The Rip Van Wrinkler, XVIII, Issue 1, February 2014
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Training Conversation
Enduring quote: Lotte Hotaling, "I don't know about Basenjis being difficult to train, but it is not at all difficult for them to train their humans."
Lure Coursing, Agility, Backpacking, Nosework, Draft Dog (keep scrolling down)
Lure Coursing in Europe/Yvonne ‘t Mannetje
Are you aware of the sight coursing.eu where the scores of your dogs can be registered? Take a look at the ranking of the best coursing basenji's in Europe HERE (press our breed, basenji).
2013 AKC Agility Invitational
Paul Mount & Zuri represented Basenjis beautifully at the Invitational in Florida.
Fine article by Brenna Fender in “CLEAN RUN” magazine.
The Invitational is a unique national agility competition. Dogs are ranked based on the accumulation of points throughout the year and the top five of each breed is invited to compete. Dogs are selected from the Regular program first. If there aren’t five dogs of the breed competing in the Regular program, the invitations extend to the Preferred program dogs as well. AKC Director of Agility Carrie DeYoung says, "The 2013 Agility Invitational was an exciting celebration of all of the breeds that enjoy the sport of agility. We had 162 different breeds represented this year. There is no other agility event in the US that has the variety of dogs in the competition. We also were very pleased to welcome 62 Junior handlers from 21 different states to the Junior Competition held on Friday of the Invitational." MORE
Chris Klein & the beautiful Valor
All Northeast whippets! Lousie with Frisco & TeePee, Patty with Danablue, & Bonnie with Pique & Ghillie.
Pack Dog Title/Lisa Marshall
Here is a nice photo of 3 BCOSW'ers who are working on our Pack Dog titles.
Jan Cook and Jada; Susan Cook and Aubrey and Arrow; and Lisa Marshall and Flora!
Taken in Nov. 2013 on a really nice fall day.
Dog scouts of America. They have badges your dogs can earn! So far our group has just done the pack dog walks.
You need 50 miles for the first level. See how the basenji’s have little packs on. You have to have several survival items in the packs.
Extra leash, extra collar, 3 doggy bags, compass, matches, water, pocket knife. I have a whistle.
As long as we are going on hikes, why not earn a badge.
My ORT Experiences/by Susan Cook
When Aubrey started nose work she made everything seem very easy. Hide the smelly thing, find it, get a treat.
Aubrey was very good at finding all the hidden scents. I confidently signed up for an ORT.
They had a small room with some practice boxes in it. I decided that since Aubrey was so good at finding scent, we didn't need to check those out.
They call you into the "box" room that has maybe 4 people in it. You hand over your dog's score book. This event is timed. You have 3 minutes.
So we proceeded to cross the start line. I cued Aubrey to find the scent box and she spent 3 minutes smelling the very interesting rugs upon which the boxes were sitting!
During the very long 3 minute testing period, my girl never smelt a single box.
Lesson #1 for ORT's. Go to a clean facility for testing and use the practice boxes.
There aren't that many dates for ORT testing, so by the next test date I had started my other basenji on scent work. I signed both dogs up for birch.
So on the day of the ORT testing, it just happened that Aubrey was scheduled to test prior to Arrow.
After Aubrey's first ORT test failure, I lost faith in her abilities. So during this second test I was very nervous. I cued Aubrey she went to a Box and I said Alert. They said no, wrong.
Lesson #2 Trust your basenji and make sure to check out all the boxes before finalizing your decision.
So next, was Arrow's ORT test. I had a talk with myself to trust in his abilities and to calm down. We used the practice boxes and then entered the testing room.
Aubrey asking where her Chai Tea Latte is! For the nose work you have to wait around for your turn.
We started down the middle of the two rows of six boxes. He was interested in the 2nd and 3rd boxes on the left. We continued to check out the rest of the boxes. Arrow was not interested in the last two boxes on the left. He also wasn't interested in any of the boxes on the right. We continued back to the boxes in the left. This time he liked only box #3. I said Alert and they said congrats it took you 38 seconds!
Subsequent to this testing period, I signed Aubrey up for Birch and Anise ORT tests. She easily passed both.
National Association of Canine Nose Work
TEST REQUIREMENTS
Trial entry requires that handler/dog teams must have passed the appropriate Odor Recognition Test (ORT) in advance of the trial. The purpose of the ORT is to verify that the dogs know the target odor (scent) used in competition. Successful passage of an ORT requires a dog to identify the location of the target odor and the handler to correctly call an ‘alert’ (or equivalent) within a three-minute time period.
The Odor Recognition Test must be judged by an NACSW sanctioned certifying official, who could be an approved K9 detection handler, a CNWI and/or other qualified person at the discretion of the NACSW. A Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) may judge an ORT as long as it is not for current students.
For information on upcoming ORTs near you, use the calendar below. To enter an ORT, follow the instructions for that event. For more information on ORT rules, see the trial rule book.
Renee Meriaux
January 19th, 2014
Basenji history is made - Oakley is a novice draft dog!
