As everyone is aware, dogs have incredibly sensitive noses.  Even dogs that are not traditional "scent dogs" have a far more amazing nose than any mere human. Every dog has the natural instinct to use its nose. My Malinois gets in all sorts of trouble with his nose! All dogs enjoy sniffing out different odors when they go for a walk or run in a field.

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There is a relatively new dog sport called Scent Work or Nose Work. This sport was inspired by professional search and rescue training. Scent work enables your dog to use their natural hunting drive and sensitive nose in a constructive, rewarding way. It begins with looking for a treat or toy hidden in a box and over time we work up to searching entire rooms, exterior areas and scent buried in sand or water. 

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The advantage of taking a class that works with the nose is that virtually any dog can do it even if they are unable to do other dog activities due to age, physical limitations, lack of obedience, fear, or reactivity issues. It gives a good mental workout to the older dog that cannot do a lot physically. It can give a fearful dog confidence to explore the world. Dog-reactive dogs get to be in a class situation and be positively rewarded in the vicinity of other dogs. The dogs do not interact in class as only one dog goes at a time.

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In class, the first step will be to build the dog's desire to hunt.  We positively reinforce their behavior as we learn to read the dog's behavior and their communication signals. Next, we add different settings and change where the treat will be.  As the dog's confidence grows, we start using an essential oil as the target to search for. Once they are searching well with that scent, we add more scents for them to learn.  As the training advances, the search scenarios will increase in difficulty.

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This is an 6 week course. 

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