Description
This is a 6 week short course, suitable for all ages and breeds of dog, introducing you to the world of detection style scent work. You may have seen the dogs at the airport who indicate to their handler when the person is carrying drugs, or when there is a large amount of cash in a bag. This is what we are going to be teaching your dog (although it wont be drugs / cash they are indicating on!) . You will be using the scents of Kong, cloves, gun oil and truffle oil.
Scent work UK ( Welcome to Scentwork UK — scentworkUK.com ) organises nationwide scent work trials where you can compete with other handlers and work through the levels. Alternatively you may choose to use your new skills to tire out your dog in the kitchen on a wet day. I compete in trials with my 7 year old Dalmatian. My 15 year old autistic daughter has just taken up the sport with her 4 year old chihuahua, and my old dog loves scent games in the kitchen when she doesn’t feel up for a walk. It really is suitable for everyone.
On each course there is a maximum of 4 dogs to allow for plenty of help when you need it. You will also get access to a series of online training videos to make it easier to practice the exercises at home.
Week 1 of the course you attend without your dog. Scent is very difficult for humans to comprehend as our noses are far inferior to our dogs. In this first session you will learn how scent moves, mixes and interacts with the environment through a series of practical activities. This knowledge is essential when training your dog to detect specific odours.
Week 2 we will be teaching your dog how to search. Whilst you might assume this is a natural skill for dogs, it can be harder than you think. You also need to learn how to be the perfect assistant to help, rather than hinder, your dogs search.
Week 3 you will teach your dog how to tell you that they have found the specific odour that we are looking for. For this we will be teaching the dogs to ‘freeze’ by standing completely still with their nose close to the source of the scent.
Week 4 we will be adding in the scent of Kong, and teaching the dogs to freeze when they find the tiny hidden pieces. Can your dog find the scent hidden on the exterior of a vehicle, in a bag and on a chair?
Once you have completed the 6 week introduction course you can attend the scent work classes and workshops. It is essential you attend all 6 weeks as each covers a different topic.
