Hunter’s Heart, Hunter's Heart, Canada, Scent Detection, Training Sniffer Dogs Since 1999

Back by Popular Demand! Motivating Indications Free Webinar | Hunter’s Heart

May 11, 2021

Back by Popular Demand! Motivating Indications Free Webinar | Does your sniffer dog know what to do after they locate scent? Are they focussed with rapt attention? Or are you anxious or frustrated about what might happen after the moment of truth, like digging, mouthing, barking, leaving or quitting altogether? Learn the secrets of motivating indications at our FREE webinar. [...]

Demystifying Indications Free Webinar on Sun. Nov. 15, 2020 | Hunter’s Heart

November 14, 2020

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 6:00 PM MST Registration is now open at: https://scentdetection.huntersheart.com/pl/239367/ Here’s what we’ll cover at the webinar: [...]

Sniffer Dog Cam – 50% OFF STAY AT HOME SALE Ends April 19, 2020

April 18, 2020

Here’s what Domino has to say about the 7-Day Scent Challenge. Register for our new 7-Day Scent Challenge to learn how to introduce your dog to a new scent in just 7 [...]

Dinner Do’s and Don’ts for Sniffer Dogs

March 6, 2020

When you have a dog, you’ll be feeding them dinner, but hopefully not always in a bowl. Try turning dinner into a feast for the senses, like finding scattered food on your [...]

2 Flash Scholarships – Today Only

January 5, 2020

It’s your last chance to learn the basics of scent in our new Scent Detection – Imprinting Target Odor for Beginners online course. Class starts tomorrow (Jan. 6, [...]

Scent Theory: How Scent Cones Move

December 26, 2019

Scent is a moving target, carried and distorted by the wind. As a handler, one of the most challenging parts of your job is figuring out how to help your sniffer dog get to [...]

Give the Gift of Sniff

December 22, 2019

Have a dog that loves to sniff or needs a job to do? Curious about how dogs can detect everything from bed bugs to cancer? Learn the basics of scent in our new Scent [...]

Protected: Verona Scent Detection Seminar March 2019

February 17, 2019

There is no excerpt because this is a protected [...]

Top Dog Toys of 2018 – Help Your Dog Relax, Chew and Be Quiet

September 19, 2018

We recently packed up 7 dogs for a 4000 km road trip, and brought and 7 StarMark Everlasting Fun Balls to help the dogs relax. All of the balls made it home, unlike several [...]

Hide and Go Seek Foundation Training for Scent Detection Dogs

September 16, 2018

Hide and go seek is one of our favorite foundation games to play with young scent dogs. When the dog finds you, it’s very important to give multiple rewards to keep the [...]

How to Build Drive Chasing a Ball on a Rope

September 13, 2018

One great way to build toy drive is chasing a ball on a rope. Softer toys with squeakers grab attention from most of our students. Even if they haven’t been interested [...]

Scent Detection Rats Making a Difference

August 20, 2018

Giant Rats are saving lives by sniffing out TNT in unexploded landmines as featured in National Geographic’s video of detector rats on the job in Cambodia(6). While [...]

Early Neutering May Affect Cognitive Function, Cancers and Joint Disorders

August 15, 2018

Puppy owners deciding when to neuter may find it interesting to learn more about the long-term health effects. One study compared Golden and Labrador Retrievers with spay [...]

Protected: Scent Dog Foundation STUDENTS ONLY

July 30, 2018

There is no excerpt because this is a protected [...]

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

July 24, 2018

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 [...]

Jager Selected for CBSA Narcotics/Firearm Detection Training

July 18, 2018

Our Brittany Jager has been selected by Canadian Border Services Agency for its narcotics and firearms detection training program. Hunters Heart Jager Cimex, our 9-month old [...]

Building the Brains of Scent Detection Puppies with Early Scent Introduction

June 16, 2018

Starting at 3 days of age, we introduce scents of our litters of puppies, and follow the Biosensor (Early Neurological Stimulation) program (1) daily and introduce a new [...]

NEW Engagement Games Classes

June 14, 2018

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 [...]

How to Remove Ticks to Lessen Blood Meals with Associated Disease Transmission

May 31, 2018

Ticks are one pest you and your dog can pickup during outdoor activities, which carries a risk of disease transmission. This fascinating macro video of ticks attaching to [...]

Nosework Makes Us Smile – Join the Fun at our Calgary Classes

May 15, 2018

Nosework Makes Us Smile – Join the Fun at our Calgary Classes starting May 30 at Kayenna Kennels, Calgary. Level 1 – Motivate your dog to love searching for scent. [...]

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

May 13, 2018

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. [...]

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

May 7, 2018

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 [...]

Chasing the Flirt Pole and High Intensity Interval Training for Dogs

May 6, 2018

Are you the time crunched owner of a dog with energy to burn? The flirt pole can harness a dog’s natural instinctive drive to chase prey. This fun, efficient, high [...]

Treasure Hunt at Saturday Match (Calgary)

April 26, 2018

Thanks Calgary Disc Club for a fun nosework match this weekend! The updated Treasure Map is attached FYI. You’re welcome to sniff out the hidden jewels until May 6 [...]

Blocking and Advanced Proofing with Barriers

April 25, 2018

A student recently described how her dog found most of the hides in SDDA Excellent competition, but had a fringe alert. Did she call alert too soon or block her dog’s [...]

Scent Detection Training Devices and DIY Setups

April 20, 2018

Stuck in a rut with your scent detection training? Hiding Food Many trainers hide food inside Kongs and stuffable food balls, in snuffle mats (like a deep shaggy rug), and [...]

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

April 16, 2018

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 [...]

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

April 14, 2018

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 [...]

How to Train Your Dog to Sit At Scent – Part 1 “Up-Sit” for Scent Detection

April 12, 2018

Question: My dog’s indication on hides over 3 feet is good, but not as intense as his indication on low hides. He finds them easily, but he sits looking at me instead of [...]

You’ll Fall Many Times, But Who’s Counting

April 6, 2018

Even Olympic medallists eventually take a fall. Some are more catastrophic than others, but how they recover from failure helps determine future results. There’s a [...]

Playing Catch to Become the Cookie – How to Be More Rewarding

April 5, 2018

Sometimes it’s harder to be more interesting than the dirt, with its tantalizing tapestry of scents. Playing catch is one type of food play that can come in handy when you [...]

Finding Looted Syrian Artifacts in Air and Sea Cargo – New Frontier of K9 Scent Detection Research

March 28, 2018

In the race to save Syria’s archaeological treasures, researchers at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) are looking into the efficacy of detection dogs trained to [...]

Converging Odors and Single Odor Hides vs. Cocktail FAQ

March 22, 2018

Lori’s question: Is there ever an advantage to using single odor hides? For example, one hide is wintergreen, another hide is birch with anise, etc.. (We started [...]

How Many Indications or Searches Should We Do In Practice? FAQ

March 12, 2018

W’s question: I’ve been focusing a lot on indication lately and noticed she’s getting lackluster and starting to wander off. At this stage is it ok to mix it [...]

What Should You Do About False Alerts? Mass Spectometry Would Help

March 7, 2018

Do you ever wish you had a machine to tell you what scents your dog false alerted on? It would be nice to get a definitive answer, especially when you don’t understand [...]

Listen Up! When Your Dog Stops Sniffing

March 2, 2018

Photo of Boo's cheeks moving in and out while sourcing, prior to stopping breathing when he reaches source.

Did you notice that many scent detection dogs stop breathing when they reach source? One of the best ways to read your sniffer dog is by listening to changes in his [...]

Table Distraction Game for Sniffer Dogs

February 26, 2018

Reliable scent dogs must ignore food, toy, and environmental distractions to find target odor. This video shows the Table Distraction Game we play with our scent dogs away [...]

How Long Should Hides be Aged? – Scent Work Competition FAQ

February 22, 2018

Pat’s question: How long do you age a hide prior to the start of a nosework trial? Is it the same for all the elements? Answer: Aging is the amount of time between [...]

Entering Your First Nosework Competition FAQ’s on UKC Nosework

February 21, 2018

It’s an exciting time when you enter your first nosework competition. Having said that, you probably feel uncertain about what to expect. Below are FAQ’s for [...]

Welcome to Hunter’s Heart Scent Detection Training

February 10, 2018

Welcome students! We’re looking forward to meeting you and your scent dog. We’ve inspired hundreds of students internationally, including dogs of all ages, [...]

Upcoming Scent Dog Training with Hunter’s Heart

January 3, 2018

Zane, a nosework student, waits for his serch to begin

Classes at Kayenna Kennels, Calgary Learn nosework at Kayenna Kennels (near Southland and Macleod, Calgary) with a 6-week class. Level 1 – We’ve inspired hundreds of [...]

Positive is Not Permissive – When to Say No

December 19, 2017

While pondering what to write about for American Brittany Magazine this month, inspiration struck! Several times. In fact, imprinting scent with three 12-week-old pups [...]

Scent Dog Training Classes Start Wed.

December 12, 2017

While it’s cold outside, come join us for some fun nosework! Classes start this Wednesday evening Dec. 13, 2017. at Kayenna Kennels (near Southland and Macleod, Calgary). [...]

How to Get Your Dog to Play Tug

December 8, 2017

With just a few tweaks, you can dramatically improve your dog’s play drive. You may even be surprised to convert a reluctant chow hound to an avid tugger. Read on to learn [...]

Top Scent Dog Training Books and Websites 2017

December 1, 2017

Shopping for the holiday season? You can never have too many scent dog training books, right? Here’s a list of our favorite canine books and websites you might enjoy: [...]

Nosework Seminar this Sunday (Calgary)

October 26, 2017

We have some openings for our nosework seminar this Sunday. If it’s challenging for you to attend weekly classes, this is a great opportunity to try nosework, or work [...]

Brittany Puppies Find the Milk | Hunter’s Heart BB x Boo litter Week 1

October 25, 2017

This Brittany puppy uses scent to find his dam’s milk at 1 week of age. At birth, healthy puppies are blind and cannot hear, for at least 10 days. A dam simply cannot [...]

What Do Sperm and Puppies Have in Common?

October 20, 2017

They both rely on scent to navigate through their environment. Sperm use chemotaxis to navigate to eggs, and newborn puppies use olfaction to navigate to the milk in their [...]

How to Train a Freeze Indication Using Leash Pressure

October 17, 2017

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 [...]

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

October 10, 2017

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 [...]

Odor Hygiene at Nosework Competitions

October 5, 2017

Odor hygiene refers to properly handling target odor, so you know with certainty where odor is located, and where it is not located. Good odor hygiene enables more teams to [...]

Fear, Fender Benders and Following Your Fearless Dog

September 22, 2017

My Brittany Spaniel, Boo, and I spent our summer competing in nosework on a cross country road trip: from Calgary to California, Seattle to Wisconsin. The experience was [...]

Back to School Survey for Hunter’s Heart Nosework Classes (Starting Sept. 20, at Kayenna Kennels, Calgary)

September 19, 2017

Nosework classes resume this week and we’re going to have some fun motivating your dog to search for odor! If you’re registered, please complete this survey in [...]

Join Us for Summer Nosework Fun Events, Calgary

August 9, 2017

Hi everyone, I hope you’re staying cool, and you can join us for some summer nosework events. NOSEWORK DROP-IN NIGHTS AT KAYENNA KENNELS, CALGARY Test your skills in [...]

Please vote for Nosework!

August 4, 2017

Your support counts! Please take 30 seconds to answer the Canadian Kennel Club’s 1 question nosework poll at http://www.ckc.ca/en. Virtually every dog can enjoy scent [...]

SDS Distance Game Demonstrations

July 29, 2017

Can your scent dog search independently at a distance? Watch demonstrations with coaching as our students test their skills with the fun SDS Distance Handling Game Version 1, [...]

Canada’s First Sniffing Dog Sports Nosework Competition, Oct. 7-8, Calgary

July 29, 2017

Join Sniff Alberta for Canada’s first Sniffing Dog Sports Nosework Competition, Calgary, Oct. 7&8, 2017 You’ll love SDS: Save $. Only 1 pass required to title at [...]

Back by Popular Demand: Nosework Crash Course Weekend, July 15/16, Hunter’s Heart (Calgary)

June 29, 2017

Take your nosework to the next level Juno’s video demonstrates strong commitment to odor in scent work. Sometimes blind searches are confusing for the handler. Juno [...]

Top 5 Scent Work Tips on Training Your Down Indication

June 16, 2017

Here’s our Top 5 Tips on proofing your down indication for K9 Nosework. Tip #1) Always mark or reward finding source. Then you can give extra rewards for the down [...]

Delayed Rewards Are Missed Opportunities in Scent Dog Training

April 30, 2017

From the dog’s point of view, rewards are the most important component of dog training. Sadly, many handlers are lousy rewarders and dogs are left confused and rewardless. [...]

Patterning for Systematic Searches and Faster Times

April 7, 2017

Do you have trouble remembering where your scent dog has searched and where he hasn’t? When you’re searching large areas for scent work, it’s a common [...]

Calgary Nosework Classes – Video of Keata (Border Collie) Learning to Indicate Scent

March 30, 2017

Only 6 days left! Register now for Nosework classes starting April 5, Calgary Info: https://www.kayennakennels.ca/nosework-classes This video features Keata at our Level 2 [...]

Scent Maze Video: Can Your Dog Find His Way to Source?

March 26, 2017

This fun scent maze challenged our advanced nosework students to navigate around gates impeding access to the box containing odor to get to source. Teams were allowed perform [...]

Break Down Scent Work for Success from Day One

March 24, 2017

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 [...]

Work for the Whites of His Eyes

March 20, 2017

Scent work is a game, and some rewards are better than others. You know you’re on the right track when your dog is so excited you can see the whites of his eyes. What did [...]

Scent Work – How to Train Distractions with Fun Nosework Games

March 9, 2017

Scent work is a game, with its roots in hunting and finding prey. In nosework, dogs must learn to ignore distractions to search and find the target odor. We use games to [...]

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

February 5, 2017

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 [...]

Welcome to Calgary Scent Detection Classes at Kayenna Training Academy

January 10, 2017

Welcome students! Hunter’s Heart is excited to offer Calgary scent detection classes, seminars and events at Kayenna Training Academy. Register at: [...]

How to have the most fun with your dog? Nosework/Scent Dog Training Compilation 2016

December 31, 2016

Nosework can be the most fun you ever had with your dog! We’ve received many requests to help nosework students explain why they love nosework to people who [...]

Making Single Odor Hides

February 4, 2016

Photo of nosework box with Birch hide (scented cotton swab in sticky envelope)

Here are the steps to make single odor hides... [...]

Nosework Training in the Lab

February 1, 2016

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

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 [...]