Cost: $175.00, Class Size: 6
Nose Work 101: Introductory Skills
Discover your dog’s incredible nose in our fun and engaging Intro to Scent Detection class! Every dog loves to sniff and this six week course channels that natural talent into rewarding games. Scentwork is a wonderful activity for all dogs, helping shy dogs gain confidence and energetic dogs burn off mental and physical energy. Our highly experienced trainer will make every session feel like playtime so your dog stays eager and happy. Whether you are looking for a new hobby, preparing for future scent competitions, or simply want a fun way to bond, this class is the perfect starting point. Spaces fill up quickly – come join us and discover the joy of hunting for odor together!
Needed Supplies: 8–12-foot lightweight leash, harness, high value treats. If your dog is HIGHLY motivated by toys over food, please bring two identical toys.
Nose Work 201: Teamwork
Nose Work 201 focuses on the owner/handler learning reward timing, leash skills, pre-search routines and footwork. Dogs will imprint on target odor provided by our instructor. (Birch if you are interested in Nose work competition trials or consult with our instructor about using a unique scent). Nose Work is a team sport with your dog taking the lead. Learn the subtleties of body language and leash skills to help the dog find the hidden odor!
Needed Supplies: 8–12-foot lightweight leash, harness, high value treats. There is a $5 (cash) kit fee to provide birch scent in a tube for training at home. If your dog is HIGHLY motivated by toys over food, please bring two identical toys.
Nose Work 301: Introductory Skills
Building on NW 201, the owner/handler will begin to fine tune “reading” the dog’s body language to notice when odor has been detected and found. The team will begin to encounter blind searches. Blind searches mean all members of the team (dog + handler) do not know where the target odor has been hidden. The value of a FTR (final trained response) that began in NW 101 will become clear and we will discuss the pitfalls that sometimes happen as you learn to trust your K9 partner. Various complicated odor puzzles (for example, suspended, elevated, inaccessible, pooling, trapped, and more) will be set up and practiced at each class along with a variety of distractions for teams to work through.
This class will introduce all of the AKC (American Kennel Club) Elements for competition and your instructor will explain their various challenges. Additionally, we will learn about other competitive organizations such as DDT and NACSW. Each organization has various expectations, rules and methods of evaluating the detection team competitors. NW 301 is typically repeated multiple times until the team has titled out of the basic level of competition.
Needed Supplies: 8–12-foot leash, optional harness, High value treats.
Nose Work 401: Multiple Odors
This class is for students with an AKC Novice level one title in one or more elements and are ready to move on to imprinting on a second (Anise), and third (Clove) odor. Classroom drills will include the combinations of two or more scents in the hide area. Your dog will be building mental endurance for longer and more complicated searches. Working through distractions will become a main focus of most searches at this level. We will continue to work on handler skills, scent puzzles, various AKC Elements and FTRs based on the strengths and weaknesses of the individual students.
Needed Supplies: 8–12-foot leash, optional harness, High value treats.
Nose Work 501:
This class is for students that have reached AKC Excellent and Detective level or are working at NW 3 in NACSW. Your dog should have a reliable FTR (final trained response). Searches will be very student driven based on individual team needs. Larger and more complicated search scenarios will be provided. Dogs will be practicing staying focused under various levels of distractions visual, olfactory and auditory. Search areas will be significantly larger and more complicated with multiple unknown number of hides, potentially unknown blank areas and extremely elevated hides.
Needed Supplies: 12-foot light weight leash, optional harness, High Value Treats/Toy rewards.
Vaccination Policy
Very Important: All Dogs Sports Park LLC has a very strict vaccine policy. To train at our facility or use any of the many amenities, every dog must have the following veterinarian administered up to date vaccines. The required vaccines are Rabies, Bordetella, DHPP and Canine Influenza.
We understand there are circumstances, such as health issues or age, which might preclude a dog from certain vaccines. In these instances, we will accept a letter from your veterinarian or a titer.
By registering for our classes or using our facility, you are agreeing to provide proof of all four vaccines. Your proof must be received prior to the first day of class or before using our facility.
Refund Policy/Class Attendance
Refunds given prior to close of registration, less processing fee. We are not able to provide compensation for missed classes during any session.
