K9 Nose Work
K9 Nose Work is an activity where we can harness the power of the dogs nose to create a fun and enriching activity for both dog and owner. Dogs love to use their nose and they have a strong desire to hunt in their everyday life, this game allows you to take that love and focus it into a fun activity that can be done anywhere and together! It’s perfect for just about any dog – young, old, fast, slow, rambunctious or shy, hearing or deaf dogs, visually impaired dogs, and even reactive/environmentally sensitive dogs.
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Taught by Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) Victoria Kander, these classes will use the proven methodologies developed by the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), the developers and leaders of this exciting sport. Your dogs will love the reward-based activity, as well as the opportunity to do what comes naturally to them, be the leaders of the searches, solve problems, and develop organically at their own pace. Your dogs will build the critical foundations skills needed to thrive doing nose work for fun and enrichment or for competition.
Intro to Nose Work
Level 1
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In this 6 week class we will focus on teaching you how to encourage and develop your dog’s natural scenting abilities by using their desire to hunt and their love of toys, food, and exercise. We will focus on two elements in K9 Nose Work©, Containers and Interiors. It’s a great class for your dog to have fun, build confidence, and burn lots of mental and physical energy. This class introduces the concept of the game, builds handler observation skills and timing using boxes and a ‘hidden’ treat in an inside low distraction environment. You and your dog work in the space one team at a time, allowing your dog to focus and learn with minimal distractions.
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Pre-requisite:
Vaccines/Titers (Rabies, Distemper and Parvo)
Price: $200
Duration: 6 Weeks
1
Intro to Vehicles & Exteriors
Level 2
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This 6 week class we will focus on the last two of the elements of K9 Nose Work©, Vehicle and Exterior searches. A higher level of environmental distractions is introduced with vehicle and exterior searches, keeping the challenge of the hunt always exciting for you and your dog. These classes will continue to develop your handler skills in leash management, understanding your dog’s ‘hunting’ body language and the effects of ever-changing environments on a search.
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Pre-requisite:
Intro to Nose Work
Vaccines/Titers (Rabies, Distemper and Parvo)
Price: $200
Duration: 6 Weeks
2
3
Intro to Odor
Level 3
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Now that your dog has a basic understanding of hunting, the endurance for hunting and you have learned a lot about your dogs behaviors while in odor, you are ready for introducing odor.
This 6-week course focuses on introducing the odor Birch, Anise and Clove with exercises on building odor obedience in all four elements - interiors, exteriors, vehicles, and containers. You will continue to develop your skills as a handler and in sharing with your dog the excitement of more challenging hunts with more complex searches.
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Competition is not a requirement ~
You and your dog can go on to enjoy the activity of K9 Nose Work® for as long as you like!!
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Pre-requisite:
Intro to Vehicles and Exteriors
Vaccines/Titers (Rabies, Distemper and Parvo)
Price: $200
Duration: 6 Weeks
4
Mastering Nose Work
Level 4
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This class will continue to develop handler skills and focuses on all of the elements of K9 Nose Work®, container, interior, exterior and vehicle searches. Each week of the month will target a specific element in K9 Nose Work so that you and your dog get a well rounded training. Focus on teamwork and supporting your dog during the search are emphasized.
This is an ongoing nose work class for those people who want to build on the nose work skills started in the foundation classes, for fun and for competition. Search puzzles will be set up by the class coordinator and coaching will be available if needed. Field trips in the local area to give you exposure to new searching environments will be included.
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Pre-requisite:
Intro to Odor
Vaccines/Titers (Rabies, Distemper and Parvo)
Price: $35
Duration: Drop-in