Nosework Training in the Lab, Hunters Heart, Training bombproof detection dogs, service dogs, and eager partners for dog sports, since 1999.

NEW Scent Dog Foundation Online Course Starts Aug. 1, 2018

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NEW Scent Dog Foundation Course – Class begins Aug. 1, 2018. From bed bugs to birds, from narcotics to nosework, Hunter’s Heart motivational scent training has helped hundreds of teams to reach their potential, since 1999. Learn the secrets to motivate your dog to love searching for odor, whatever your dog’s age or level. We’ll show you how, from fun foundation games …

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NEW Engagement Games Classes

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What makes your scent dog happy? Is he more interested in checking out distractions than working with you? In our new ENGAGEMENT FOR DOGSPORTS classes, we use games to transform naughty dogs into nice partners for dogsports. Everyone says you should “be the cookie”. We’ll show you how. You’ll learn: How to Build Engagement = …

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Sourcing, Residual Odor and Preventing False Alerts FAQ – Part 2

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In Part 1, I explained why your dog should be working to source in every search i.e. getting his nose as close as physically possible to the highest concentration of odor. Hopefully you took the sourcing tests and videoed yourself. In today’s blog, you’ll observe students working through sourcing exercises at class. RIZZI 0:2 The first …

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Sourcing, Residual Odor and Preventing False Alerts FAQ – Part 1

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Question: Carla, can you suggest training exercises to help work through dogs (false) alerting on trace or residual odour? I assume that for the most part it’s team inexperience but now that the sport of nosework is getting so popular facilities have multiple people placing hides and I’d like some pearls of your wisdom/experience to help …

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Only a few spots left! INTRODUCTION TO NOSEWORK class starts Wed. April 18 (Calgary)

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Using the same techniques we use for bed bug and narcotics detection dogs, we’ll motivate your pet dog to love searching for target odor. This video features Jager, a 6-month old Brittany Spaniel, searching for bed bug scent. The start line has containers full of food and the boxes contain distractions. He alerts on the hot …

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How to Train Your Dog to Sit at Scent – Part 2 Scent Puppy Foundation

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This video captures Jager’s first session training a sit indication for high hides at a hot indication box. Jager’s 6-month-old Brittany Spaniel and bed bug detection candidate. I began by experimenting to find a comfortable height where he can sit with front paws on the ground and press his nose to source. I was happy …

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How to Train a Freeze Indication Using Leash Pressure

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Many people ask how we train a freeze indication with focused attention. Once a dog is confidently and proficiently finding source, we use gentle leash pressure to teach the freeze with forward focus. When you pull back, the dog learns to firm up and freeze like a statue to stay at source. This is the …

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Amp Up the Fun! Hunter’s Heart Fall Nosework Seminars

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Interested in trying nosework? Join us for the most fun you’ve ever had with your dog. We’ll motivate your dog to love searching for odor at our hugely popular half day introduction to Scent Work. Learn how we’ve trained dogs of all ages, sizes, temperaments and abilities to become reliable scent dogs. No experience required. If your …

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Break Down Scent Work for Success from Day One

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Hunter’s Heart trains nosework by breaking it down into small achievable steps, setting teams up for success from day 1. Rewarding is crucial to motivating the dog to search for scent and having fun. We begin with a reward that the dog loves. Nosework training teaches the dog to search for the target odors, while …

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Nosework Lesson #1 is Motivation! Register now for Feb. 22 Classes

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Watch our students enjoying their motivational introduction to scent at their first nosework class. Our approach is to make target odor so rewarding it would be crazy to leave. Dogs understand the nonverbal language and cues we use, such as having them watch while we hide a bowl filled with high value food rewards. Our …

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Nosework Train Your Puppy to Search for Scent

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Watch a puppy’s first training session in “Nosework – How to Train your puppy for scent work”. This 8 week old Brittany Spaniel puppy from Hunter’s Heart Kennels is shown in his first scent training session in our nosework training lab. You can start nosework training with your pet as soon as he enjoys food …

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Preventing Mouthing, Biting and Retrieving in Nosework

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Many dogs love to retrieve, but in canine nosework, mouthing, biting and retrieving are problematic. Nosework is inspired by bomb detection training, where biting and retrieving are unsafe ways for a dog to indicate the presence of explosives. Accordingly, in nosework, “aggressive” behaviors such as biting, chewing, and digging …

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Photo of a Chihuahua puppy playing with a tennis ball

How Close is Close Enough?

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How close should your dog get to source? Will you know it when you see it? After your dog indicates and you call “alert”, the judge can ask “where is it”, so you should be prepared to answer (either with words or showing with gestures that don’t involve touching anything or contaminating source.) Current UKC Nosework …

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Fringe Alerts

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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 of a vehicle when the hide is actually on the front bumper and wind is blowing scent to the dog’s location. This …

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Differences Between Nostrils

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When a dog enters the scent cone and detects odor, how does he follow it back to its source? A dog’s sense of smell is so fine-tuned that he can distinguish which nostril is experiencing more odor at any given time. So when his left nostril smells more odor than the right, he will turn left. …

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How Scent Works: Scent Cones, Wind and Aging

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WHAT IS SCENT DETECTION? From the first domesticated dog, humans and dogs evolved together for a long time. Originally, dogs helped humans in tracking and hunting game. Depending on wind, dog can pickup scent plume 100 feet away and find the source (highest concentration of target odor). Group hunting was a selective advantage. Scent detection …

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Photo of a 1/4 inch cube of tuna fudge, the best noncrumbling nosework training reward

Recipe: Noncrumbling Tuna Fudge

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Every canine scent detection class I teach begins with a taste test of the available food rewards, because building drive depends on making it rewarding for each individual dog. When you offer a dog 2 – 3 high value food rewards, then select the one that dog prefers, he will be hugely motivated to succeed. …

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How to Reward

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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 box containing target odor) Reward at source (touching her hand to source to deliver the food) Repeat this sequence for 1-3 rewards, …

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The Trainer’s Role

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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 session with a taste test to find the treats your dog wants most today Tease your dog on the …

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The Dog’s Role

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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 possible. Be “obedient to odor”, rather than focussing on the handler to follow obedience commands Return to the food bowl …

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Photo of Joe Richardson and Rocky with intense focus on the start line of a container search at a Sniff Alberta UKC nosework match

The Handler’s Role

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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 comfortable in the new environment, he will appear more focussed and we’ll begin your searches. The instructor will begin by offering your dog …

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Rules and Etiquette

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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 having fun. No dog-dog interaction is ever allowed. We love to have fun, and dog fights, bites or scares are NOT fun. It’s your responsibility to control …

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Photo of a lovely Shepherd waiting for his turn to do a search

Preparing for Nosework Lessons

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Whenever you’ve scheduled a nosework lesson, it is critically important to bring a hungry dog with his highest value treats, (not the usual dry dog food dinner or kibble). Some favorites might include: rotisserie chicken, tuna brownies, heart, and cubed deli meat like bologna. If he loves a toy, bring it too, but we generally …

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Obedience to Odor

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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 obedient to his nose. He’s irresistibly drawn to the target odor and is highly motivated to get to source (the highest concentration of target odor). Dondi …

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Photo of nosework lab. The arrow is pointing at a hide in a nosework box.

Nosework Training in the Lab

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Hunter’s Heart scent detection training is inspired by Andrew Ramsey (renowned law enforcement canine detection trainer, who helped advise the United Kennel Club while creating its nosework program). We use the nosework lab to quickly and clearly teach the dog how to search systematically, and motivate the dog to love to find the target odor. The rewards …

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Scent Detection Terms in Scent Detection

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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..