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Duke-ing It Out: K9 Nose Work With Canine Duke, and Handlers
Jeannie Brousseau & Jim Branum
By Jeff McMahon
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Mysterious scars on his face, neck, and the insides of his back legs sprout tiny shocks of white hair, as if to mark him the survivor of multiple lightning strikes. His singing voice rivals that of the greatest operatic tenors. Try to snap his picture from the wrong angle, or pass him in the park with too much spring in your step – or not enough – and he might bring out his bark, or his bite, or maybe he’ll just ignore you. Meet Duke, the Coonhound. A shelter dog with an unknown past and an unpredictable nature, Duke has been a challenge from day one for his adoptive owners, Jeannie Brousseau & Jim Branum, but since enrolling in K9 Nose Work, the challenges have brought with them the greatest of rewards.
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Watching Jeannie handle Duke as he works the kitchen of the Pasadena Humane Society, his nose darting from floor to cupboards, searching for an Anise scented cotton swab hidden on the countertop in a basket with a jar of peanut butter, it’s obvious there’s a special connection between canine and handler, but surprising to learn the bond wasn’t always so strong. When Duke came to live with Jeannie & Jim he was about one year old and had been staying at a Santa Maria animal shelter. According to the AKC, a typical Coonhound is even tempered with a confident air and fine hunting skills. Duke was aloof, paying little attention to his new owners, he had issues with some people – mostly men, and his hunting dog breed provided the unfortunate combination of a strong desire to do a job coupled with the poor judgment – absent of a job assigned – to pick tasks such as chewing furniture or digging up the yard.
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After one year together and various training classes, Jeannie & Jim and Duke were encouraged to start K9 Nose Work. The training was unlike any activity they had done before in that the dogs worked separate from each other in class, obedience skills were not a requisite, and the handler had to learn to trust in his or her dog, making the training as much for the human as for the canine. After a difficult beginning, K9 Nose Work turned out to be a perfect fit for Duke, providing him with a thoroughly engrossing task tapping into his natural instincts in a controlled environment, minimizing distractions from other dogs and people, all the while building his confidence. Jeannie & Jim shared Duke’s enthusiasm for K9 Nose Work, as well as his training responsibilities. Jeannie handles Duke in class and at matches and trials, and Jim attends class, matches and trials, and handles all of Duke’s at-home training, setting up hides in difficult spots like the inside of a coffee can. Both handlers have learned to trust their dog, and the K9 Nose Work experience has led to the formation of a new and deepening bond with Duke that has resulted in him showing Jeannie & Jim more affection, even sleeping on the bed with them. For Jeannie & Jim and Duke, the reward of training in K9 Nose Work in class, at a match or trial, or at home is equally meaningful, and it’s obvious Duke has come to enjoy time spent with his two most favorite humans.
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Since Duke started K9 Nose Work he and Jeannie & Jim have trained at all levels of class including the advanced class, they have competed in every match and trial, and have diligently trained outside of class, yet there are still challenges both old and new to overcome. As much as Duke loves K9 Nose Work, he still struggles occasionally when faced with other exciting job alternatives such as cataloging the contents of a trash can in a park, or urinating on irresistible critter smells. Duke’s random dislike of males, like an unfamiliar cameraman or judge at a trial has resurfaced once or twice to start him baying as if to say, “This guy is messing with my mojo.”
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More recently, Jeannie & Jim have been working with Duke to train an “alert”, a clear signal Duke gives to tell them he’s located the odor at its source. They would love to get a sit alert, but Duke is determined to delay that particular request. Instead, he offers up the “lab look”, where his ears come forward to resemble the look of a Labrador, and he looks his handler dead in the eye. Whether Duke truly struggles with aspects of his K9 Nose Work training with Jeannie & Jim, or he’s just deftly satisfying his every whim may never be known, but he’s always certain to refocus on the search, with his nose on the odor and an eye on his handler, and an open mouth awaiting his reward.
Duke and Jeannie & Jim will continue to work on their sit alert, and be ready at the next trial to compete to earn their Nose Work 1 title, but the most important achievement in K9 Nose Work is the strengthening of the canine-human bond, an achievement that is theirs to celebrate. K9 Nose Work has helped Duke find the confidence to start a new life, the desire to be a loving friend and companion to his humans, and the rewards of a job well done.
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