Scent Detection (Scent Work)
Scent Detection is a dog activity that is becoming increasingly popular. No prior experience is necessary and you can do if for fun or if you get really into it, you can complete at Scent Trials too.
I am a UK Sniffer Dog Gold Instructor and also a Scentwork UK Level 1-3 Instructor and an Engima Canine Trusted Instructor. All organisations do things slightly differently and my aim is brint the best of all of them to you so you can have fun with your dog but also be able to take part in UK Sniffer Dog and UK Scentwork trials if you want to. You will be amazed at how clever your dog is.
Did you know that your dog has up to 300 million olfactory receptors compared to your 6 million and the part of the dog brain that is responsible for interpreting odours is 40 times larger than ours! This allows dogs to take sniffing to a completely new level.
Scent work provides a way for your dog to use their scenting skill, which mentally stimulates them, and while sniffing they are releasing happy chemicals that relax and can help calm a dog. I also teach Mantrailing, which is another scent-related activity where your dog is trained to find people using their scent.
Scent work is often good for building confidence in anxious and reactive dogs and calming over-excitable dogs helping them to overcome behaviour issues.
The best thing ever is that you work as a team and thus it builds a really strong relationship between you and your dog.
What is Scent Detection all about?
Scent work is all about your dog using its nose to find a particular odour. You will be most familiar with working dogs that do this as a job such as Police Dogs, Army Dogs and Dogs that work for Customs at Airports. They are used to detect bombs, drugs, human remains, and explosives. Dogs can now also be used to detect illnesses such as cancer or when sugar levels are getting to high or low in diabetics!
With pet dog scent work the dogs are trained to indicate on specific odours. We are obviously not going to be looking for the same things as the working dogs so commonly used odours are Kong, Clove, Gun oli & Truffle Oil but there are many more.
The dog is taught to seek out the odour and indicate (usually a freeze or a sit or down behaviour near the odour) in lots of different situations and environments.
At the trial level, you are given various specific tasks and told how many odours are to be located and how long you have to find them. The searches become progressively more difficult as you progress through the different levels.
UK Sniffer dogs has three Levels at present Bronze, Silver and Gold, once you have passed the courses you can complete in Trials at the level you have reached.
Scentwork UK currently has ten levels they are numbered Level 1 through to Level 10
There is no requirement to compete, you can just do scent work for fun and it is an activity you can practice on your own at home with your dog to give them fun and mental stimulation.
How Do I Get Started?
I am offering the following classes. The classes are progressive. You must have completed the Introduction class prior to starting the Bronze Level Classes. The UK Sniffer Dogs Classes must taken in order. ie Bronze Series 1 &,2 before you can participate in the Follow on classes or the Silver or Gold Classes. If you are unsure or you have done scent work before and want to know where to start then please contact me.
- Beginners Scent Detection - Covering the Desire to search, search games to improve drive/desire and stamina for searching and Getting started with Indiction Training plus UK Sniffer Dog Bronze Series 1 & Series 2 (5 Weeks at 1.5 hrs per session, only 5 dogs per session)
- Follow on Classes covering Bronze Level Continuation and Scentwork UK Level 1 (1-1.5hr sessions where we will continue working on building a solid indication and searching different things and environments)
- UK Sniffer Dog Silver Series 1 & Series 2 (4 Weelks at 1.5 hrs per session only 5 dogs per session)
- Follow on Classes covering Bronze and Silver Level and Scentwork UK Levels 1 & 2
- UK Sniffer Dog Gold Series 1 & Series 2 (4 Weelks at 1.5 hrs per session only 5 dogs per session)
Classes will be run as either Workshops or Weekly Courses.
Venues will either be an outside location at my field near Garford, Oxfordshire or Letcombe Regis Sports and Social Club.
Available Classes
New Beginner Classes are starting on Tuesday 30th, 5 fortnightly sessions of 1hr 15mins per session with a limit of 4 dogs. Wednesdays, starting the 24th of January, these sessions will be weekly. Limited places are available. Sessions will be held at West Challow Village Hall.
Next Dates will be released soon. If you would like to go on the waiting list then please contact me using the Contact Button.Contact
