NACSW NW3 - Elkton, Florida

Julia tried for another NACSW NW3 Title in Elkton, Florida on November 9th. Unfortunately, no NW3 Title this time around. She did get her NW3 Element Title for containers though. That was pretty cool.

She found 10 of 10 hides (pronounced in exterior) on the day and did an excellent job. Me on the other hand, not so much. During the vehicle search, I froze after a head turn and crowded her a bit which caused a false alert. With that bonehead move, it eliminated us from contention. One more blank vehicle and we would have had it. There’s no woulda, coulda, shoulda though. This truly is a team sport. She gave it her all and I couldn't have asked for more.

We had a blast and it was great to spend a special long weekend with my dog, see old friends, and meet new ones. Huge shout-out to the hosting club, judges, volunteers and other competitors.

Below are videos of each search of this trial. After watching the videos, I know that I should have trusted Julia more. She caught everything on the first pass but yet I was compelled to go back and double-check. I feel videos of searches whether in practice or in competition are important. I learn so much as hard as some are to watch in hindsight. (BTW, exterior video is cropped tight on the right and doesn’t show Julia alert on the hide after the start but she got it).

julia-nacsw-nosework-trials-elkton-florida.jpg

Julia Completes Her AKC Scent Work Excellent Container Title & Advanced Buried Title

Julia and I attended the AKC Scent Work Trials at the Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg on Saturday. She completed her Excellent Container Title placing 1st and her Advanced Buried Title placing 3rd. This girl never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks to the hosting club, judges, volunteers and other competitors. Super fun time!

Special thanks to Kim Langevin at Crystal Creek Designs for the action photos.

Intentional Camera Movement Photography - Revisited

Back in 2016, I started experimenting with intentional camera movement photography or ICM. You can read the original post here. I wanted to briefly revisit the subject and share a few of my favorite new images.

As I mentioned in my first blog post, the idea of intentional camera movement photography is to introduce blur into the photograph using a slow shutter speed. Shutter speed should be somewhere between 1/4 of a second up to a few seconds while moving the camera vertically or horizontally. This technique can create some wonderful abstract photos.

Tip - When pressing the shutter button, move the camera slow for a shot and then try it faster. Results vary tremendously, so experiment, try different shutter speeds, and move the camera at a slower or quicker motion. This is a total trial and error process. Have fun!

Now more than ever, I find intentional camera movement photography a super-fun way to try new things with no rules. Most times, multiple images are required to achieve “the shot” that I’m looking for, but it’s all worth it.

California Pacific Ocean Abstract - 2.4 seconds at F10

Florida Seascape Abstract - 0.5 seconds at F36

Julia Completes Her AKC Scent Work Advanced Interior Title

Julia and I had a fun weekend attending the AKC Scent Work Trials hosted by the Obedience Club of Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida. The weekend consisted of four nose work trials over two days.

We competed in Advanced Interiors, Advanced Buried and Excellent Containers. Over the two days of trials Julia completed her Advanced Interior Title. She was two for two in Advanced Interiors, two for two in Advanced Buried and two of four in Excellent Containers taking 4th place in one of the container searches.

Below is a video that a friend took of our first Advanced Buried run. Julia seemed to take her time in finding the hides but perhaps she was just being thorough.☺In the end she cleared the area before time expired and that’s what counts. I am super proud of my girl. I was quite surprised by the spectators reaction when I called finish. Such a fun sport.



Julia Earns Her USCSS Detection Dog Classic Novice Title

Fun weekend at our first United States Canine Scent Sports trial in Cocoa Beach, Florida hosted by the Canine Star Training Academy.

Over the weekend Julia achieved her Detection Dog Classic Novice Title and her Novice Exterior Element Title. DDN Classic Title results for Julia were - 1st place containers, 1st place exterior, 3rd place vehicles and 4th place interior.

Saturday didn't go as planned but we regrouped and worked it again on Sunday. No matter what venue, location or level, there's always something to learn.

Thanks to the hosting facility of Canine Star Training Academy, Judge Marilyn Hulme, Chief Search Designer Natalie Duberow, all the volunteers and other competitors. (Seemed like it was only raining in Cocoa Beach over the weekend huh?)