Scent Work (Nose Work)

Nose work/scent work is a natural behavior for your dog.  Introducing a dog to use their nose is a rewarding and fun adventure. Dogs can detect odors, be it, rabbits, rats, various scents (such as birch, cloves etc.) or people and their odors.  Truly, there is no limit with how many scents they can grasp.

Very little equipment is utilized in your journey of scent work. Typically, a harness and long line will get you started.  I believe dressing a dog for the occasion alerts the dog to the situation. Instructing a dog in nose work or tracking is a great foundation for educating a dog to diverse levels.

AKC Scent Work (or Nose Work) is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found. Real-life detection dogs are trained to search for a variety of things–drugs, explosives, human remains, currency, other contraband, living humans (such as for Search and Rescue), and much more. AKC Scent Work takes this amazing working relationship and turns it into a fun game that any dog can play.

Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog.

In so many dog sports the handler is in control but this isn’t true in Scent Work. Neither the dog nor handler knows where the target odor is hidden. The handler has to rely on the dog, and follow the dog’s nose to success. In Scent Work, it is the canine who is the star of the show.

SEE ALSO:  How Do I Get Started in Scent Work? >>

Tracking

AKC Tracking event where they can sniff and smell to their heart’s content, and demonstrate that natural ability to recognize and follow a scent. It’s the perfect way for you and your dog—whether purebred or mixed breed—to enjoy many hours together, outside in the fresh air, honing those natural abilities.

There are three levels of achievement in tracking. The Tracking Dog Test (TD), the Tracking Dog Excellent Test (TDX) and the Variable Surface Tracking Test (VST). When a dog passes the TD, TDX and the VST they are awarded a Champion Tracker Title (CT)

The levels of tracking include the following:

  • The TD tests the dogs basic ability to follow human scent and indicate a “find” of a piece of clothing that contains the track layer scent.
  • The TDZ is a more advanced test, challenging the dog to find an older scent, cross over obstacles and changes of ground cover, as well as locating four articles of the track layers clothing over a long trail. The track is also “contaminated” with other human scents.
  • The VST tests the dog’s ability to apply all of his advanced skills over a variety of urban surfaces. It is the ultimate challenge to a dog’s ability to discriminate the correct scent to follow in spite of many challenges of time, surface, object type, and distance.

The World of Tracking

With a keen sense of smell, dogs are often used to find lost people and animals, drugs, avalanche and disaster victims, and even to detect cancer. AKC Tracking is a canine sport that demonstrates a dog’s natural ability to recognize and follow a scent and is a foundation of canine search and rescue work. Unlike obedience and agility trials, where dogs respond to the owner’s commands, in tracking a dog is completely in charge. The tracking community is known for its camaraderie and they all share in the excitement of a “pass” and the disappointment of a “fail.”

  • Tips for the First-Time Exhibitor
  • Register your dog with the AKC.
  • Keep your dog current on all vaccinations and inoculations.
  • Become familiar with the AKC Tracking regulations
  • Attend a tracking test in your area to become familiar with the test procedure. Bring foul weather gear and dress warmly as tracking tests are held in all types of weather. Join and become active in a local club!
  • Ask questions of those attending a test and experienced exhibitors. This is how you learn
  • Contact a local Kennel Club and find a tracking class in your area

SEE ALSO: AKC Tracking >>