Canine Nosework (Scentwork)
Fascinating fact: Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog.
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In so many dog sports the handler is in control but this isn’t true in Scent Work. Neither the dog nor handler knows where the target odor is hidden. The handler has to rely on the dog, and follow the dog’s nose to success. In Scent Work, it is the canine who is the star of the show.
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In this 6 week Intro to Scentwork class, we will be working with the dogs to build their knowledge of the "search"cue and their drive for searching, using their favorite motivators such as food or toys.
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After this Intro class, the dogs will have a strong foundation for all dog scentwork events such as shed hunting, barnhunt, trailing and locating, foraging or competition nosework events. Or, you can just continue to play this fun "find it" game with your dog at home!
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This is the perfect class for puppies, as it requires them to use 90% of their brains when they use their noses to search, so it tires them out - like taking them for a long hike or playing fetch for an hour!!
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This is also the perfect class for reactive dogs as there is only one dog in the building at a time searching, so they do not have to interact with other dogs and can focus solely on the search!
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Also the perfect class for the older, disabled or inactive dog as it requires 90% of their brains when they use their noses to search, so it keeps their cognitive functions sharp and gives them a purpose without requiring alot of physical exertion or fitness!