Notice that he’s looking at the top box. That’s where his goodies are!
Nothing more fun than watching K-9 nose work dogs at class.
Riley is learning nose work–how to locate things through scent. His command? “Find it”–find scents. Right now, it’s his favorite treat food. Later, it’ll be other scents. But all in good time.
He’s completed four of the six classes in the course so far, and recently, we upped the ante. Literally. We raised the treats so the dogs would have to look upwards instead of to the floor.
I thought you might enjoy some of the photos I took of the K-9 nose work dogs going through their lessons.
Riley is always attentive to a trainer. Just not always to mom.
The room is cluttered with distractions we brought from each of our homes, so the dogs would have to work past new smells in the classroom environment.
Tippy toes!
As the smallest dog in class, Riley sometimes has to reach up pretty high. Tippy-toes come in handy! When he finds his treats he gets lots of praise from Miss Pam and Mom!
Careful, little faces could get stuck!
Big faces get stuck, too! Meet Fletcher. Riley’s regular trainer is Fletch’s mom and he’s her new rescue dog. Gorgeous boy.
He’s a star on the prowl, finding his treats in an instant.
This gorgeous girl is totally deaf and visually impaired, too.
It doesn’t stop her, though. Her search style is more gentle than the other dogs in class, but she gets her treats in the end.
What I love about this class is it keeps smart, active dogs focused on something fun. Riley just LOVES to come to nose class and figures out where we’re headed when we get about a mile away. That’s when the anticipatory whines begin.
At home, he quivers with excitement as we prepare the house for practice sessions. And of course, every night we watch the K-9 officers on Cops do their thing together, so Riley can get some good tips. Trust me, he has goals.
So fun! I think I’ll hide some of what I call ” Crack for dogs”–Puperoni. If my dogs are out barking at deer or hounding a maple tree for squirrels, I shout” Hey! ( George, Petal, Atticus Finch) Puperoni!” and they run like bats outta hell for the shake of the red bag. This looks like a fun idea. Riley is adorable and I love that you love him so much.
They really do. We do some agility in the back yard but since he’s so reactive I’ve been hesitant to bring him to class. Nosework is done individually, the other dogs wait, crated. But may do agility next yr
Such lovely pictures, Carol. I’m wondering how old Riley is.
Our Pablo is almost 6 years, but it’s never too late to train them, is it? He picks up new tricks even now. I’m hoping to enroll him for some specialized training too.
Loved the video too. 🙂
I had no idea they are using smaller dogs. Seems to me Riley would be perfect not as small as the one in the link but not as big as the others. You may be on yo something.
The shot of him on tippy toes is just too adorable! I’m cracking up at “Trust me, he has goals.” What a great, mood-lifting post! Thanks for sharing Riley with us.
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So fun! I think I’ll hide some of what I call ” Crack for dogs”–Puperoni. If my dogs are out barking at deer or hounding a maple tree for squirrels, I shout” Hey! ( George, Petal, Atticus Finch) Puperoni!” and they run like bats outta hell for the shake of the red bag. This looks like a fun idea. Riley is adorable and I love that you love him so much.
He’s the light of my life, he really is. So much fun! Did you see that little police dog? LOL
My chihuahuas could use a class. They are distracted by sounds at night which leads to barking. 🙂
Riley is super-reactive, too. Bark!
My dog just finished agility training class and loved it! Dogs like to be useful.
They really do. We do some agility in the back yard but since he’s so reactive I’ve been hesitant to bring him to class. Nosework is done individually, the other dogs wait, crated. But may do agility next yr
What beautiful dogs! I love that Riley is learning this. He’s obviously very smart – and pretty darn cute too!
Such lovely pictures, Carol. I’m wondering how old Riley is.
Our Pablo is almost 6 years, but it’s never too late to train them, is it? He picks up new tricks even now. I’m hoping to enroll him for some specialized training too.
Loved the video too. 🙂
I had no idea they are using smaller dogs. Seems to me Riley would be perfect not as small as the one in the link but not as big as the others. You may be on yo something.
The shot of him on tippy toes is just too adorable! I’m cracking up at “Trust me, he has goals.” What a great, mood-lifting post! Thanks for sharing Riley with us.
This looks like so much fun! I have a puppy who’s a bundle of energy, something like this might be a great way to channel all that inquisitiveness!