K9 Nose Work®

K9 Nose Work logo

Welcome to the exciting world of Nose Work! The sport of K9 Nose Work® was developed to give our companion and sporting dogs an outlet for their natural hunting and scenting abilities. No special training is needed making nose work perfectly suited to any age and breed of dog from Shih-tzu’s to Saint Bernards. All dogs have a fantastic olfactory organ and the capacity to sniff out hidden rewards. The focus of nose work is to be fun both for the dog and for his handler. While it is based on the foundational techniques of detection, this program is strictly about fun and games. Classes are 60 minutes in length and will be taught by two qualified instructors who are both Certified Professional Trainers and Associate Nose Work Instructors. Please note that classes are structured so that dogs work one at a time in the search area. To accomplish this and to allow you to observe the other dogs in class, it is helpful but not required to crate your dog during class.

Introduction to K9 Nose Work®

This class introduces the concept of the game, builds handler observation skills, timing and gets the dogs focused. We will focus on dogs finding food or toys to build their hunting drive as well as the handlers skill. This Introduction class gives Handlers and dogs a good foundation to build on.

Introduction to K9 Nose Work® 2

Building a great foundation is the key to success in dog training and dog sports. This class takes the foundation skills developed in the Introduction to K9 Nose Work® class, and helps you improve your observation skills, handling and team work with your dog, strengthens your dog’s drive to hunt for food, and begins exposing your dog to different environments such as vehicles and small exterior areas. We continue to work with your dog’s primary motivator and work all four elements – interiors, exteriors, vehicles and containers.

Introduction to K9 Nose Work® with Odor

This class introduces the odors used in K9 Nose Work®. This class will get the handler more involved and will hone the handler’s ability to read their dog. Dogs will be introduced to birch odor to begin developing their scent discrimination skills. Dogs may work both inside and out. Introduction to K9 Nose Work® is a prerequisite for this class.

Continuing K9 Nose Work®

This class is for dogs and handlers will combine various skill levels. Intro to odors is a prerequisite though some dogs maybe on more then one odor. This class is frequently repeated two or three times until both dog and are fluent in the search. This class builds dogs and handlers to take their Odor Recognition Test ORT.

Click on the noses to sign up for K9 Nose Work® classes!
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