About Nose Work
Does your dog live to sniff? Then they’ll love following their nose for this fun scenting and hunting activity inspired by the training programs of working detection dogs. It’s easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and helps build confidence and focus while providing mental stimulation and physical exercise for your dog.
The game starts with searching cardboard boxes, then ramps up the challenge to encompass entire rooms, outdoor areas and even the exterior of vehicles. As you and your dog gain search experience, we introduce target odors and teach competition skills.
Nose Work Classes
Nose work classes are offered in a group format—but dogs can work from their crates or your car so only one dog is active at a time. All classes are held at the Pet Behavior Help Training Center.
Beginning Nose Work
This class introduces the foundational skills of the game, such as handler observation and timing, and establishes search intensity by the dog. We also cover the concepts of odor hygiene, classical conditioning and why self-reward is so important to this type of activity.
This class gives the handler the skills to begin to interpret their dog’s search behavior as they explore the invisible world of scent around them.
Prerequisites: Dogs must be able to crate outside of the car quietly; handlers must bring a portable crate to class each week. In nose work, only one dog works at a time, which allows the participation of dogs who may not be comfortable being in close proximity to other dogs. However, dogs should be able to work with people nearby without exhibiting aggression or resource guarding behavior.
Note: Since identifying and interpreting search behavior is essential to building teamwork with your dog, handlers should plan to spend class time observing the other dogs working. Handlers should also plan to be the sole handler during the entire session of six classes, since each one builds on the previous class.