Nosework is a fun dog sport that is open to all breeds of dogs. Dog owners train their dogs to use their natural scenting abilities, olfactory skills, to find target odors just like police dogs. The United Kennel Club has a Nosework program in which the dog and handler are judged on their ability to find and indicate five different scents in various environments such as boxes, interior rooms, exterior areas and on vehicles.
A dog learns that finding the target odor will result in a reward such as a game of tug or treats. It’s highly rewarding to the dog, makes them proactively think and hunt for the odor and becomes addicting for the owner as well watching their dog have a blast exercising their natural talents. Nosework can be done just for fun or competition.
UKC offers Nosework competitions nation wide. Several of our students started Nosework classes just for the pure fun of the sport as a way to give their dog an activity to pursue. However, they soon got the competition bug and competed earning first and second place finishes. Another plus of Nosework is that you can practice at home as it doesn’t require a lot of training equipment such as other sports like Dog Agility.
The video below show cases two dogs (one brand new to the sport and one a seasoned pro) having a blast searching for and being rewarded for finding the target odor. The first dog, Hunter, has only had four training sessions and is already true to the target odor, disregards distraction scents in the other boxes and works the boxes methodically to find the odor. Kaboom is a seasoned pro and shows what your dog can do after participating in Nosework dog training classes at Michigan Dog Training in Plymouth, Michigan. Â To have fun with your dog, call us at 734-634-4152. Â Your dog can also become a K9 Nosework dog.
