Scent Work Training for Dogs
Nosework Classes to Scent Train Your Dog
Have you ever had fun with your dog by hiding their treats or perhaps asking them to choose which of your hands has a treat in it? While this basic dog scent training is a fun way to exercise your dog’s mental ability and to work their nose, your dog’s nose is capable of alerting you to so much more! Dogs can use their sense of smell to find everything from lost people to cancer to contraband. Teaching your dog to find food or a specific scent is a blast and very therapeutic for dogs with issues or dogs that just need to relax.
While the first level of our group classes and private instruction focus on having your dog find food– your dog is capable of much more than that. Wikipedia says, “The olfactory bulb in dogs is roughly forty times bigger than the olfactory bulb in humans, relative to total brain size, with 125 to 220 million smell‐sensitive receptors.” Humans have trained dogs to use their nose to alert for or indicate bombs, cancer, low or high blood sugar, seizures, panic attacks, and peanuts for people with food allergies.
ABOUT SCENT TRAINING YOUR DOG
Watch this video about dog scent training at Courteous Canine
In our group classes your dog will learn to find food hidden in boxes. First we start out easy with a box right in front of your dog, but soon we will change the location of the boxes and add more boxes. This encourages your dog to use her nose rather than to search visually.
As you learn about your dog’s searching abilities you will begin to recognize when your dog is actively searching and using her nose or when she is just fooling around. You can’t force a dog to search and often if your dog needs something, like water, it is important to meet her need rather than pressuring her to continue.
Fun Scent Games: Finding Birch!
Our Scent Games dog training class was developed for anyone that wants to have some fun with their dog by teaching them to use their sniffer. More specifically, in this class we’ll harness your dogs powerful sense of smell to find a specific scent, birch, so that by the end of the class they’ll be able to search an area and alert you to every tiny bit of birch scent present.
This class will begin by showing the dog what the scent smells like, using treats to help them associate the smell as desirable, teaching them to search different containers to find the smell, teaching them to let you know when they’ve found the smell, and then end with the goal of them being able to search a whole area and let you know where the scent is.
This class was developed based on methods by Dr. Robert Hewings who spent 25 years training dogs for the Metropolitan Police and is now the Head of learning and development for the UK College of Scent Detection. He also recently published “Scent Training for Every Dog” which discusses the basics of doing scent work with your dog.
This class will be held indoors and will include some outdoor searches, weather permitting.
Class Type: Group. Maximum 6 dogs
Term: 6 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Puppy Kindergarten or Adult Dog Manners. Completion of group classes at other schools is accepted for the prerequisite.
Fun Scent Games: Finding More!
Does your pup already know the basics of scenting but need a bit more of a challenge? Intermediate Scenting is for dogs who have already completed our Fun Scent Games class, or equivalent, and would like to take their skills up a notch with four new scents and even trickier hiding places. Learn about wind, odor convergence and how to prevent fringing.
RAIN POLICY
For private training and group instruction that is held outdoors, we will make every attempt to contact students at least two hours before if we are canceling class. Classes are held during light rain, if there is lightning classes are cancelled. If you see lightning during your class, please let your instructor know immediately.
If you don’t hear from your instructor, your class will occur as scheduled.
VACCINE POLICY
To participate in class, your dog must have received:
- Distemper/Parvo (core combination)
- Leptospirosis
- Rabies
- Bordetella
- Canine Influenza
If your dog is not eligible for these vaccines, we will also accept a letter of exemption from your veterinarian due to your dog’s age or medical status.
Dog Training Group Classes
| Dog Training Group Classes | Description | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Intro to Agility – Jumps and Tunnels | Intro to Agility – 6 weeks Intro to Agility: Jumps and Tunnels Group Class |  Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intro to Agility – Contacts and Weaves | Intro to Agility – 6 weeks Intro to Agility: Contacts and Weaves Group Class | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intermediate/Advanced Agility | Intermediate/Advanced Agility: 6 weeks intermediate/advanced agility Group Class. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 6-Week Dog Camp Sport Sampler | 6 weeks Dog Camp Sport Sampler | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 6-Week Rally O Novice | 6 weeks Rally O Novice | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 6-Week AKC Fetch: Prep for Titling and Learn the Games | 6-Week AKC Fetch: Prep for Titling and Learn the Games | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Really Reliable Coming When Called | One-time 90-minute group class of fun games for successful coming when called | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Dog Swimming 101: Puppy Pool Safety | One-time 90-minute Intro to swimming | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Pool Tricks for Dogs! | One-time 90-minute class that provides your dog the opportunity to learn simple fun pool tricks! | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intro to Dock Jumping | One-time 90-minute Intro to Dock Jumping. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intermediate/Advanced Dock Jumping Practice | 1.5 hour group practice session | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Dock Jumping Dry Land Games | 90-Minute group class makes use of games outside of the pool to teach dogs foundation training for dog dock jumping. It is recommended to take this class multiple times for optimum results. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intro to Fun Scent Games | 6 weeks Intro to Fun Scent Games Group Class | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 4-Week Low Stress Handling for Vet Visits and Grooming | 4 weeks of one-hour classes to teach you and your dog to decrease stress and increase fun for vet visits and or grooming visits. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Lure Coursing | One time 90-minute group mini fast cat session. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| AKC Canine Good Citizen & Pet Therapy Prep Part I | 8 weeks; requires prerequisite AKC Star Puppy or Basic Manners Class | Class Schedule & Registration |
| AKC Advanced Canine Good Citizen & Pet Therapy Prep Part 2 | 8 weeks; requires prerequisite AKC Star Puppy or Basic Manners Class | Class Schedule & Registration |
| My Dog has Issues | 6 weeks My Dog has Issues for Reactive Dogs Group Class. Requires private Behavior Consult first. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Next Level Dog Obedience Fun Games Group Class | 60-minute group class that takes place over the course of six weeks which is for dog-and-human-friendly dogs that need to take their obedience and manners to the next level. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| AKC Star Puppy Classes | 6 session enroll and go STAR puppy kindergarten. | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Basic Manners | 6 session enroll and go program for basic manners | Class Schedule & Registration |
| New Basic Manners | 6 session enroll and go program for basic manners | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Intro to Trick Training | 6 weeks of trick training classes; final week is testing for Trick Training Tilting |
Class Schedule & Registration |
| Trick Training – Movement and Tricks to Music | 6 weeks of classes creating Routines and Dog Dancing | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 6-Week Hero Dog Trick Training | 6 weeks of fun new tricks that help your dog be a hero around the house | Class Schedule & Registration |
| 6-Week Boredom Busters Enrichment Games | 6 weeks of learning fun games that you and your dog can play on rainy days | Class Schedule & Registration |
| Snake Identification and Safety Workshop for Humans | Learn how to avoid being bitten by snakes by learning about snake safety and snake identification of venomous Florida snakes along with harmless snakes. | Class Schedule & Registration |
We had a wonderful experience in both daycare and the Fun Scent Games class. My greyhound puppy doesn’t always use his nose, so the fun scent games class let us work with new commands and helped Rocky to use his nose more rather than just his eyes. He was able to stay focused during the course and it was a great experience for us as a duo!
I have brought him and my other dog to training classes at CC. One took Fun Scent Games with Melissa and Beth and they were awesome. He absolutely LOVED it!!! My other pup took a trick training class with Lisa and we had so much fun!
Eventually, I started looking into other classes Courteous Canine offered. I also signed up and recently completed Fun Scent Games with Beth. I really loved this class and my dog definitely enjoyed it as well! The class was really laid back and all about just having fun.