In September we had the opportunity to participate in the first American Kennel Club (AKC) Scent Work trials. One of the parts people were very excited (and nervous!) about were the buried hides. Most of the AKC Scent Work trials are similar to other programs. Most programs have a containers (box), interior search, and an exterior search. But the other most common programs do not have a buried element.
Each day the set up changed – partly for fun and variety, and partly to try and resolve some other challenges.
Day 1: Room
We were inside with the containers (plastic shoe boxes, half full of mulchy dirt). The floor was carpet, so the containers were each placed on a small sheet of plastic. One of the test dogs apparently found the dirt to be very dusty so supposedly the boxes had a little water added. Quite a few dogs knocked over boxes (possibly pawing? possibly tripping over them?) – resulting in vacuum breaks. Griffin was one of these – he was so fast at pawing I didn’t have much time to intervene. A vial ended up visible – I knew that in higher levels there would be empty vials in some boxes. I didn’t want to appear to be cheating but he was giving me his strongest indication in this area.
Day 2: Outside
An area was marked off with fiberglass rods setting on the ground. The same containers and mulch were used. We were told sternly to not let our dogs knock them over. I was a little grumpy because I didn’t feel like I had “let” my dog do it – but later after watching some others I realized the message was probably not directed at me.
Griffin did not get this one. After I took him back to the car, I came out to watch. And help. Soon after I came out, there was a massive spill. I ended up going inside to search for brooms – one to clean the scented box and one to clean up from everything else. The team would move the ring slightly to really move away from remenents on the floor. Because this was set up in a dirt/gravely parking lot, I don’t think many people noticed
You can see Griffin at 1:50 in this AKC promo video!
Day 3 – Hallway
We were in a narrow hallway with 3 boxes on each side, up against the wall and plastic underneath. I think this was our day with the fewest spills! Griffin got a pass here and I heard there weren’t a lot of clean ups.
Day 4 – Grass
The boxes were placed in grass. Rocks were placed in the boxes to make them heavier. I think it was a little unfair – this area was probably being used to potty dogs from the agility trial as it was somewhat close to foot traffic areas and I don’t think the scent team marked it off until the afternoon. Griffin did not get a pass!
What’s Next
As far as I know, there haven’t been any rule changes yet but there may be soon. This is a potentially messy element and the logistics are a little tricky. Some of the judges were extremely worried about dogs who paw or step in the boxes then stepping in other areas and “contaminating the search area.” While I do believe that…I also don’t know how much it matters. It was hinted that knocking over boxes and potentially even too much touching may eventually be a penalty.