ScentWork
Our dogs sense of smell is far superior to ours, and is their strongest sense. Scentwork is an activity that takes that amazing sense of smell and uses it to find and indicate on specific scents.
If our dogs naturally sniff things, why would we need to train them, you might wonder. Scentwork as an activity is so helpful for many things -
- To give an outlet to a sniffy dog, so they are less likely to sniff when it's not appropriate
- To calm an over excited dog down
- To give confidence to an anxious dog
- To give an old or injured dog an activity to do
- To use as a rainy day activity
- To bond with your dog over something they love to do
- For an owner and dog to compete together in trials
- For operational use - medical alerts, search and rescue, conservation, police work
When you start Scentwork, your dog will be learning how to search for a specific scent, searching in different areas and different set ups, and developing their problem solving ability. I’ll work with you to develop a passive indication (meaning your dog freezes when they identify the scent) appropriate to your dog, usually a nose target. We will also work on your handling skills, and how to set searches that are appropriate for your dog.
I'm a Scentwork UK Level 1-4 trainer, but will never pressure you to compete. While partnerships I've worked with have gone on to take part in various types of trials, the majority of people I work with are looking for a fun activity for them and their dog, or to work through mild behavioural issues with their dog. My training works with every partnership as an individual so I'll set exercises appropriate to you and your dog, but will always cover the foundations enough that should you choose to go on to compete or take part in operational style searches you'll be able to do so.
Work with me
Classes are held at Swat Dogs, Coppice Gate Farm, Shapwick on a Tuesday evening. This class may not be suitable for noise sensitive or reactive dogs, please get in touch for more information, or to book please go to the Swat website www.swat-dogs.com
One to One lessons - perfect for introducing a dog to scent, and for dogs who don't work well in a class. A first lesson will be held at your house, or an outdoor venue if you prefer, and will cover the basics of searching and beginning an indication. This may be all you need to have fun with your dog at home, or you can book follow up sessions if you want to take it further.
£45 for an initial 1 hour lesson, follow ups may be available by the half hour and also available to book in blocks, depending on yours and your dogs needs.
Occasional workshops searching interesting locations or working on different skills will be advertised both here and on the Facebook page.
