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Nose Work ORT

3K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  kimbale 
#1 ·
Wolf has his first ORT trial at the end of August. We're just doing birch right now as he will have just turned 6 months old and I don't want to overwhelm him. He is already doing finds outdoors with distractions, so I'm feeling pretty confident. I want to get him through the ORT since they seem few and far between out where I am.

Any tips or suggestions for the day of would be greatly appreciated! Both he and I are very new to all of this.

Some photos for fun. <3
 

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#2 ·
Assuming that you work your puppy alone, it would be a good idea to have someone place 3 different "hides" of birch in a location unknown to you.

Then, if possible have 3 or more dogs walked through the search area before your pup does (they don't have to be searching for the birch, just walk through the area).

Having other dogs walk through the search area can sometimes confuse a dog, let a lone a pup.

My pups trial for SOD (single odor detection) had twenty five dogs, Ace was number 25, he found all 3 hides and was the youngest dog in the class.


Good luck in your Trial and remember....."Who Dares Wins"


Kim
 
#3 ·
Kimbale, Aug is going to be hot so #1. Get what you'll need to keep the car cool.
Aluminet Imop is a must along with the aluminet, get those inexpensive car sun shields and put them in the windows. Fans ice etc. the cooler you can keep him, the better he will be when he gets in the a/c building.

If the facility hosting it is close, swing by and check where the shaded areas are then get there early to get a shaded area. If the host is there aske her where the parking will be.

Do you have the NW boxes to practice with? If not, you can get white boxes at an office supply store. Or any boxes that are approximate size to NW boxes. Try to accumulate 12 and practice with them.

If you are in a class, get together with classmates in between class day. You will be surprised what one person will remember and what another will forget plus extra eyes and constructive help is invaluable.

If you are not in a class, maybe contact the host of the ORT and ask him/her if she know of a facebook group that might help you connect to others for outside of class training time.

The biggest thing that did me in was forgetting that they give you a 30sec warning so just focus on your pup and give him the time and space to tell you.

Late to dinner but wanted to wish you luck. I'll bee back if I think of anything else.
 
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#4 ·
Lol at me, looks like you are in class. I swear those pics weren't there when I replied. (Takes a while for my IPad to load pics) No way I would have missed such puppy cuteness. Wolf is so handsomely adorable!
 
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#5 ·
Excellent advice! I'm already starting to deck out my car so that he will be as comfortable as possible. Any recommendations on a good fan for the car?

Yes, I am in a class. We actually graduate from NW Foundation tonight and start Novice after 4th of July week. We have access to all the training materials (like the boxes) but I like the idea of buying my own and practicing with them in a different area other than the training ring. Eventually we will move away from the ring and start practicing at lots of different locations, but Foundation and Novice are both taught at the same place.

Luckily I have a great instructor who really likes Wolf and thinks he has a lot of potential, so she has been very helpful with answering questions and letting us borrow materials and have extra ring time.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the location until the morning of. It's a 4 hour drive from where I live and I'm going to stay with my grandmother that weekend, who lives two hours from the trial site. I'm going to get there really early to get a good spot, good advice on the shade, I didn't even think of that.

I'm assuming you're basically outside in your car until you go in for the trial?
 
#6 · (Edited)
A lot of folks like the Ryobi rechargable but I take the cheap O2 cool fans and use with a small lead acid battery than runs > 1 day. UB12180 scooter battery.

You can cut the wires to the plug for the fan and just put clips on it.

If you want to get a GREAT fan the endless breeze box fan is the best 12 volt fan short of using a radiator fan. Do run on its own battery. It moves a lot of air. Over time constant draw on car battery wears it down prematurely.

As you assess the shade remember the sun tracks E to W across the southern sky so best to make sure you will be in shade all day. A lot of folks swear by the aluminet (I have a white truck with a topper so don't use it but it is a godsend for people with SUVs and Cars.
 
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#7 ·
Finding a bunch of aluminet options. I'm assuming it's the one that goes over the dog kennel?
 
#9 ·
I got the 14x10 ft which covered my Tahoe and draped over the sides covering the windows. It is a mesh so it still allowed air flow. Covering the vehicle helps prevent the sun from turning the car into an oven. That said, it's not perfect. The day of ORT, I had that,fan, window shades and a diy cooler a/c with ice. Tested it ou the day before and it was fine but there was also a light cool breeze. The day of, The car was still to warm for my boy. He was panting and his eyes were like slits. Not good. Luckily there was enough space and was able to turn the car on for a/c and not bother the other cars with exhaust. My car is dark blue so I still have to look into gel mats and modify the diy cooling system for better ice cooled air flow. Got an idea and will let you know if it works.

Yes, dogs are crated in the car and Imho, you don't want to restrict any air flow going through the crate

Get some bungee cords with hooks so you can anchor the aluminet to the corners/sides of the car in case there is a breeze. The aluminet has the ringed holes along the edges.

I have the Ryobi One+ fan that runs on the 18v. Battery and fan sold separately. It works well but I need another. Going to check out Nancy's suggestions.

You can google the address of the test site and look at a satellite view. It will at least show if the lot is bare or if there are trees that might offer shade.
 
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#10 ·
Awesome, thanks! I'm going to grab that endless breeze box fan, anything to cool down the car. I'm in Texas and in August it's going to feel like the surface of the sun here. Gel mats sound like a good idea, as well!

I'm going to do some searching around to see if I can find some DIY ideas for car setups. I'll let y'all know what I find.
 
#11 ·
When you think about fans look at how many CFM or cubic feet per minute they move.
If you want to know how big a battery and how many hours this is an example of what I did

Amp rating of fans is on packaging

2 x 700mAMP batteries = 1400mAMPS = 1.4 amps
6 hours x 1.4 amps = 8.4 amp hours
Ideally you should not run a deep cycle battery down more than half so a 16.8 amp hour battery would be best. I got 18 because I normally don't need to run both fans for 6 hours and if I discharge all the way once in a great while it is not the end of the world. They charge up overnight no problem. Or you can just get a 12 volt marine battery and not worry about it.

I *think* the Ryobi runs about 3 hours on a charge. You can use an inverter but car batteries are not meant for continuous draw. It does shorten their life unless you get a special car battery that has both the cold cranking amps necessary for starting AND is designed to deep cycle.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
So here's the set up I'm thinking:

01100WH Endless Breeze Stand alone Fan
ExpertPower EXP12180 12 Volt 18 Ah Rechargeable Battery with Nuts and Bolts
NOCO GC019 12' 12V Plug Extension Cable
NOCO GC018 12V Plug Socket with Eyelet Terminal
Cool Puppy Aluminet Shade Cloth Panels 10x14

As well as some bungee cords, water, etc.

Opting for a larger battery because I'd like the option to run other stuff off of it in the future. May grab a two way splitter, as well and an extra fan. Pretty sure we'll be in the 100s at around that time of year.
 
#14 ·
Add a charger.I use the battery tender junior but there are others. Thing I like about that size battery is it is small enough to easily take in a hotel room for overnights!
 
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