by Jan Masters
What is Nosework? It is a fairly new sport for us and our dogs and has been around since about 2006. The objective is for the dog to find a hidden target scent and for the handler to know their dog has found it. It is a sport for all breeds of dogs, large or small. Nosework is a wonderful opportunity for your dog to build confidence.
Dakota and I are new at this and have only been doing it a little over a year. I started learning in a training facility in a classroom setting. We first used treats. Then paired the treat with a scent, eventually ending up with the scent. The main organization I am involved with is the National Association of Canine Scent Work (www.nacsw.net). To test your skills, you can trial and earn titles. The prerequisite is passing the Odor Recognition Test (ORT), in which the dog identifies that target odor for the level of competition: Sweet Birch for NW1, Anise (aka Aniseed) for NW2, and Clove (aka Clove Bud) for NW3. Once you pass the ORT for Birch, you can enter NW1 trials.Trials consists of 4 elements: Interior building, exterior area, containers (boxes to begin with), and vehicle. To earn a title, you have to find the scent in each element in the allowed time. Once you get NW1 under your belt, you then progress to NW 2, which is 2 target odors with larger search areas, more hidden odors, and distractions. Next is NW 3 which is 3 target odors and increased difficulty level. NW3 Elite is three NW3 titles. There’s also a new competition in which you can earn element titles. These trials focus on just one or two elements. There are also Nosework with AKC and UKC, but I am not familiar with them yet.
If you don’t want to trial, you can just have fun doing searches in your own house and back yard. All you need is a scent kit. Dakota and I earned our NW1 title in December 2014 and just earned our NW2 title this month (as well as 3rd fastest in one element – Containers). It has been so much fun learning this sport and Dakota is driven doing this. She is so proud when she finds the scent. If you interested in learning this sport, go to the NACSW web site for more information. Google canine scent work for your area for local classes. And Happy Sniffing!