The Question of a Championship title for AKC Scent Work

**Edited to include fact check corrections from members of the "Friends of AKC Scent Work" Facebook group.  Thank you!!!

A lot of Scent Work competitors have opined that Scent Work dogs should have the opportunity to earn a Championship.  I agree, but before I could form any kind of idea how I thought such a thing might work, I wanted to better understand how the existing championships work -- what has the AKC implemented in the past, and what is good and, well, not so good about those systems? This post is mostly an attempt at organizing what I learned, in case that is helpful to you, as well.

What is a Championship? 

If you're involved with dogs registered with the AKC -- the American Kennel Club -- for any length of time, sooner or later, someone will tell you about a "well-rounded dog," one that has "titles on both the front and the back."  What they mean is that Agnes' adorably, scruffy little dog that you know as "Tuffy" has a much more impressive "official" name, something like "Hezawonder Tuffy McSquiggles at Aglandia."   But when the name is listed in official documentation, it also includes any titles the dog has earned.  Some of those can be for "stuff the dog has done" like accomplishments in Agility or Obedience.  These are characterized as "postfix" titles because they are listed after the name, so when Tuffy and Agnes earn a CD (Companion Dog title), he becomes Hezawonder Tuffy McSquiggles at Aglandia CD.   

In the AKC, titles that go in front of the name -- prefix titles -- are Championships.  Mostly, we think of the Champion titles as coming from Conformation competition, where dogs are gaited and posed in front of a judge.  The judge compares each dog to the published standard for that breed, and then decides which dog most closely matches the mental picture described by the standard.  After winning that comparison competition under a specific set of parameters, a dog like Tuffy becomes a conformation Champion, and is then known as CH Hezawonder Tuffy McSquiggles CD -- now a well-rounded dog with titles "at both ends."  

National Championships

Actually -- and something many people don't realize -- there are several other avenues through which a dog can be declared a Champion.  Like the postfix titles, these prefix titles are based on demonstrated behavior, as opposed to the physical appearance and movement upon which the conformation championship is awarded. There are two types of championships that come from things other than conformation -- National Champions and Champions.  National Championship titles are awarded to dogs that "win" at specific competitions.  For example, the National Obedience Champion (NOC) prefix title is awarded to the dog that wins the National Obedience Invitational, which is held annually.  A National Champion title has been defined for AKC Scent Work: SWNC, Scent Work National Champion of [year].   This title is to be awarded following a national competition organized by the AKC's Scent Work division. None has yet been held, so no dog holds that title yet.  We'll come back to the whole idea of the Scent Work National Champion later on.  

"Earned over time" Championships

The other type of Championship title is earned over time as the dog is repeatedly judged to meet specific criteria.   Tuffy's conformation championship described previously is one example, and there are actually five additional tiers of award that dogs can achieve in conformation.   Then there are at least twenty-four other types of "earned over time" championships, all based on demonstrated behavior and skills.  

Many of these are restricted by breed: Field Championships (FC) are only awarded to dogs eligible to compete in Beagle, Basset, Dachshund, Spaniel, Pointing Breed, or Retriever Field Trials, or to the hound breeds eligible to participate in lure coursing events. Herding Championships (HC) can only be earned by dogs from breeds on the approved list for herding trials.  And, honestly, I don't know what to tell you about Coonhounds... they are a world unto themselves, with nine different prefix champion titles all their own.   Somebody should totally write an article or book about whatever happened in 2004 to bring all that about.  But I digress.

For Agility, Obedience, Rally Obedience and Tracking, however, any AKC-registered dog is eligible to work toward earning a championship.  Mixed-breed dogs (and those from breeds which the AKC does not recognize) have been able to be registered with the AKC since 2011 as "All American dogs," and are thus able to participate in AKC events like these.  

Many have suggested that such an earned championship in Scent Work should be awarded when "all" the existing titles have been achieved.  And there is actually precedent for this.   

Tracking - an "earn all the titles" Championship

Scent Work is, arguably, a closer cousin to Tracking than to any of the other sports.  Tracking has been around much longer, initially having been a part of the Utility Dog title, but becoming a separate discipline in the 1940s.  Tracking is classified by the AKC as a "Companion Dog" sport, along with Agility, Obedience and Rally, while Scent Work is a "Performance event,"  something that most of us find inexplicable, but if that matters, only the AKC knows why.  Tracking events are "Tests" rather than "Trials" -- they are non-competitive and pass/fail in nature.  In fact, Tracking (along with Rally Obedience and Agility) offers an earned championship that doesn't *require* competition, doesn't require the "defeat" of a certain number of dogs. 

In Tracking, the Champion Tracker title is earned based on an aggregation of the Tracking Dog or Tracking Dog Urban titles, and the Tracking Dog Excellent title and the Variable Surface Tracking Dog title.  In each case, the successful track must only be demonstrated once, although there is "certification" required, essentially testimony by an expert that a dog is sufficiently skilled to warrant eligibility for a titling test, not dissimilar to the Odor Recognition Test employed by other nosework organizations.   There are also "numeric" title options, for example "TD2" or "VST3" indicating that the dog has met the titling requirements, i.e. passed the test, more than once.  

The biggest difference between Tracking and Scent Work, however, is in the availability of resources for training and trialing and the resulting participation numbers for each sport.  Suitable space in which to lay tracks can be very difficult to find, even for the Urban and Variable Surface types.  But possibly even harder in today's world is setting aside the time to train: tracks must be 'aged,' often for hours as the challenges increase.  This also means that tracking tests are extremely limited in numbers of participants.  In 2022, in Tracking, there were 1372 entrants in 359 tracking tests, and 495 titles awarded; 38 were Championships.   By contrast, that same year, there were 191,104 entrants in 1,514 Scent Work trials and 31,213 titles awarded.   So, while the two types of event have a great deal in common in terms of the behavior being demonstrated, the day-to-day environment in which the two sports live is extremely different. 

Points-based Championships 

With the exception of Tracking's "earn all the titles to become a Champion Tracker" policy, the rest of the "earned over time" championships all rely on some sort of points systems.  In many cases -- Conformation, Field Trials, Lure Coursing and Herding -- the points awarded are based on placement in competition in which a minimum number of dogs participated, often with a points schedule that increases the points awarded as the number of dogs defeated increases.  These sports are all restricted by breed in some fashion with Conformation being the most liberal, only excluding the All-American (mixed breed) Dogs.  These systems usually require 15 points for a championship award.  It should be noted that each may have other specialized requirements, as well.  Spaniels must pass a water test; Bassets, Dachshunds and the herding dogs must place first a certain number of times; and there are often required "major" wins that come into play, an assurance that, at least some of the time, the dog was competing successfully within a large group, fishing in a "bigger" pond.

There are, then, only three sports besides Tracking that are not breed restricted in participation and that have paths to "earned over time" championship:  Obedience, Rally Obedience and Agility.   They all use point schedules -- with additional requirements -- as well. 

Obedience

The Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) is awarded upon the earning of 100 points and the completion of a few other requirements.  Dogs are eligible to begin to accumulate championship points once they earn the Utility Dog title and earning the Companion Dog and Companion Dog Excellent titles are a required precursor to attempting the Utility Dog title.  Points are earned by placing in the Open B (with a minimum entry of 6) and and Utility (minimum entry of 3) classes.  Placing first in Open B earns between 2 and 34 points depending on how many dogs were defeated (5 to 49+) and placing first in Utility earns between 2 and 40 points depending on the number of dogs defeated (2 to 40+).  There is a separate points schedule for events held in Alaska and Hawaii.  Dogs must also have earned a first place in Open B, a first place in Utility and one more blue ribbon from either class, all under different judges and only one of those can be earned at a Specialty (breed-restricted) show; the rest must all be from all-breed events.  It is possible to earn "numeric" OTCH titles with repeated achievement, and I *think* that OTCH61 may be the highest numeric awarded thus far.  There were 242 OTCH (or numerics) awarded in 2022.

Rally Obedience

The Rally Obedience Championship (RACH) is awarded upon the earning of 300 points and the completion of one additional (big!) requirement.  Dogs can begin to accumulate championship points after they earn the Rally Excellent title, which has Rally Novice and Rally Advanced as precursor requirements.   Points are awarded based on the score given in the Advanced B, Excellent B and Master classes, with a score of 91 earning 4 points and a perfect score of 100 earning 10 points.  In addition, the dog earn 20 "triple Qs," receiving qualifying scores in Advanced B, Excellent B and Master on the same day in the same trial. The AKC introduced a Virtual Rally Obedience titling program during the pandemic in 2020, and has since made this a permanent option.  Virtual titles are identical to those earned in face-to-face events and championship points can be accumulated through Virtual scores but there is no option to satisfy the "triple Qs" requirement through the Virtual Rally Obedience program, so a RACH cannot be earned entirely online.  "Numeric" titles are possible with additional points here, also.  356 RACH titles (or numerics) were awarded in 2022.  RACH10 may be the highest numeric.

Agility

The Agility Championship comes in two flavors, the Master Agility Champion (MACH) and Preferred Agility Champion (PACH).  In Agility, dogs are measured at the withers (spot where spine meets neck) and that height is used to determine how high the jumps will be on their course.  There are five options -- 8", 12", 16", 20" and 24" -- and judges keep the size of the dog in mind when they "wheel" the course they have created, measuring the total distance the dog is likely to travel and using that measurement to calculate a "Course time" that is different for each height division.  The Preferred Agility classes were introduced in 2002 and allow dogs to jump 4" less than would be required by their height, and also giving them 5 extra seconds of course time.  For the championship, dogs must earn 750 points out of regular classes for the MACH or out of Preferred classes for the PACH.  A point is earned for each full second the dog's qualifying time is under the official Course Time for the Excellent B Standard and Excellent B Jumpers with Weaves classes.   At one time, first place dogs doubled their points and second place dogs earn 1.5 times their points (with all fractions being rounded away), but that policy went away.     Dogs must also have 20 "double Qs," in which they have qualified in both the Excellent B Standard and Jumpers with Weaves classes on the same day at the same trial.  Dogs can earn both the MACH and PACH and numeric titles are possible with both.  Interestingly, the PACH title is the only championship that was "retroactive" -- if dogs had completed the requirements for the PACH before that title was introduced in 2011, they were awarded the title at that time.   In 2022, 1943 MACHs (or numerics) were awarded, with the highest being MACH47.  For the PACH, 719 were awarded, with the highest being PACH18.

Agility also has a Grand Championship, which is achieved through 100 qualifying scores from the Master Standard class, 100 Qs from the Master Jumpers with Weaves, 75 Qs from Master Fast, 75 Qs from Time 2 Beat, 50 Qs from Premier Standard and 50 Qs from Premier Jumpers with Weaves.  This title was created in July of 2016 and Qs earned before that were 'grandfathered in.'   Two dogs had achieved the AGCH title as of the end of 2022. 

Dual and Triple Championships

Dogs that earn both a Herding Championship or Field Championship and a Conformation championship are "Dual Champions."  Any Dual Champion that earns an Obedience Trial Championship, a Tracking Championship or an Agility Championship (regular or preferred) becomes a Triple Champion.  

So What? 

Why would anyone bother to write this many words with the intent that someone read them?  Well, I, for one, believe that Scent Work should have an "earned over time" pathway to AKC Championship, and I know that many others share this view.  It seems that none of us really know how to best approach the AKC to try to effect change (something else we should talk about), but I've always been taught that if you're going to lobby someone for something, you should present them with not just a problem but with your proposed solution.  It may not be what you get in the end, but it's a starting point for negotiation.  More importantly, it hopefully prevents the issue of getting what you've asked for only to realize it wasn't really what you wanted at all.  

The Scent Work community needs to develop consensus on what we want the AKC to do.  As observed previously, people have talked about a Scent Work Championship (we can call it SWC, keeping in mind that it is presently not an AKC-recognized title!) coming from the accumulation of all levels of Elite titles, or all levels of Elite titles and Detective.  Of course, one could add Handler Discrimination requirements into that mix.  As noted, there is a precedent for achieving Championship this way in Tracking.  Before requesting this method, however, I'd encourage a couple of considerations.  The first is retroactivity.  It would seem only reasonable since all these titles have been in existence for quite some time that such an award be retroactive, but the AKC does like to create championships as "add ons" once the sport has been in place for a while, offering an additional achievement for which to strive. Retroactivity might be a big ask.  Without it, or even with it, with numerics, do you really want everybody going back through all the levels to earn the Qs for numerics when we've already got trial entry bottlenecks and waitlists?  If so, we probably need to request "B" classes for all the levels, not just Novice.  

The other consideration is the Scent Work National Champion is defined in the rules.  The SWNC is to be crowned through a National Invitational of some kind.  There are supposed to be Regional competitions in which one could qualify for this Invitational, but the full set of Regionals haven't been successfully held thus far, let alone the National.  We need to talk about "fixing" the Regional format -- it just doesn't work as presently envisioned -- and, as a result, as things stand, we're not ever going to have a National.  In the sports that use points accumulation toward championship, points are often a qualifier for the National Invitational.  Obedience has Regional qualifying competitions, along with inviting dogs with the highest number of championship points per breed, but Rally and Agility just use points to determine eligibility.  If Scent Work had a points accumulation system, you could have a National -- and a list of qualifiers to invite to it -- within a year, sooner if the points were retroactive in some way.  By contrast, in Tracking, where the cap for the National Invitational is 12 dogs, a random draw is used to determine who gets to compete.  

With Scent Work, though, how would one implement points?  We have no score, like Rally Obedience and Obedience do.  We don't have a course time, exactly, although we do have a time limit and times that could be considered in terms of ratios to the limit, or ratios to the fastest time for the class.  The problem with using time in Scent Work, however, is that, while it is a timed sport and speed matters, there is a huge element of luck that just isn't there for the other sports.  In Scent Work, a breeze kicking up or dying down, a door opening or closing, a random start toward the left rather than the right can make all the difference -- all things that are just not under anyone's control.  Those things are also more or less true of pass/fail Tracking, but your route in Agility and Rally is prescribed and kept as standard as possible.  In Obedience, they try so hard to keep things the same for each competitor that Judges have been known to scold if Stewards don't fold their arms the same way every time they are in the ring.  Will we end up concurring that luck (probably) breaks differently for everybody all the time and use qualifying times in some way, anyway?  If we use qualifying times, do the max times handed down by the AKC for some classes still make sense or do they all need to be Demo Dog-assisted, like those for Interiors and Exteriors?  

We do have the opportunity (entry limits allowing!) to demonstrate consistent ability across multiple elements and/or multiple levels.  However, the entry systems for Rally, Obedience and Agility provide the ability to register for multiple classes at once for those who are chasing double or triple Qs -- and if someone who "needs" two or three classes in the same trial is not able to get into them, their entry rules say the rest of the classes must be closed even to "single" entrants at that point.  Can you imagine adding that kind of calculus to the already mind-bending environment of managing Scent Work Trial judging time?  The head explodes!  And, of course, those other systems also emphasize Qs from the advanced levels, the ones that, in Scent Work, already take the most time.  Where I trial most frequently in Arizona, we often already have 20-30 entrants in every Master element, and are beginning to see Premiums that limit not just Detective entries but also Master Interior entries -- transitioning between those three rooms is such a time suck.  If we end up with some kind of emphasis on the higher-level classes, is it worth having an in-depth chat about the pros and cons of not having a 30 second warning in Master, in the hopes that competitors not having to dink around with stopwatches would help things run more efficiently?  Should there be a "one big space" option instead of the three rooms? 

How should (or shouldn't) Virtual Scent Work fit into the picture? 

We do have placements; they could be used as a multiplier.  Are there other data that we don't presently capture that perhaps would be meaningful to use in calculating points?  How about the "all the elements at a single level" High in Trial concept that the AKC doesn't record? 

Maybe Detective should be a championship?  Or maybe there could be a  Detective "time under max time" conversion to points to go toward a championship? 

I definitely don't know the answers.  I just want to be sure that we've thought through the pros and cons of anything we propose... and it feels like we, as a community, are moving toward proposing something...? 

** Originally published on March 31.  Edited with corrections on April 1:  Variable Surface Tracking rather than Versatile Surface Tracking (thanks, F.E. Burks), Points multipliers no longer exist in Agility (thanks, B. Jeleski), and Field Championship (FC) titles for the hunting dogs rather than FTC (thanks, M. Gover, D. Gehring)

AKC Scent Work Numeric Elite Title Computation (Argh!)

A Scent Work results data collection project (Demo Dog Database) has recently caused many of us to look much more closely at how AKC Scent Work title acquisition works with regard to the "Numeric Elite" titles.  Spoilers: it wasn't the way a lot of us thought they worked.  This post is an effort to explain the situation once, so we can link to it from social media when somebody says "What do you mean by "Excluded"?

Background:  AKC Scent Work debuted in September of 2017.  The titles identified at that time remain the only ones in the rulebook, in Chapter 10, beginning on page 62 of the .pdf     They included the level element titles (ex. Scent Work Buried Excellent or SBE), overall level titles (ex. Scent Work Novice or SWN) , level element Elite titles (ex. Scent Work Buried Excellent Elite or SBEE) and overall level Elite titles (ex. Scent Work Novice Elite or SWNE) along with titles for Detective and a Handler Discrimination level (ex. Scent Work Handler Discrimination Excellent or SHDE) and Elite (ex. Scent Work handler Discrimination Novice Elite or SHDNE) progression.  

Digression:  One "interesting" thing competitors have discovered is that, even though higher level Elite titles are not dependent on earning lower level Elite titles first, the higher level titles currently supersede the lower level titles on the AKC display of the dog's registered name.   So although a team may have earned all four level Elite titles (SWNE, SWNA, SWEE and SWME), the title display will show only SWME -- the same as for a team that has earned the SWME title but not the other three.  The rulebook does not say anything about this.  It really seems like only "dependent" titles should replace those that had to be earned previously; you can't earn an SWN without an SCN, so replacing the SCN makes sense.  But you can earn an SWAE without an SWNE, so both should rightfully be shown as earned, one would think.  

Back to Numeric Elites: in June of 2022, AKC Board members approved the addition of "Numeric Elite" titles with rules to go into effect on October 3, 2022.  You can find the official communication here but here are the words to be included in the next reprint of the official rulebook:

The Scent Work world was pretty excited by the news.  Many competitors had continued to enter classes past the 10 Qs required to earn an element or overall Elite title with the hope that someday those Qs would count toward something more like an SWNE2 or SWME3, similar to the way that Agility or Obedience and Rally competitors can earn titles repeatedly -- MACH3, RACH4, OM2, etc.  

<Ominous Music>  This would turn out to indeed be the case... but only partly.  The acquisition of the Numeric Elite titles in Scent Work turned out to work differently than most people expected.  Eighteen months after they debuted, many still don't understand how they work.  I learned how they work last week!  So I wanted to create an example to walk YOU through how a Numeric Elite is earned, according to our data, and to people who have earned numeric Elite titles.

Example: Here are the Scent Work trial entries for a hypothetical team that is just entering a Level -- maybe it's Novice.  Their first trial at this level was on March 20, and this was their progression.  

On June 13, after 3 Qs, the team earned their Container element title.  At the next trial a few days later, they earned Interior and Exterior Elements and then in a few months, got that 3rd buried Q for their Buried Element title and their OVERALL level Title.  

YAY!

In the meantime, they had continued to enter at the same level.  Maybe they also "moved up" and entered at the next level after they got the Element title, but maybe they wanted more practice at this level or wanted to be eligible for a High in Trial award that was offered to the fastest team that qualified in all four elements.  But they acquired five Qs on top of the ones needed for their Element titles, the ones shown in aqua below:

And (important point) those Qs count toward their Level Element Elite Title!!!  So, with that great start, they keep going in this Level, working on the Elite Elements, which they earn, along with their Level Elite title on April 12 of the year following their level debut.

                                                                        SUPER YAY!

As before, they had continued to enter the same level, for practice, for HIT eligibility, or (this is the bad part) they may have thought those Qs would simply accumulate toward their level Elite2 title.  Because that's how it had worked after their overall level title. 

However, if you re-visit the rules, it says 

So here is what actually happens -- the legs earned BEFORE THE OVERALL ELITE TITLE IS EARNED do not count toward the next level Elite.  In our data collection project, we are calling those "Excluded."  To be extra clear -- the team absolutely qualified in that class.  They may have placed, they may have earned High in Trial for the Level during one of those 4Q days.  Nothing is being excluded from those achievements.

The Qs shown in gray below just don't count toward the Elite2.  Only the legs at the trial after the Overall Elite is earned count: 

And that's it.  That's what we are hoping to help everyone understand in order to make the best economic and strategic entry decisions.   

Does it perhaps suck?  Arguably, yes, and I would love to see the AKC Scent Work competitor community, which seems to be knowledgeable and well-connected on social media, figure out how to influence change with regard to The Sport at the AKC, both with regard to this particular irritation but also progress, in general.  The AKC has more than 99 problems and we don't need to be another one, which I think is why email, petitions, letters even phone calls make no difference, not least because, as they keep reminding us, the AKC is a "Club of Clubs" -- we, as individuals, are not their constituents.  

We need a way to work within the existing system.  Maybe that's by presenting a compelling argument that states both problem and proposed solution (how DO you 'fix' something like this retroactively?) through the existing Delegates (has anyone ever mobilized the Delegates before?) or the time-honored American system of encouraging folks with personal connection within the organization to take up the cause (you know who you are... WE know who you are!)   That's what I think, anyway..  

Note about a possible inconsistency:  After the "first" Elite title, the AKC does not recognize numeric Element Elite titles -- so there's no "Scent Work Novice Container Elite2" title, for example.  Some clubs do choose to reward this, so asking is always a good idea

(and if that is bugging Clubs, perhaps you'd want to include the plan for ribbons, pins, etc. in their Premiums; I know Clubs firmly believe NO competitor ever reads their Premium but you could always put the relevant page in a plastic sleeve and post it by your ribbons)

And perhaps because they don't recognize the numeric element Elites, they do not break those out in their Titles and Points Progression Report, instead showing only "SWNE2" (for example) and a number.  In the above example, I would expect that number to be 3, that this team has, as of that trial, earned toward the Elite2.  

In some cases, it seems like the number shown in the free Title and Points Progression report is something other than 3.  However, if those handlers order the "full" AKC report, which I think costs $18, the information in that report agrees with the example.   

I don't know what to tell you about that except that, when in doubt, before you get into discussion with the AKC, I would strongly advise ordering your official AKC report.  It's their data and only whatever they officially have matters.  

What's going on with Ziva? Facing hard truths.

Ziva and I participated in our 9th NW3 this last weekend.  The trial site could not have been more beautiful, nor the trial run more efficiently.  The weather in Sedona, Arizona, was absolutely gorgeous, just a little nippy in the morning, perfect for us midwestern folk.

Coming into this, I had high hopes.  Ziva has 1.5 NW3 titles, needing three for her "Elite."  If we could get a clean title here and another leg at the trial in Benson in February, we could meet that goal.  And surely she could.  With no errors, you earn a full NW3, with one error, you earn a "leg," effectively half a title, and we'd never had more than two errors in a trial -- we'd been SO close so many times!  I felt like I knew what our weak points were -- getting tired at the end of the day and not keeping focus, rushing past a hide in order to cover a large space, having mixed communication -- and we'd worked on those things.  

We stayed overnight for this trial, so had plenty of time to get ready and only a short drive the morning of the trial.  We were #1 on the run order, which is fine with me, I'd much rather get going.  We made it through the first four searches with no "No"s and I felt good about the day.

We did get a "no" on pooling odor on vehicles on the 5th search. We weren't the only ones, but it was a disappointment.  Still, we could get a leg, I thought.  

But as we waited for the final search, I noticed Ziva's back legs were trembling with fatigue.  She was rocked back onto the pad of her foot, with her toes sticking up in the air.  She gave me no other indication that she wasn't up for this and charged off the start line.  Checking a nearby utility box, she came up under it and hit her head.  Hard.  I asked if she was okay and then said "but was there something there?"  And, bless her heart, she stuck her nose under and clonked her head again.

We moved on and I tried to gauge how she was doing, but my heart was sinking.  She nosed both ends of a bench and looked at me, questions plain in her eyes, and I called 'alert' and got a No.  So we were done for the day, but could keep searching.

But I looked at Ziva and she said "I'm so sorry, but I'm tired.  I'm tired and my feet hurt and my legs hurt and now my head hurts.  And I just wish I was back at home.  Can we go home?" 

So I said that we were retiring from the field.  And as we walked away, my heart broke and I sobbed, because I realized this really was the end for us.  Not because we failed an NW3 but because she wasn't having fun anymore -- this format, with the six searches and long walks and long day -- is just too much for her at this point.  I'm sad to let the dream go, but heartbroken at the thought that my constant partner is facing physical limitations.  It's SO not fair!

Ziva will be 11 in March.  A lot of people -- a lot of Veterinarians who have seen her -- seem to feel her physical condition is perfectly normal for her age.  As someone who's had Standard Poodles for 25 years, I know they are wrong; my dogs have typically been able to bounce up onto the bed right up to the very end, which should be at least 13 or 14 years if some bastard like hemangiosarcoma doesn't get involved.  Arguably the best measure, Ziva's littermates, and especially her closest buddy, Pippa, with whom we spend lots of time, do not have similar problems.  

Ziva began presenting with intermittent lameness in 2018.  One morning in November, she couldn't put weight on one front leg, so we sped to the teaching hospital at U. Wisconsin.  The Ortho department tested her for absolutely everything, with x-ray and ultrasound and joint taps.  They couldn't find anything.  

The limping seemed to resolve once she was diagnosed with IBD in January of 2019.  Then we had the pandemic and moved to Arizona, but in the winter of 2021, I was determined to try to figure out what seemed to be making it uncomfortable for her to stand or sit for any period of time.  We saw a Canine Sports Medicine Specialist in Scottsdale, who was also mystified until she looked very closely at the full-body x-rays.  Dr. Chun said that Ziva has mineralization (most likely calcification) at every tendon insertion point in every leg.  This is typically something seen when a tendon is over-stretched and tiny, hard particles form in an over-reaction to the injury.  If it is uncomfortable enough, surgery is done to remove the spiny bits.  However, Dr. Chun had never seen it in ALL the tendons before.  She theorized that this was a systemic response of some sort and referred us to an internal medicine specialist.

That doctor was quite dismissive of Ziva's situation.  He said that we were lucky to have managed her IBD and keep her alive as long as we had.  He had no idea why her body was attacking her tendons but said infirmity was only to be expected, given her age and health history.

We were lucky enough to get into four NW3 trials since then, and to get two legs.  And I thought we were going to be able to keep trying.  Right up until last Saturday.

Ziva loves the game.  And she would be mortally insulted not to get to Go with me, wherever I go.  That's been the norm for the last 11 years -- she has been through eight years of Junior College, after all!  So we'll continue to take classes and train.  She seemed to enjoy her Detective attempts in October, so we'll keep doing those as long as we can, and then there's always AKC Elite legs and UKC Grand Champion legs and online challenges.

But for now, I'm just so sad.  I wish I knew how to help my beautiful, sweet, imperious, fabulous companion, and I don't.  And I wish her NACSW journey hadn't ended this way.

Thoughts on the care of Nosework Volunteers: Part 2 Working Smarter

 As is the case with all of the dog sports, Nosework and Scent Work trials are dependent on Volunteers.  Trial Hosts and Secretaries/Score Room Leads do a tremendous amount of work up-front and, although there may be compensation, it's of the "How do you make a hundred dollars holding Nosework Trials?  Start with a thousand!" variety.  

But the rubber meets the road on the backs of the Average Citizens who answer the call of the Volunteer Coordinator.  Perhaps they lived nearby, or they may have driven for hours to be there, to give back to the sport, find out what it's about, or just be a Nice Person. Showing up at 0:00 Dark Hundred on trial day, they are given their instruction and sent off to make the trial run.  God Bless Volunteers!  

It's not always easy to find enough volunteers to make a trial work successfully.  In a previous post, I made the argument that trial organizers use the "we can't hold this trial unless you volunteer!" plea sparingly, only when really needed.  But here I'd like to look at another reason that I suspect we may have trouble finding volunteers: we're abusing them.

Before you bristle with umbrage -- Not Me! -- let me clarify.  I certainly don't mean that we are purposefully treating volunteers badly, or allowing anyone else to do so.  Every Trial Host I know very rightfully has a zero tolerance policy for verbal abuse toward volunteers.  Almost every competitor I know reveres volunteers and is effusive in their appreciation of them.

But how many "Volunteer Opportunities!" posts or Jotforms or emails have you seen that run something along the lines of "Be sure to wear your running shoes!" or "We can make sure you get all your steps in!" "Expect to be on your feet most of the day," or even "Lunch will be provided (and you may even have time to eat it!)" 

I understand that trial organizers are trying to be open and honest about requirements.  They want folks who can stand up to the rigors of the day.  They are looking at the incredible amount of work to be done and trying to remember why they thought this was a good idea in the first place.  They want Comrades in Arms to shore them up should they, themselves, run low on enthusiasm and energy. 

But let's take a look at the demographic for our sport: it is dominated by Women of a Certain Age.  As I heard someone say recently, "Nosework is where you go when your knees and hips make Agility impossible."  We market Nosework as being low-impact, and while fitness for both dog and handler are encouraged and recommended, we also welcome the halt and the lame.  

So why are we making volunteering into an endurance challenge?  

Effective trial planners work to minimize competitor steps and provide chairs for them to wait in along the way.  At the briefing, they encourage competitors to crate their dogs and allow them to rest between searches.  Yet often no chair is provided for volunteers, and, despite recommendations to bring a chair in the volunteer instructions, I've seen Volunteer Coordinator eye rolls when the volunteer actually shows up with one, "You plannin' on sittin' around today?"  

But unless you have designed a "walk and talk" volunteer escort situation for competitors, why should the volunteer have to walk along with the competitor?  I've seen situations where the two waiting stations for a search were both in plain view, maybe 100 feet apart, but the instruction given to the volunteer was to "take the competitor to the next chair."  Why?  Why can't they just point and say "go there and sit down until you are called?"  

This, of course, requires significant pre-planning, and that seems to be the spot where many trials have issues.  Someone needs to be familiar with the trial site and actually assign volunteers based on flow, providing a methodology for communication along the way.  Why don't more trials use walkie talkies?  And I loved the club that gave volunteers red and green bandanas to use as a "traffic signal" for  the competitor sitting 30 yards away, no yelling necessary.  

In addition to providing incentives for volunteers -- drawings for prizes, free trial entries, increased opportunities in the competitor draw, etc. -- I just wish that more trial organizers would exchange the attitude of "They're tough as nails, they knew what they were getting into when they signed up, they've done this a thousand times," for "What good people these are to come and help.  We should make their day as pleasant as possible."  

That's what I think, anyway. 

Thoughts on The Care of Nosework Trial Volunteers, Part 1: A Parable

Once upon a time, a Volunteer Coordinator sent out word across the land: "we do not have enough volunteers to hold this nosework trial!"  Many of the villagers had enjoyed competing in trials and were grateful that others had volunteered so that they could.  And thus, after they checked their maps and found the trial was only about 2.5 hours away, they rearranged their calendars, filled their cars with $5.00 a gallon gas, set the alarm for 4am and raised their hands to volunteer.  The morning of the trial dawned early, as is their wont.  And at the volunteer briefing, the Volunteer Coordinator said "You all are so lucky -- we have so many volunteers today that some of you are going to be able to just watch!" 

But the villagers didn't feel lucky.  They glowered and muttered, saying things like "I could have gone to my grandson's championship game," and "I could have stayed in bed."

Some time later, the villagers were looking at their Facebook feeds and again they saw a call from a volunteer coordinator, saying that a trial was in desperate need of volunteers.  The helpful villagers briefly considered the distance, the cost, the plans they would need to change.  But then they remembered what had happened before; they cocked a skeptical eyebrow and scrolled on past.  

I know that Trial Hosts and VCs are volunteers, also, and I so appreciate your service!  And I know that one can do all the flow and volunteer station setting in the world  and then the day of the trial comes and the CO or Judge asks that things be done differently, or the site has somehow changed radically overnight (it happens!), or something insane happens like even more volunteers than are on your list somehow magically showing up. I know that last minute communication with a disparate group of people is difficult and that you are juggling a lot of balls already.  I would just gently ask that you use the "desperate" card judiciously.  

A suggestion: many VCs use electronic forms for sign up.  Maybe you could add a set of checkboxes that reflect how this trial fits into the volunteers plans, from "I wouldn't miss being at this trial for anything," to "I am looking forward to earning club service hours," to "If you don't really need me, I'd really love to have a 'bye' this time."   And maybe a comments area so you know your volunteers' proximity, "I live practically next door to the site" or "I'll be leaving at 4am to get there," to help in your own planning? 

Truly: thank you so much for all you do.

Practicing Bad Behavior

 This weekend, Gabe ran four FastCAT heats with the Iowa Coursing Association in Boone, Iowa.  FastCAT is the invention of the American Kennel Club.  While there are elite running events eligible only to purebred sighthounds, FastCAT is a 100 yard dash that is open to any AKC-registered dog, including mixed breeds.  Dogs are released at one end of a course to chase the "lure,"  plastic grocery bags attached to a motorized pulley system.  The bags are called "the bunny," in recognition of the rodent whose speed they resemble.  Once the dog has crossed the finish line, often equipped with sophisticated electronic timing equipment, the lure operator stops the bags to give you a chance to catch your dog, then zips the bags back around to the start line for the next dog.  

It looks kinda like this: 

Doug's brother and his wife came to watch Gabe run on Saturday morning.  They're not "dog people," so had lots of great questions like "how do you train for this?"  The answer undoubtedly should include physical conditioning, at the very least.  The truth, however, is that most of us just let the dog watch a run or two, then toss them in.  

Times are compared nationally, especially by breed, but at the local level, it's not competitive.  Your dog is awarded points for a successful run.  For "big" dogs, the points equal the miles per hour they run; for smaller dogs, there's a multiplier to help mitigate the disadvantage of the shorter legs (although many of those little dogs run as fast as the big dogs!)  At 150 points, you get a ribbon, at 500 points, a bigger ribbon, at 1000 points a really big ribbon and then it's just big ribbons ever 500 additional points.  

Gabe earned his 500-point DCAT ribbon this weekend

Some dogs just don't get the point of the whole thing, but most are absolutely crazy for it.  It took about 3 runs for Gabe to get the idea, but now he has joined, nay, summited the ranks of the crazies.  When confronted with a FastCAT setup, he begins to yell.   Really, really loudly.  His ability to project is impressive; his bark makes the back of your skull vibrate.  He's not particularly fast, usually running 24-25 miles per hour.  Using all his oxygen and energy on barking and porpoising about before his run can't help.  

On this occasion, we had Gabe on both buckle collar and a one-piece martingale lead, yet he managed to pull out of our hands and run free like the wind on no less than five occasions.   We have never had so much trouble keeping hold of our dog; it was mortifying.  I have to hand it to Iowa Coursing Association -- they've seen it all before and no one got excited, just a cry of "Loose Dog!" until we had him back in hand.  We've coursed lots of places and ICA's organization and administration is always at the top of our list.   It's harder than you'd think to keep the lure close enough that the dog remains motivated but far enough ahead that the dog stretches, and ICA operators are The Best.  Their volunteers are both smart and kind.  We love coursing with them.  

Realistically, though, why run FastCAT?  I mean, all we are doing is Practicing Bad Behavior, something any trainer would deplore.  We're not just allowing but encouraging Gabe to be his worst self -- barking (screaming?), lunging, so overwrought the he can't acknowledge a command or even a touch.  Isn't this exactly the kind of thing we should be trying NEVER to do? 

I LOVE this SO MUCH!

Ohmygosh, the Bunny!

When is it my turn?

And yet...

Gabe is an amazingly wonderful dog, especially when you consider that we ask him to live in a world that is not at all aligned with his own aspirations and strengths.  We ask him to take his core energy supply, roughly that required to power the sun, and curl up with it on the couch for a bunch of hours every day.  We ask him to pay attention to our "blah blah blah" rather than the incredible smells and activity happening around him every minute.   

Gabe: Outstanding In His Field.  I thought it might be fun to pose him on these big rounds, forgetting until we were next to them just how big they are, taller than my head.  As I started to walk away, he carelessly scaled the side of one and leaped to the next, to have a better look at the field. 

Maybe it's rationalization, but it seems only fair to do something every now and then in which we have no expectations... to just do it because he LOVES it so much he LOSES HIS MIND over it.  

Are we rehearsing bad behavior?  We are.  And we shouldn't do it All The Time, for sure.  

But is it worth it, to let him have this time to let go and be a dog? 

Yup.

Post-FastCAT Puppy

 

That which was lost now has been found

 Ziva had her first AKC Detective run on Sunday.  We missed two hides.  It was fabulous.

We attempted Detective for the first time in October of 2021.  We only had Master Exterior at that point, so were a bit early to enter, but there were openings so what the heck?  It was a great weekend with four trials.  On one, we found all the hides but timed out because I hadn't ever actually tried to use my stopwatch before and was in the "search until you die" mode of having no idea whether or not we'd cleared the area.  On another, we had a fringe on odor blowing across the tops of a bunch of open water bottles (great setup, kudos to that judge!).  On another, we got a "where" on the wrong end of an 8' table (oops).  And... we passed and got a Detective leg.

Our next outing was only a few weeks later, but, somehow, we'd lost our mojo.  The first search featured a seemingly endless sea of patio tables and chairs.  You know that part of Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice where the brooms keep dividing themselves and coming at you with buckets (I'm sorry, but if you don't know what I mean, I don't think we can be friends)?  That's what the tables did in that search.  In the end, I'd spent 90% of the allotted time on the damned patio and, poof, we were done.  

The next search was out of a different nightmare.  My comment at the time was that it was like singing Karaoke but the words you're seeing don't match the song.  It had a terrifying dreamlike quality to it.   

We got to try again in February of 2022, just after Ziva finished her SWM.  No one passed either Detective trial that was offered, but I took the failure personally, nonetheless, sure that everyone else had at least come closer than we did.  I began to fear we were completely inadequate for Detective.  

Over the summer, Ziva completed her UKC Novice Grand Championship and started working on NACSW NW3s.  We were lucky enough to get into a BUNCH of those trials.  She earned one NW3 title and had a lot of "SO close!" finishes.   She had a flare-up of her IBD, which we beat back into submission; we learned she had massive resorption of her tooth roots and had to have 6 teeth pulled;  and a veterinary sports medicine specialist finally identified the likely cause of her intermittent limping and stiffness over the last 4 years: calcification of the tendon and ligament tissue on all four of her legs.  Sadly, the cause is unknown and there's no treatment.  

We got into two Detective trials in January, 2023, but pulled when Ziva had the (unexpectedly major) dental surgery.  We didn't enter another set because I didn't feel comfortable with the safety of the trial site.  And then, we got extraordinarily lucky and were able to get into a single trial at the Sonoran Desert Scent Work Club trial in Tucson.  Our coach, Aleks Woodroffe, was judging.

A knowledgeable Nosework friend invited us over for an extremely generous practice a few days before the trial.  She set up two full Detective searches, complete with interior and exterior areas.  I was able to safely run Ziva off leash, just like in a trial.  And, oh my gosh, but did we ever stink the place up.  Ziva wandered around, occasionally checking in as if to say "what are we doing here, again?"  She may have found a couple of things, but the elaborate practice was completely wasted on her.  Littermate Pippa, entered at the same trial to finish her Excellent title, did a much more comprehensive job on both searches.  It was Awful.  

As the date of the trial (March, 2023) loomed closer, I became more and more fatalistic.  Was Ziva ill?  Was she past her ability to handle the big Detective areas?  Did she want to retire and just dabble with easier stuff?   Would we be a laughing stock, or, worse, the subject of bitter comments about people who take up highly-coveted spots with unprepared and incapable dogs?  If Ziva just ambled around the space, not finding anything, what was I going to do?  

I decided that if she could just find SOMETHING, it would be a huge step forward.  So that's what I would try for -- to just find a hide.  And as for not deserving to be there, well, maybe that was true, but, gosh darn it, we DID get in, so we were going to run and just try to have a good time.  

Our staging went poorly.  While no one threw rotten fruit at us, let's just say that I take every comment too personally and give the wrong people space in my head rent free.  As a result, rather than taking a moment to breathe at the start line and connect with my dog, I rushed the start.  Rather than supporting my dog as she began to search, I trailed after her like a Zombie, waiting for a sign -- were we in a search or just taking up space?  

As a result, we missed the only exterior hide.  My dog had a very obvious change of behavior but I handled her badly, pushing ahead rather than stopping or slowing to see why she had switched direction.  If I had been bold enough to take her off-leash, I expect she would have gotten it.  If I had handled her with any clue whatsoever, I expect she would have gotten it.

Once inside the main auditorium area, I took her off leash and then the magic started.  Ziva  went to work and found the four hides in the rows of chairs facing the big stage.  She sourced another on a handrail in the hallway, and then seemed to be thinking there was something "high" as well.  We went back up the stairs, to a very small space that housed the ladder up into what I expect is lighting and other theatrical tech space.  Ziva doesn't like dark and she doesn't like tight and this was very definitely both.  She had started into it on her own, but quickly backed out; I coaxed her into it with a treat but she spun and left as quick as she could, and I called "finish," feeling it was likely we'd missed some but knowing we'd at least found 5, hallelujah. 

So grateful, she still loves me even when I screw up!

There was one in the tiny room and Aleks noted that Ziva had given me an alert, but because I was worrying about her, I interpreted her lookback as a refusal to go any further.  

So, we didn't pass Detective.  But, you know what?  We could have!  And you know why we didn't?  Because I was not on my game, mentally, and I let Ziva down.  I didn't give her the credit she so richly deserves and I didn't support her as she deserves.  

I take notes on all our runs, of course,  I review webinars I've purchased about Detective.  My friends set up fabulous practices for us, and we have a truly incredible coach and weekly classes.  

However, as I described the day to my husband, I realized something.  I thought all our runs since the Endless Patio had sucked because I had become too time sensitive and was rushing my dog to try to avoid the "use up all our time on the first area" scenario.  But, in retrospect, those first four "oh so close!" trials were all off leash.  The next four were on leash by judge's direction due to the environment.  

It felt like someone took a 40 pound rock off my chest.  I mean, I try, I really do, but my handling is just awful and gets SO much worse when I'm nervous.  My brain just stops.  But the problem was definitely ME and my issues, and nothing that was wrong with my dog, mentally or physically.  

So, we're 1 for 10, now, which may be some kind of record (and not a good one).  But we've got some Detective runs coming up, with good judges who know odor and who set source-able hides.  If I can get my act together, there's no reason why we shouldn't pass.  And I need to get my act together, because Ziva deserves that.  She's got this, and I just need to trust in her and hold up my end of the partnership for a change.