What is Nose Work?
Inspired by working detection dogs, Nose Work, or Scent Work, is a fun search and scenting activity for virtually all dogs and people. This easy to learn activity builds confidence and focus in dogs, and provides a safe rewarding way to keep dogs healthy through mental and physical exercise. Nose Work starts with getting your dog excited about using his nose to seek out a favorite toy or treat hidden in one of several boxes, eventually expanding the game to entire interior rooms, exterior areas, vehicles, and even buried scent. As your dog grows more confident with his nose, target odors are introduced, and if desired competition skills are taught. The practice of Nose Work has reached dogs of all shapes and sizes, and has made search & detection skills available to pet and companion dogs, creating a new arena for sport dog enthusiasts, as well as the pet owner who wants to have fun with their dog while giving him or her something natural and instinctive to do. Nose Work is easy and fun for the handler, as well as exciting, fun and tiring for your dog. Nose Work provides great mental and physical exercise for a dog.
Extremely active, high energy dogs benefit tremendously from the intense effort and focus they give during a search. The mental exercise of figuring out where the scent they are searching for is located, and the physical exercise of sniffing and inhaling deeply as they work combines to make for an extremely satisfied and tired dog.
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Lisa Mallory CNWI, featured in AKC Scent Work article
People with shy, reactive or sensitive dogs report that when the sport of Nose Work is carefully and methodically taught, their dogs become more confident, less anxious and reactive, more in tune to the search at hand, and less likely to notice things in the environment that used to concern or frighten them. The practice of Nose Work has reached dogs of all shapes and sizes, and has made search & detection skills available to pet and companion dogs, creating a new arena for sport dog enthusiasts, as well as the pet owner who wants to have fun with their dog while giving him or her something natural and instinctive to do. Nose Work is easy and fun for the handler, as well as exciting, fun and tiring for your dog. Nose Work provides great mental and physical exercise for a dog.
The sport of K9 Nose Work® also brings special benefits for dogs with issues such as lack of confidence or focus, being overly-reactive around other dogs and/or people, dogs convalescing from medical problems or living with disabilities (hearing or sight impairment, loss of a limb), generalized social or situational anxiety preventing them from joining a typical group training class, and retired conformation, competition, service, or working dogs in need of a job to keep them busy and happy. Dogs of all breeds, ages, and abilities are welcome – from the young unfocused puppy to the elderly dog no longer able participate in long walks or rough-and-tumble dog play at the park – all will be successful and have fun. Owners, too! No dog training experience is necessary.