Instructor: Stacy Barnett
Course Details
Elite Division Trials are intended to put the advanced Nosework team to a true test. The challenges are EXTREME and so is the fun level. This course is intended to help you to prepare or improve on your performance at this level. We will cover the EXTREMES and then at the end of the course bring the components together. Join me in training for the ULTIMATE challenge!!
Registration
There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please subscribe to our mailing list for notifications.
Registration will begin at 11:00am PDT.
For answers to commonly asked questions see our FAQ page.
Enrollment limits: Gold: 12 students, Silver: 15 students, Bronze: unlimited.
SILVER LEVEL PILOT PROJECT - In addition to asking GENERAL clarification questions about the class lecture materials, silver students will now have the opportunity to submit two short videos, one minute each, for critique and review. You may submit two questions. Each question MUST have a one minute video attached so the instructor can actually answer a question that they can see. The question must relate to a topic in the class and the video must be a demo of the question. Please see the discussion forum for a detailed explanation - feel free to sign up at bronze, read the explanation, and then come back here to upgrade to silver if that interests you, and if space is available.
If you are interested in a bronze level subscription, you can sign up at any time during the registration period.
Syllabus
Week 1: Intro to Elite Preparation
- What is an Elite Division Trial and how is it scored?
- What to expect at an Elite Division Trial
- What it takes to be successful
- A Judge's Perspective (article reprinted with permission)
- What, no Elements???
- “Broader” criteria for a Yes?
- The Four S’s: Skills, Stamina, Speed and Strategy
- Common Pitfalls for the Elite Team
- Handler Mental Focus and Stamina
- Assessing your Team
- Conditioning Aspects - Stamina Plan
Week 2: Preliminary Skills
- Rewarding Quickly
- Keeping Track of your Hides
- Reading Your Dog’s Alert
- Introducing Mixed Element Searches
- Effective Search Patterns to Know Where You’ve Been
- Back to Back Searches
- Off leash Independence
- Ignoring a Previously Found Hide
- Stamina Plan Check-in
Week 3: SKILL - Extreme Convergence
- Close Convergence
- Working your Mirrored Hides
- To the Left and to the Right
- Don’t forget vertical space!
- Layered Hides
- Stamina Plan Check-in
Week 4: SKILL - Extreme Elevation
- High Hides
- Elevated Hides with Convergene
- High / Low Combinations
- Layered Hides with Elevation
- Layered Hides with Elevation and Convergence
- Suspended Hides
- Do you risk a No?
- Stamina Plan Check-in
Week 5: SKILL - Extreme Area Size
- Stamina with a Capital S
- Challenges of Speed
- Speed Searches
- Effective Search Patterns
- Stamina Searches
- Stamina Plan Check-in
Week 6: Bringing it All Together
- Extreme Number of Hides: Known Number, Range or an Unknown Number
- Searching Known Number with Tight Times
- Multiple Skills in One Search
- Stamina Plan Check-in
Prerequisites & Supplies
There are no titling requirements for this class however it's strongly recommended that Gold level teams have experience at the NW3 level as we will be pushing the envelope on SKILLS and STAMINA.
Sample Lecture
COMMON PITFALLS
1.) Thinking No’s don’t matter
No’s are allowed… that doesn’t mean they don’t matter! Every No is worth half a hide worth of points. That’s huge when it comes to standings at the end of the day. Think again about what you think it means to be successful. Does the word No fit within your description?
2.) Calling hides too early
Before calling a hide, Breathe In then Breathe Out… most No’s are the result of a split second call. In Flemington, I falsed on a red garbage can that was used to hold dirty rags (in an Autoshop). I saw a Change of Behavior and went with that instead of following my own rules!
3.) Waiting for perfection before you call a hide
In Flemington in the woodshop there was a deep inaccessible under a group of 6 tables. I spent most of my search time trying to source that hide. Finally we got it but I was afraid to call it earlier… I was worried about no. As it turns out the judge was taking ANYTHING around the group of tables… had I called it sooner I would have had more time to cover the rest of the room! Take your time but don’t belabor an inaccessible.
4.) Lack of confidence in calling hides
This kind of goes along with waiting for perfection before calling a hide. You have to have the mental fortitude to risk a no. However it’s a calculated risk! Think before you speak but have confidence in your calls!
5.) Not keeping track of time
In Elite you now have large complicated search areas. Many times you have the option to work off leash. Some people prefer on leash… which is fine… however recognize that you might not be able to cover the whole search area! Covering the entire search area is CRITICAL in being successful in an Elite Division Trial.
6.) Not searching the whole area
Ah yes! You need to cover your ENTIRE area!! I’ve left hides behind that have costed me HIT simply because I didn’t cover the entire area adequately. Think about perhaps letting your dog drive the first 80% of the search and then you directing into areas the last 20% of the search. This may mean that you need to go on leash (unless your dog directs well off leash).
Here’s a video clip of me doing a nice search in a wood shop… but notice that I NEVER get into the corner with the last hide! Ugh… lesson learned!
7.) Being afraid to put the dog back on leash
What’s that? I just talked about how searching off leash is better? Yes! But don’t be afraid to put your dog back on leash. IF and that’s a big IF you have time, putting your dog back on leash can help you make sure you cover your area and do a little extra detailing of the search area.
8.) Losing track of hides found
This is ESPECIALLY important if you have a dog that returns to found hides. Not only do you have to be able to count but you also have to remember where the hides were! This can be one of the most difficult aspects. In my first Elite trial I had to search a line of identical horse stalls!
9.) Taking too large of a risk
If you aren’t pretty sure… don’t call it! Watch this clip… I took an appropriate risk in calling this elevated hide. I would not have called a simple look up!
10.) Not using the last 30 seconds effectively
Ah! When you hear that 30 second call don’t just call Finish!! USE that 30 seconds!! Ask yourself if your dog is in odor or working an area. If he's working the area, use your 30 seconds. If he's not, consider if you have time to get to another area to work.
Here's a short clip of Judd working the last 30 seconds of a search.
11.) Not keeping yourself in the moment
Head games are huge at this level... although they are completely different than NW3 head games. No longer do you have to just worry about a single hide search with straighforward hides... Now head games are taken to a whole new level. At one trial that I'm aware of, competitors were given 90 seconds to work an area without a walkthrough... they were given a range of 1 to 6 hides. There were 5 hides. Not staying in the moment is deadly in a search such as this.
12.) Refeeding at hides
We will get into this next week. Basically if you occasionally refeed you've taught your dog that there is a lottery ticket at the occasional hide and that the lottery tickets are scratch off winners. You've actually increased your chance that your dog will return to a found hide. In the case of close convergence, your dog will not want to find the unfound hide!
Testimonials & Reviews
I really found the course material helpful and motivational. Learned a lot from this exceptional course! Keep up the good work, I can't wait to take another nose work class!
I have taken many Fenzi Academy classes. This was my first nosework class. I took it at Bronze. I have been in one NW Elite trial prior to this class. It really helped me understand all the various elements that I will find in an Elite trial and how to set up searches in training. Loved the class and theGold students! Thanks, CK
Great job in keeping the course moving and well thought out. Thanks for all the time spent in providing so much information and advice. Margo Banks (Bronze)
Stacy is so organized - works individually with each dog at the stage they are at -lots of positive feedback and helpful critiques. Love how she breaks complex ideas down into the parts and has us practice each of the parts before putting them together into the whole exercise. Great class.
I will seek out Stacy again. I so enjoyed her teaching style and sharing her experiences really helps prepare you. I feel I have a good plan and much better understanding of what we need to succeed at the higher levels of NoseWork. I will certainly consider being Gold next time as it was clear all the participating Gold students learned quite a bit and improved their handling and skills.
Loved it! Really appreciated the structure you created with the progression of skills. Can't wait for the next advanced nose work class you do.
