line: Pulling is great exercise for dogs, but they need the right gear in order to do it safely and comfortably. The Urban Trails harness works for almost any dog-powered activity. It's also a nice soft, cushy harness for everyday wear, particularly for dogs with sensitive skin. And shaved dogs. This is the only thing Brisbane has worn since his haircut.

Lure Coursing and the AKC

Lure coursing is one of Brisbane's most favorite things in the world, something I discovered nearly ten years ago at a medieval reenactment event. For several years, this was the only place where Brisbane got to chase the bunny. There were a few sighthound clubs doing lure coursing in California, but at the time it was very much a Just for Sighthounds sport. I had hoped to have the opportunity to run my dog for fun maybe at the end of one of their practices, but none of the sighthound people ever replied to my emails or returned my phone calls.

In 2010 the AKC started their Canine Partners program to allow mixed breeds to compete and title in a small number of performance events. In 2011 they added the Coursing Ability Test for all breeds including mixed breeds.

It took me four years to get around to participating, but yesterday Brisbane and I went to our first AKC lure coursing trial! He got to do two runs and qualified in both. When he qualifies in a third run at our next trial he will have his first AKC lure coursing title. We now have two shiny orange "Qualifying Course" ribbons from the Southern California Ibizian Hound Club. (There were no Ibizian Hounds at the trial, but we did get to hang out with a gorgeous Pharoah Hound!"

Brisbane did really well, mostly because I crated him in the car far away from the action. I set my trademark lime green sun shade up over the hatchback of my car and that kept us pretty cool despite the 88-degree weather.

His Hurtta cooling coat also helped a whole lot, and I was pleased to find him napping and resting comfortably whenever I checked on him. Using his Road Refresher bowl in the crate kept him from sticking his feet in the water and soaking his delicate paw pads.

Of course he launched into hysterical screambarking as soon as we got near the field. There's no silencing him. For all the calming down that he's done in the last few years, he's still absolutely roiling with energy when he gets excited.

Sheep: The Best Dog Toy

Brisbane and I have done a few herding lessons off and on, starting with his instinct test when he was nine months old. We've worked with three different instructors since then, and each has been delighted with Brisbane's natural aptitude for moving the sheep without catapulting through them like a bowling ball with feet. He has "balance", a trait defined here as the ability to move the sheep from a distance that is far enough to keep them calm, and close enough to direct them effectively.

This is not On the Lamb, I haven't dragged anyone out to take pictures for me there yet.

A few weeks ago I heard about a new place to take herding lessons, back in the town where I grew up. Some of my dog nerd friends and one of my corworkers had all taken their dogs there. The place is called On the Lamb, and when I spoke to the instructor I learned that pretty much everyone I've taken lessons from learned from her.

Instructor Robin was also pleased with Brisbane's herding ability, and suggested right away that we go to a trial. There is one at the end of April, and she doesn't normally recommend students start trialing two months after starting lessons, but Brisbane is just that awesome.

There are a lot of new dog sports open to us that weren't options back when I was trialing Brisbane in UKC obedience. Nosework, Barn Hunt, and the entire AKC mixed breed program came into existence during Brisbane's lifetime. Obedience and agility aren't the only activities available to us anymore, and I'm ready to get back into trialing. Wish us luck!

What activities do you do with your dog?

Lancaster Bark at the Park

Brisbane and I spent the weekend in Lancaster so we could attend the annual Bark at the Park. It's basically a dog festival, complete with vendors, demonstrations, disc and dock diving competitions, contests, raffles, and even carnival games for dogs. And lure coursing, which is the entire reason we were there.

This was a two-day event with a total of twelve hours of lure coursing across both days. Brisbane spent a minimum of twelve hours across two days either running, or screaming because someone else was running. I learned some new things about Briz in those two days.

1. Brisbane doesn't hurt his feet when he is running, he hurts them when he is not running. He always sticks his feet in his water bucket, ensuring that his feet, any bedding, and the floor of his crate stay wet the entire time he is screaming and tapdancing in there.

2. A 3' tall x-pen, staked to the ground, beneath a short sun shade, is enough to contain Brisbane even when the lure machine is running.

3. Brisbane's paw pads remain intact when he spends a coursing event standing on grass instead of a plastic crate pan or soaked bedding.

4. While Briz appeared to be fine wearing his Ruffwear Grip Trex boots off and on through the first day of the event, on the second day he protested when I tried to put them on. The boots had caused sores to form under his front dewclaws, and putting them on two days in a row was too painful. I am planning to get Briz some Neo-Paws boots because those can be adjusted enough that the strap will not put pressure on the dewclaw.

5. Two days spent screaming, miles of running, and plenty of downtime around the equipment failed to make Brisbane any less obsessed with the lure. Sunday evening he continued to stare at the equipment intently until every last bit was packed up and put away.

6. Brisbane will bark at the lure continuously for at least half an hour without losing interest.

7.  I am unwilling to let Brisbane bark at the lure for more than half an hour because nobody has time for that, even when we're fiddling with the equipment.

8. At the end the event, after all of that running and screaming and barking and hysterics, Brisbane is still perfectly willing to try out dock diving.

9. Despite my lofty expectations, the Prozac had no effect on Brisbane's behavior at the event. Apparently this kind of crazy doesn't respond to medication.

10. Nobody else's dog is as obsessed, intent, or hysterical as Brisbane. Dogs that are better behaved are either less driven, less interested, or belong to people with the time and means to work with them in the presence of the equipment.

A lady with a lovely, well-bred young cattledog cheerfully told me that training would fix Brisbane's behavior at the event. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was thrilled he hadn't seriously considered biting anyone in the last two days. I'm well aware that intensive training could potentially turn him into a dog that thinks about other things in the presence of lure coursing equipment, I just don't feel the tradeoff is worthwhile. We only get to do this a handful of times each year, and I am normally helping run these events. I don't know how many of these precious opportunities we would need to use for training instead of playing, helping, and participating in order to teach Brisbane to chill out and behave himself. We might not even get there while he is still healthy and sound enough to run. I could avoid this level of crazy by simply not lure coursing any more, but I feel it's worth putting up with it in order to allow him to do something he is that crazy for.

Product Review: ComfortFlex Sport Harness

The ComfortFlex Sport Harness is a Norway-style harness that is popular for agility and other dog sports. It is manufactured by PetPDC, the company makes a matching limited slip collar as well as various food puzzles for dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

This was the third Norway harness I tried for Brisbane, after failing to find a long enough front chest strap on either the EzyDog or Hurtta harnesses. I specifically ordered this harness because the Amazon reviews contained several complaints about the front chest strap being too long. This strap is fixed on the Comfortflex harness, but there are so many different sizes that it would be difficult not to find a good fit.

Brisbane's purple harness is size M/L, the size M would fit him around his girth, but the front strap would probably be too short. This same ComfortFlex harness also fit Josie very well.

I like that the ComfortFlex harness is lined all the way around the girth strap as well as the chest. Literally the entire harness is lined. The girth strap is adjustable, and the smaller it is adjusted, the more the lining overlaps on itself. There is a section of velcro to keep this overlap secure. The buckle for the harness sits close to the top, well out of Brisbane's armpit. The long chest strap keeps it well clear of his elbow.

Pros: The ComfortFlex Sport Harness comes in ten sizes, from 12.5" around to 42" around. It also comes in a dozen different colors. It is machine washable and made in the USA. This harness is easy to put on, and very well padded. The buckle is placed near the top where it won't chafe. The long front strap makes for a very large head opening, which is nice for dogs that don't like having things pulled over his head.

Cons: The velcro makes a loud sound, which worries Brisbane. I'm working on desensitizing him to it, but it's a project. The leash attachment ring on this harness is very heavy, much heavier than any of the other Norway harnesses we've tried. The ring bangs against the buckle when the leash isn't attached.

Bottom Line: The ComfortFlex Sport Harness is my favorite Norway harness, I use it for sporting events and long hikes because it is comfortable for Brisbane and easy to put on. It is definitely the most comfortable, and least likely to chafe or rub Brisbane's delicate coat.