What’s Next? (FAQ)

August 11, 2016

Question: As we progress with scent training what is the plan you might envision to keep pushing the puppies. I wasn’t sure how this all works as time goes on I do [...]

Nosework Safety

May 15, 2016

Photo of a Dachshund with his nose in a wire fence
Have you seen a dog get his head stuck in a nosework box? If you watch a few pre-trial or container searches, you’ll observe that many dogs do. While that’s not [...]

Why Scent Travels

April 6, 2016

Photo of Smarties candies sorted by color
Why does scent disperse, instead of just staying inside the hide? It’s a law of nature. Scent spreads out. Read on if you want to learn more about the science behind scent [...]

Fringe Alerts

April 5, 2016

A fringe alert occurs when the dog indicates close to the target odor, in the odor plume, but not at source. For example, the dog indicates by lying down on the driver side [...]

Storing Scent

February 4, 2016

Photo of hide in nosework box, nosework kit and essential oils stored in tackle box
Storing your scent properly is important to your success in nosework. You always want to know where odor is, and where it isn’t. Here are some key tips. One of the [...]

How to Reward

February 2, 2016

In the scent detection lab, these are the steps the trainer will take to reward your dog: Say “Yes” or click the instant dog’s nose touches the food bowl (or hole in [...]

The Trainer’s Role

February 2, 2016

At first, your dog will learn to search for food in a food bowl. The cues to searching are the lab setup and the handler bangs the bowl on the floor. Your trainer will: Start [...]

The Dog’s Role

February 2, 2016

Photo of box #1 of a container search
In the nosework lab, the dog’s job is to search the area and find the food bowl and/or target odor. He should: Put his nose as close to the food bowl and/or target odor as [...]

The Handler’s Role

February 2, 2016

Photo of Joe Richardson and Rocky with intense focus on the start line of a container search at a Sniff Alberta UKC nosework match
When you take lessons in the scent detection lab, you are the handler and the instructor is the trainer. This blog focusses on the role of the handler. Once your dog is [...]

Rules and Etiquette

February 2, 2016

There are some rules we follow in our scent work events, classes and competitions, so searches run smoothly, and all participants have the greatest chance of succeeding and [...]

Obedience to Odor

February 2, 2016

Photo Brittany Spaniel puppy Saddle demonstrating drive and motivation, the basis of obedience to odor
Our scent detection training is based on obedience to odor. That might sound pretty scary, but it’s all based on rewarding your dog. A dog that’s obedient to odor is [...]

Scent Detection Terms in Scent Detection

February 1, 2016

A "hide" is the package of target odor inside a ventilated container that is hidden in the search are for the dog to find. The photo shows a very common type of hide, made from blotting paper scented with target odor inside a metal tin with magnets, which easily secure the hide to a metal surface. Other favorite hide containers include metal tins with holes, shipping labels, plastic tubes, etc.. [...]

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