NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CANINE SCENT WORK ®
2023 Skills Achievement Challenge #1 Details
Challenge Name: 2023 Skills Achievement Challenge #1
Start Date: 02/01/2023
To access the entry form and submit your entry for the 2023 Skills Achievement Challenge #1 you must be logged in to your NACSW Member account.
If you are not a member you may Register Here.
Please carefully review the Skill details below before submitting your Entry Form
Start Date: 02/01/2023
To access the entry form and submit your entry for the 2023 Skills Achievement Challenge #1 you must be logged in to your NACSW Member account.
If you are not a member you may Register Here.
Please carefully review the Skill details below before submitting your Entry Form
| 1. | Elevated Containers |
| Description Time Limit: 2:30 min The purpose of this challenge is to demonstrate that the dog understands and can work containers elevated off of the ground. Preferred off-leash but may be run on leash with no assistance from the handler.
Hide Parameters: Containers will be placed on objects that are elevated between a minimum of 16 inches and a maximum of 20 inches. Containers should be laid out in a U shape.
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| Time Limit: 2.5 minute(s) | |
| Submission 1) Photo, diagram, or video of the hide locations 2) Link to video including audio of the search. Please refer to the Submission Guidelines located here for general submission details and requirements. | |
| Judging Judging: For multiple hide searches, the dog may communicate on an already located hide one time during the search and still pass. Additional repeated communications on an already located hide will not be passed. The handler may move in support of the dog’s behavior/movement but should not lead the dog to new or productive areas. | |
| Level 1 (10 points) Level 1: One Hide - Six containers elevated on objects in a U shape. Hide one in box number three. Diagram:
Level 1 Video Examples:
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| Level 2 (20 points) Level 2: Two Hides - Eight containers elevated on objects in a U shape. Hide one placed in box number three and hide two placed in box number seven. Diagram:
Level 2 Video Examples:
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| Level 3 (30 points) Level 3: Three Hides - Ten containers elevated on objects in a U shape. Hide one placed in box number two, hide two placed in box number six and hide three placed in box number ten. Diagram:
Level 3 Video Examples:
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| 2. | Multiple Hides |
| Description Time limit: 2:30 min The purpose of this challenge is to show that the dog can move on from hides to find other hides without repeated communication. Preferred off-leash but may be run on leash with no assistance from the handler. Hide Parameters: Hides at all levels should be sourceable and may or may not be visible to the dog. The hides should be set in an area that has multiple hide location options. For example: a room in your home, the storage area at a training facility, an outdoor area with bushes and trees or picnic tables. It should not be a few isolated objects in the middle of an empty space. Space between hides should be relatively open to allow for converging odor. If there are objects in between the hides, they should not be large and solid. For example: a coffee table in the middle of the space would be fine, a full size car would not be OK. | |
| Time Limit: 2.5 minute(s) | |
| Submission 1) Photo, diagram or video of hide locations. 2) Link to video including audio of the search. Please refer to the Submission Guidelines located here for general submission details and requirements. | |
| Judging Judging: The dog may communicate on an already located hide one time during the search and still pass. Additional repeated communications on already located hides will not be passed. The handler may move in support of the dog’s behavior/movement but should not lead the dog to new or productive areas. The handler may move through the search area with the dog, but the dog should be leading the search and not need undue influence from the handler to move on to the next hide. The handler may take a step away from the hide, but should not need to physically move or lure the dog a significant distance to get the dog to move on. The handler may reward after each find (and the one allowed “refind”) and cue to resume searching. The handler may reorient the dog after each find. The handler should not appear to “assist” the dog in locating the hides through presentation, direct body positioning in proximity to the hide, or repeatedly prompting the dog to continue searching. Handlers should also not need to use body blocking to prevent a dog from returning to a hide. | |
| Level 1 (10 points) Level 1: Set 3 hides in a Triangle. Recommended no higher than nose height relative to dog’s height. The distance between Hide 1 and Hide 2 should be no more than 15 feet. The distance between Hide 2 and Hide 3 should be no more than 15 feet. Hides may be found in any order. Diagram:
Level 1 Video Examples:
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| Level 2 (20 points) Level 2: Set 3 hides in a Triangle. Recommended no higher than nose height relative to dog’s height. The distance between Hide 1 and Hide 2 should be no more than 15 feet. The distance between Hide 2 and Hide 3 should be no more than 10 feet. The distance between Hide 1 and Hide 3 should be no more than 10 feet. Hides may be found in any order. Diagram:
Level 2 Video Examples:
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| Level 3 (30 points) Level 3: Set 3 hides in a Triangle. The distance between Hide 1 and Hide 2 should be no more than 12 feet. The distance between Hide 2 and Hide 3 should be no more than 8 feet. The distance between Hide 1 and Hide 3 should be no more than 8 feet. Hides may be found in any order. Diagram:
Level 3 Video Examples:
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| 3. | Ground HIde - Exterior |
| Description The purpose of this challenge is to show that the dog can identify the location of a hide in or at ground level without handler assistance or alerting on nearby objects. Preferred off-leash but may be run on leash with no assistance from the handler. Hide Parameters:
Search Area Parameters:
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| Time Limit: 2 minute(s) | |
| Submission 1) Photo, diagram or video of hide locations. 2) Link to video including audio of the search. Please refer to the Submission Guidelines located here for general submission details and requirements. | |
| Judging Judging: The dog may work odor off nearby objects but should source the hide at ground level and not on nearby objects. The handler may move in support of the dog’s behavior/movement, but should not lead the dog to new or productive areas. Any excessive digging at source will not be passed. | |
| Level 1 (10 points) Hide should be set in crack or at ground level of an open area and should be a minimum of 10 feet from the start line. Objects may be no closer than 10 feet from hide placement. Level 1 Video Examples:
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| Level 2 (20 points) Hide should be set in a crack or at ground level of an open area and should be a minimum of 15 feet from the start line. Objects may be no closer than 15 feet from hide placement. Level 2 Video Examples:
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| Level 3 (30 points) Hide should be set in a crack or at ground level of an open area and should be a minimum of 20 feet from the start line. Objects may be no closer than 20 feet from hide placement. Level 3 Video Examples:
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| 4. | One Pass Search |
| Description The purpose of this challenge is to evaluate the dog’s ability to efficiently and methodically work a search. Dogs should find hides in order as they encounter them without passing a hide. Preferred off-leash but may be run on leash with no assistance from the handler. Hide Parameters: Hides at all levels should be sourceable and may or may not be visible to the dog. Hides may not be placed in containers such as boxes but instead may be on chairs, stools, or other items. You may use a variety of objects for this search. | |
| Time Limit: 2 minute(s) | |
| Submission 1) Photo, diagram or video of hide locations. 2) Link to video including audio of the search. Please refer to the Submission Guidelines located here for general submission details and requirements. | |
| Judging Judging: The handler may cue the dog at the start of the search and may move with the dog. They may also cue the dog to resume searching after each find and may reward each find. The handler should not give any additional cues (physical or verbal) during the search. The dog may briefly leave the hide area, but should return to the search promptly and should resume where they left off. A dog may pass a hide and return to it as long as they do not pass by or communicate on the next hide in the line. The handler may move in support of the dog’s behavior/movement but should not lead the dog to new or productive areas. | |
| Level 1 (10 points) Using objects (chairs, etc) place 8 objects in a line spaced 2 feet apart. The start line should be 2 to 4 feet from the first object. Place 2 hides - one on object 3 and one on object 6. Diagram:
Level 1 Video Examples:
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| Level 2 (20 points) Using objects (chairs, etc) place 8 objects in a line spaced 2 feet apart. The start line should be 2 to 4 feet from the first object. Place 3 hides - one on object 2, one on object 5 and one on object 7. Diagram:
Level 2 Video Examples:
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| Level 3 (30 points) Using objects (chairs, etc) place 8 objects in a line spaced 2 feet apart. Start line should be 2 to 4 feet from the first hide. Place four hides - one on object 1, one on object 4, one on object 6 and one on object 8 Diagram:
Level 3 Video Examples:
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