K9 Nose Work

Tired of your dog sniffing around in things he shouldn’t be like the trash and the laundry? Are you looking for a new sport to compete in? Then give your dog an outlet for his natural ability to sniff out interesting things! Enroll in K9 Nose Work.

By nature dogs have been given an amazing sense of smell and a desire to hunt.  This sport, inspired by working K9 detection dogs, is designed to help hone those natural instincts that your dog has been given to use his nose and hunt. This class is good for dogs of all ages, breeds, sizes, fitness levels, handicaps and personality types. There are four elements in K9 Nose Work that you and your dog will learn to work: containers, interiors, exteriors and vehicles.

There are many benefits to enrolling your dog in this sport. Some of these benefits include confidence building, independence building, focus, good physical and mental health and a better relationship with your dog. This is all done by using what naturally motivates your dog, his toys, food and of course interacting with you! All of these things added together equal a ton of fun for both you and your dog, all while burning off physical and mental energy!

For more information please check out K9 Nose Work at www.K9nosework.com and the National Association of Canine Scent Work at www.nacsw.net.

Dogs that participate in this class should meet the following requirements:

  •  Be able to sit quietly in a crate*,ex-pen or car (weather permitting) while away from their handler
  •  Be highly motivated by toys or food
  •  Not human aggressive
  • Dog reactivity is ok, please contact me to further discuss this
  • For group classes all dogs must be up to date on all vaccinations

* need help with crate training? We offer a crate games workshop

What to bring to Class:

  • A crate
  • A flat buckle collar or harness (no choke chains, prong collars or electric collars are allowed)
  • A 6 foot leash
  • High value treats  (ex. Bacon, hot dogs, ham, salmon, etc) or your dogs favorite toy

Class Goals:

  • Further develop your dog’s natural ability to use his nose and increase his drive to hunt.
  • Learn how to read your dog’s and other dog’s body language, so that you know when you dog has found the hide
  • Have fun with your dog
  • Much, much more!

                    

K9 Nose WorkClasses:

K9 Nose Work 1: Intro to Search

This is the first level of K9 Nose Work. In this class we will focus on building the dog’s drive to hunt and further develop their natural ability to scent by using their love of food, toys and exercise! Dogs will also learn how to work  independently from their handlers. Handlers will learn how to read their dog’s body language.

 

K9 Nose Work 2: Intro to Odor

This is the second level of K9 Nose Work. In this class we will focus on further developing the dog’s scent discernment skills by introducing odor (a natural essential oil), as well as teach the dog how to alert to the handler precisely where the hide located. We will continue to work on increasing the dogs drive to hunt and continue to hone their scenting ability.  Handlers will continue to learn to better red their dog’s body language as well learn proper leash handling skills

K9 Nose Work 3: Continuing Nose Work

This is the last level of K9 Nose Work™. In this class all dog’s are able to work independently from their handler and are able to correctly identify odor and communicate it to their handler.  The aim of this class is to continue to develop the lines of communication between the dog and handler team as well as learn techniques and tactics to help build a better team.  All teams will continue to practice on all four elements: containers, interiors, exteriors and vehicles.

ORT Prep Class

So you have decided that you might want to compete with your dog in K9 Nose Work. Let me help you prepare for your Odor Recognition Test (ORT). In order to be able to trial you must first pass this test. There are three odors your dog must learn, Birch, Anise and Clove.  In K9 Nose Work there are three levels of trials, NW1, NW2 and NW3. In order to compete in an NW1 trial your dog must pass a Birch  ORT. To compete in an NW2 trial your dog must pass both a Birch and Anise ORT. Finally to compete in an NW3 trial your dog must pass a Birch, Anise and Clove ORT. It is your choice as to whether or not your would like to train on all three odors at once or not. The test will consist of 12 boxes all of the same size and color and will be done with your dog on leash. The boxes will be set in some sort of pattern and you will have 3 minutes to correctly locate the odor and call “ALERT” to the judge.  I will help you prep for this.

In this class we will focus on:

  •  Team (dog and handler) communication
  •  Trusting the dog to search for and acknowledge odor
  •  Confidence in the handler to correctly read their dog’s body language and call “ALERT” to the judge
  •   Rewarding the dog at source
  •   Improving leash skills that are necessary for a container search