Freya’s First NNA Trial – An After Action Report from an Entry Level Nosework Competition

Freya and I entered our first National Nosework Association

trial this week.

We won.

As awesome as that feels, it wasn’t the biggest takeaway from the day.

What interested me more was what the searches told me about our training.

Freya is now seven years old. She has been around scentwork concepts since she was a puppy, but this was the first time we had entered a formal NNA trial environment.

NNA Trial Structure

The NNA trial system is progressive with the following levels:

1. Foundation

2. Pre-Entry

3. Entry Level

4. Enhanced

5. Excellent

6. Elite

7. Spirit

8. Supreme

On advice from people already competing we entered at Entry Level (the highest you can start at). It felt like the right place to test where we actually are with our training.

Our Trial

The trial was held at Mangapps Railway Museum.

I had already visited the site when I was invited to hold a troubleshooting workshop there last year so had an idea of the environment to expect.

The order of searches set by the judges was:

1. Exterior

2. Vehicles

3. Selection Boxes

4. Interior

The first 2 were run concurrently by the judges so you would either start on Exterior OR Vehicles.

We were shown the areas prior to the trial which is a nice to have as you can get a mental plan in your head prior to starting, a Pre Search Assessment.

Each search presented a different problem for the dog team and there are published rules and guidelines to follow.

One important rule at this level is that the smallest dog dictates the maximum hide height.

On this occasion the smallest dog was a lovely Cocker Spaniel named Milo, who went on to finish as Reserve (2nd place). That meant the hides were placed at a height suitable for all dogs competing.

Knowing that influenced how I worked Freya. There was no point tasking high areas when the hides were unlikely to be there, so I focused on the areas where they were realistically likely to be placed.

Exterior Search

This was our first search of the day.

The start line was at the bottom right corner of fig.1

Fig.1 Exterior Search

The Plan

I had a plan in my head from the walk around (Fig. 2)

Fig. 2 Search Plan

This was my planned search pattern, dividing the area into 2 distinct areas. First, search the bottom section with the wall and doors to my left and then around the picnic table and buffer.

I confirmed with the Judge that I could then transit up the platform and restart the search at the waiting room and work down the platform (the rolling stock was not in play due to the gap between the platform and the train).

This would allow me to work Freya in our standard pattern so as not to confuse either of us and keep a good flow and speed to the search.

The whole search was carried out on lead.

The Execution

Of course, plans rarely survive first contact with the dog.

This is how the search actually played out.

Fig. 3 Actual Search

Freya located the first hide easily but her indication on that first odour was one of the weakest I have ever seen from her, however she had all the signs of being on odour.

It immediately made me question whether something was slightly off until another find proved otherwise.

We continued as planned

The second find answered the question.

Her indication was exactly as trained, clear and confident, and from that point the search settled and flowed normally.

Freya went on to locate the final hide within the allotted time, with rewards between each find.

Vehicle Search

The vehicle search consisted of three train carriages positioned in line.

I treated it as a standard vehicle search and worked Freya methodically along the carriages.

She located all three hides within the allotted time, with rewards between each find.

The indications here were exactly what I expect from her, which confirmed that the weak indication seen in the exterior search was simply a momentary inconsistency rather than a training issue.

I had no idea I was to get one of my biggest shocks with her next.

Selection Boxes

The next search gave me the clearest training lesson of the day.

Now, I have been told of Selection Boxes being a bit of a bugger for some, so I made sure that my pre training consisted of repetitions of the exercise.

There is a military adage, Train Hard, Fight Easy.

My research showed that many selection boxes have holes drilled in them, so I deliberately trained without holes in mine (they are not airtight anyway). One drop of Napier Gun Oil, 30 min soak time and she nailed the training taking odour from the tiny holes that the lid handle hinges in.

Needless to say I was confident, so much so I volunteered to go first!

Freya did not identify the target odour in the selection boxes.

She paused on the correct box but before I could call it she moved on.

From a training point of view that gives me something clear to work on, on the day I was gutted.

Interior Search

The interior search followed immediately after the selection boxes.

Both Freya and I were probably a little deflated walking into the room.

However this search location had been set at the same time as the others earlier in the day, meaning it had the longest soak time.

I decided to stick to my standard search pattern and let the first find talk to me.

Freya picked up the odour from around three metres away, worked the scent picture cleanly to source and located the first hide quickly.

That first find told me exactly what I needed to know about how the odour was behaving in the room and what reaction to expect from the dog. We were dealing with scent pools rather than cones.

With that picture in mind I relaxed my search pattern slightly and allowed Freya to work.

She worked the other 2 hides perfectly.

She picked up on the 2nd at distance and bracketed to source. During my reward stage I took stock of where to restart and the 3rd was quickly located on the block of items I started the search on.

We did lose some points on "area coverage".

Conclusion

Overall we had a great time, testing our training in a trial environment.

The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, especially for two newcomers entering their first trial.

Freya located all hides in the exterior, vehicle and interior searches and gave me a very clear training focus for container work going forward.

If you are involved in scentwork and have been considering entering a trial, I would highly recommend giving it a go.

Thank you to Jo and Sue from K9 Scent and Search for organising such a well-run event.

Freya and I are already looking forward to the next one.

Freya – Entry Level Winner, NNA Trial

If you’re interested in developing your own search planning and handling skills, this is something I can cover in detail during ScentMasters UK workshops and coaching sessions.

Feel free to get in touch if you would like to learn more.

Until the next time.

Happy Searching

Tom