One frequently asked question I get is "I want to do _________ (insert dog sport here) but will it mess up my nosework?"
The quick answer is NO, doing tracking/barn hunt/Utility/NASDA*/shed hunting**/etc is not going to mess up your nosework. In fact, I'm pretty sure that doing multiple scent sports enhances skills for ALL the scent sports.
"But will my dog get confused and look for rats at a nosework trial?" No, probably not, because a Barn Hunt trial ring looks and smells completely different from a nosework search area (although I did a trial at a school once that had a rat cage in the science room). A tracking test field looks and smells different from a Utility ring. Visual context is important - straw bales or a lineup of vehicles, but I think dogs can smell what sport they are playing when they arrive at a trial or test. Or they quickly figure it out.
During July and August, my dogs take a little break from sport detection. There are no nosework trials, so it's a great time to do some cross-training. This year, I played around with beginning tracking. Antler shed hunting is another great energy-burner. For more ideas, check out "A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell" by Anne Lill Kvam. Train your detection dog to find your lost keys!
*NASDA - North American Sport Dog Association https://nasda.dog/
**North American Shed Hunting Dog Association https://www.sheddogtrainer.com/
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