The Dog Nose 11th July

Bronze Due to heat we used an area which would give us full shade for the duration of the trial. Even first thing the temp was starting to be a challenge, the care and importance every handler showed toward the comfort and happiness of their dogs was clear to see and a credit to each and every one. The search area was a wedge shaped area with large doors running down 1 side, a brick wall and chain link fence on the other , and contained various obstacles. The airflow went towards the point of the wedge. One hide was in the base of a wooden structure and the second was in a gap in the wall. Some really lovely work as dogs went past the hides and worked back up to them. Handlers showed great skills in balancing free searching and a more structured pattern.

Diamond 1st Jan & Amber 95

Champ 1st Lynda & Poppy 89 2nd Janka & Trudy 79 3rd Jane & Hero 78 4th Nicky & Evie 69 5th Rosie & Etta 65 6th Jo & Poppy 50

Silver

Silver was inside in The Dog Nose. This was a speciality Locked Up challenge so competitors will have that listed in their league achievements. Being locked up meant there wasn’t a big odour pool to find so dogs needed to search in a more detailed way to locate the hides. For previous visitors the room may have seemed quite empty but for some of the 1st time visitors it was more than a little distracting. Lots of animal smells proved to be rather tempting and coupled with the need to search in a very focused way it was a real challenge for this level. Most of the density was in the perimeter with a line of luggage down the center and a few other pieces, this was to give handlers the chance to divide up the search area and work in a systematic way. The first hide was a casket with a close fitting lid tucked on a shelf next to a chair. Most dogs bounced over this and didn’t catch it until they searched or were tasked into the corner. The second was a jewellery box hidden in the play kitchen, this was a really interesting hide as most dogs hit odour but in order to work in in they needed to be thoughtful and methodical to be able to get into the right position which would allow them to get to source. This was a challenge as the temp continued to rise. Again really impressed at the care and compassion from all handlers for their dogs who worked their socks off.

1st Lynda & Poppy 82.5 2nd Jane & Hero 69 3rd Nicky & Evie 67 4th Marney & Kipper 65 5th Jo & Elsa 54 6th Ann & Kelsie 53