Looking to Sniff Out Some Fun This Spring? Try Nose Work

K9 Nose Work is a fun training activity for you and your pal.

The brown-and-cream, mixed-breed dog strains eagerly at her leash, golden hairs sparkling in the sun. She’s already salivating at the thought of finding her target odor and receiving her favorite treats as a reward. This is her best loved game. Nothing – not squirrels, toys, or human or canine playmates – excites her like searching out a target odor with her human in tow. 

As she crosses the start line, her body is confident and happy. Her tail is wagging as her nose processes enormous amounts of information. She jogs quickly through the area, sniffing for wisps of scent until her nose tells her she’s near the source. She abruptly slows her pace and narrows her focus. Eureka! She puts her nose on the source, her tail wagging intensely. Her handler rewards her generously.

This is the new sport that’s exploded throughout the dog world in the last few years. Yes, it’s Nose Work, also known as Scent Work. And dogs love it.

Why Do Dogs Love Nose Work?

Following odor is intrinsically rewarding for a dog. You can observe this yourself by watching your dog find scattered food in a snuffle-mat, sniff out that roast you’re defrosting in the sink, or dig up a valued, well-slobbered toy. Some dogs find such joy in following critter-trails on leash-free outings that you may have a hard time getting their attention back.

In any of these situations, your dog’s tail is likely to be wagging happily while following the odor. And if she receives a yummy reward plus your approval for finding that odor – even better!

The Joy of Being in Charge

Whenever you’re working or playing with your dog, there’s an interplay that could almost be described as a dance. Each of you is responding to the other, and when it’s going well, there’s something close to a mind-meld between canine and human.

In most dog sports, the handler is the one leading the dance. But in Nose Work, the dog is leading while the handler offers support, responding to the dog’s changes of behavior as she sources the odor. Our dogs are very attached to us and value their time with us. Nose Work allows them the joy of being in charge, with our full approval and support.

Origins of Nose Work

Nose Work mimics the work of professional canines who search for drugs, bombs, or other crucial items. Those who train professional sniffer dogs often say that the dogs regard their work as play. Like those highly trained canines, pet dogs can also learn to find specific odors and enjoy doing it.

Of course, training for pet dogs is greatly modified compared to that of professional canines. Professional trainers spend enormous time and effort selecting the ideal working dog for specific personality and physical traits, and even then the washout rate is high (and expensive). By contrast, we select our pets for entirely different reasons – “I looked into her eyes and fell in love!” or “He doesn’t shed!”-  and we’re not about to replace a beloved pet with another dog over a few training glitches.

With that in mind, the scenting sport world has adapted training to be more inclusive and far more patient. But the skills themselves are still identical, whether training for sport or for professional sniffing.

Can Any Dog Play at Nose Work?

All dogs have amazing and talented noses, meaning any dog can play a scent sport. In many other organized dog sports, certain breeds tend to dominate the competitions. But in Nose Work, the top dogs represent a wide variety of breeds and mixes, from tiny to huge and everything in between.

Differently abled dogs can play, too - old dogs, blind dogs, deaf dogs, 3-legged dogs, dogs in wheelchairs, and more. Nose Work is for everyone.

Dogs in wheelchairs can play too!

Nose Work is also cheap compared to other organized dog sports. Equipment is minimal and no large course set-ups are needed. Beyond purchasing some essential oils and small scent-related items, your biggest expense will be for classes to get you started. Of course, if you decide to compete, there will be competition fees and travel, but obviously, that’s not required and your dog will have just as much fun free scenting wherever you like.

And yes, you can do Nose Work anywhere. In fact, this is a great sport to get started on during the pandemic, as there’s so much you can do from the safety of your own home. When you finally travel with your dog post-COVID, you can also set up searches on the road and at your destination – all by bringing a little odor kit with you, along with an appropriate leash and valuable rewards for finding the source. 

Other Benefits of Nose Work

The movement of odors is extremely chaotic. It takes enormous brain power to chase tendrils of scent through the air or on surfaces, sort it all out, and finally locate the source. Nose Work is a fantastic way to tire out a high-energy dog or provide an activity for a pup with physical limitations who needs something to do.

Scent work is also a great way to build confidence. Certified Nose Work trainers will set up search areas to be safe for the dog so that no matter what the dog chooses to do, nothing scary happens. Trainers will begin with simple puzzles and slowly increase the level of difficulty, letting the dog learn to trust the environment and trust herself. Certified trainers will also have each dog work one at a time, with the other dogs stowed away out of sight. This makes the sport accessible to dog-reactive dogs in a way that would be difficult in many other sports.

What If We Want to Compete?

There are new Nose Work competition venues popping up all the time as the popularity of this sport continues to spread. A few options include:

• The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), which originated Nose Work competitions. https://www.nacsw.net

• The American Kennel Club, which now offers scent competitions of its own.   https://www.akc.org/sports/akc-scent-work/

• The Fenzi Dog Sports Academy offers an online Titling system for those who don’t wish to travel or whose dogs are not suitable for in-person sports.

• So if you and your pup are looking for a great new activity to do together this spring, why not give Nose Work a try? It’s affordable, accessible, and best of all, it’s fun for dogs of every age and ability because it builds on a dog’s most talented organ - its nose. Now how many dog sports can say all that?

To learn more about Nose Work, check out the NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work). Or seek a certified instructor near your area here:  https://k9nosework.com/find-an-instructor-or-class/.