Ak’is at 16 Weeks
Nosework at Craftco Metal Works’ storage yard
8/30/26
I took Ak’is when two friends and I trained our big dogs. We are able to use Craftco’s storage yard when they’re closed on weekends and holidays (see the yard). AND the weather was finally cool enough to train, and cool enough for Ak’is’ first experience training in the real world.
I have worked with him a few times at home, slowly introducing him to the delights of scent work. For those of you not familiar with Dave Kroyer’s method of training nosework (see an explanation), I’ll explain briefly so that you can enjoy the photos (see my explanation of nosework). We start first on one pipe that allows us to stick a tin with scented q-tips in one end. Another end has an opening that the dog puts its nose into to get a good whiff of the scents it will be searching for. A third end allows us to dribble training treats to the dog as it is scenting, allowing it to associate good things with the scent. Dave calls it the OISD (Odor Indication Shaping Device). Our local trainer, Sue, calls it the WYE pipe. That what plumbers call that kind of pipe. It looks like a Y.
I use small pieces of roast beef when I’m introducing nosework to a new dog. They never get that treat except for nosework. Each time we start a new step in the process, I use the beef until they are doing it well, then gradually move to my homemade training treats which are made with liverwurst and aren’t as messy (nor do they attract hornets as much as does the beef).
We search for five essential oils. In the beginning, we have them combined in the little tin, but once the dog understands the “game”, we separate them and work on one scent at a time.
We begin teaching the indication first. Actual searching comes MUCH later. Once the pup has associated the OISD pipe (and the odor!) with the treats, we begin waiting for the pup to sit with its nose in the pipe before dribbling treats to it. Once that indication is solid, we’ll hold the Odor Indication Shaping Device pipe on the ground and wait for the pup to down with its nose in the pipe before we begin dribbling treats to it.
In Dave’s method, you never reward the dog at the find. You teach them to stay with their nose in the pipe until you click to release them; then you reward them. You gradually teach them to come back to you for their reward so that you don’t foul the hide area and goof up the next dog that is competing. You’ll see me gradually asking him to indicate while I move farther away.
When we train at Craftco, we set two different searches. Each dog searches both areas. Before we did anything, we first got Ak’is out and worked him. It was early morning (as you’ll notice from the deep shade), there aren’t too many distractions, but it still is VERY different from working in the living room. So, even though at home he is searching three pipes set on wood blocks, with me six feet away, I went back to the Odor Indication Shaping Device pipe at Craftco. Sera held the leash so that I could handle the OISD pipe. The first 4 photos show us working with the Odor Indication Shaping Device. Ak’is was distracted enough that it took a while to get a good indication. He got LOTS of praise from the three of us humans (and of course treats.)
I then put down one of the pipes-on-a-board and we repeated the process. As is typical, at first he wanted to be fed, but I just waited him out until my little thinker decided I wasn’t going to reward his pretty sit. Eventually he looked away from me and saw the pipe. The rest of the shady photos show us getting to the end of the 6’ leash. That was a great first session, so I put him in his crate to muse over what we just did while all was quiet as we went to set up search areas.
After all the dogs did their first search, we worked Ak’is again. It was sunny by then, and there was a lot of activity around us, cars going by, and people walking or jogging with their dogs and baby prams. This time I handled the leash, and we started with the pipe-on-a-board on the ground. I went back to rewarding him for any attention to the pipe, then gradually both moved away and asked for a sit indication with his nose in the pipe, holding the indication until I clicked. That was enough of a workout for today!
If you’re interested, here are training photos from this year that I’ve managed to edit and get onto my website: https://celhaus.com/training/nosework-training-april-november-2026/. We work 6-7 dogs each time, and take about 1200+ photos each day we train. Working in that metal storage yard, we deal with limited places from which to photograph the dogs working, sun glare AND light reflecting off the metal, so I had to use Photo Finish to edit the lighting on most photos. Then the best ones have to be downsized for the website. It takes forever to get a day’s photos on the website.