General Scent Work Skills

There are general Scent Work skills all dog and handler teams will need to work on and perfect during their sniffing journeys.

These resources will help you and your dog master these skills!

General Scent Work Skills
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Trial Prep Program
Nose Poke Alert Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Explore ways to increase a dog’s excitement about getting to source, staying at source, and communicating about source with this information-packed webinar.
Training On Your Own
Training on an Island: The Art of Working Solo in Canine Nose Work Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do you typically find yourself training on your own? This webinar is for you! Enjoy a deep dive into both sides of the leash, exploring not only the handler’s responsibilities when working without a coach or group but also the dog’s role in developing independence, confidence, and problem-solving skills.
Trial Prep Program
Single Hide Pattern Games for Reliability and Fun Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Looking to develop better concentration and focus on immediately getting to work in search areas? Learn 10 single hide pattern games that will accomplish just that!
Small Dogs
Nose Work for Small Dogs Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Small dogs are faced with additional challenges that large dogs aren’t when it comes to Nose Work. Learn about these challenges, how to tackle them and ways to handle small dogs in Nose Work searches in this webinar.
Common Issues
Is That Pooling or Something Else Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Do you have a hard time observing the difference between pooling/trapping odor verses source or inaccessible? In this webinar we will talk about clarifying the purpose of the dog, as well as how to avoid some common handling mistakes that can lead to your dog being confused!
Common Issues
Fringing: Causes and Solutions Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you struggling with your dog fringing at trial? It is as if they say, "Is this close enough?" Learn what fringing is, the causes and how to address it in training with this webinar.
Common Issues
Aggressive Alerts: Causes and Solutions Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Does your dog love to smash boxes, scratch up vehicles, retrieve hides or practice other types of aggressive alerts? Learn the common causes and practical training solutions in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Displacement Sniffing and Other Stress Behaviors Webinar Instructor Sue Sternberg Better understand displacement sniffing and other stress behaviors as they relate to Scent Work. Learn how to distinguish the various types of sniffing and how to better support your canine teammate throughout the search with this webinar.
Odor Theory
The Difference Between Theory and Reality Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you looking for a down-to-earth explanation of odor theory with tips on how to design specific odor puzzles? This seminar is for you!
Trial Prep Program
Be Strategic: Breaking Down the NACSW Walk Through Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Learn how to extract critical information from the NACSW Trial Walk Through videos. The type of information that separates those teams who simply run a search at a trial from those who tackle the very same search strategically.
Trial Prep Program
Let's Make Thresholds Work Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley You've worked hard to develop the dog's desire to seek. But this may mean they are rocketing through their search area, rushing through those thresholds. Learn how to make those thresholds more productive with this webinar.
Read Your Dog
What Did Ya Say: Learning to Read Your Dog Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Your dog is constantly communicating during the search, the real question is whether you understand what they are saying. Join Tony for this information-packed seminar as he breaks down the behaviors handlers commonly see but often struggle to interpret when both training and trialing.
Handler Skills Program
Learn More About The Dog-Driven Search Virtual Event Instructor Sue Sternberg and Dana Zinn You've heard of The Dog-Driven Search book. Take a deeper dive and gain a better understanding of importance of handler orientation, matching pace and speed, tips for tackling a search, covering the search area and much more.
Foundation
Introduction to Scent Work Course Instructor Dianna L. Santos Are you ready to embark on your sniffing journey, introducing your pup to what the Scent Work game is all about? This is the course for you! Learn how to tackle container and interior searches all while using K9 Nose Work® training method hunting for primary aka food or toys.
Trial Prep Program
Find It. Own It. Get Paid. Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Learn why some dogs leave source too quickly, disconnect after the find, or show unclear communication, and how to build stronger commitment through intentional training.
Trial Prep Program
The Dog-Driven Container: The Why and The How Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Learn how to train a dog-driven pattern as a way for the dog to find success and not frustration when tackling their container searches.
Trial Prep Program
Who’s Watching Who? Understand the Dog’s Changes of Behaviors (COBs) Webinar Instructor Khara Schuetzner Can you describe 5 out of the 10 changes of behaviors (COBs) your dog exhibits while they're in odor? No worries, you will learn how in this webinar! Join Khara to learn how to identify these COBs and better read and decipher what your dog is telling you during a search.
Trial Prep Program
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Trialing Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley We can quite literally derail an otherwise fantastic search at trial when we step out of our lane and, well, forget to remember our role! Learn what your role is at Scent Work trials and how to best support your canine partner in this informative webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Judge's View Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Bill Gaskins, Judith Guthrie, Michelle Munson, Caroline Oldham, Aleks Woodroffe Wouldn't it be nice to know what the Judge sees? What works. What doesn't. Trends they notice over a course of judging several teams over a variety of events. We will discuss this and more in this exciting virtual event!
Trial Prep Program
Training Blank Areas Webinar Instructor Michael and Natalie McManus While blank searches are usually considered an “NW3” concept, they can be important at every level of the dog’s development. Worried about messing up your dog with blank searches? Learn how to use blank area in training and better read your dog in competition with this webinar.
Puppy Sniffing Program
Helping Puppies Succeed for a Lifetime of Sniffing Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Do you have a new puppy? Looking to build the skills they will need to have a successful sniffing career? This webinar is for you!
Handler Skills
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Training Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do we have a role when training Scent Work with our dogs? YES! If we step out of our lane, this can cause our dogs to become confused, frustrated or demotivated by the search. Learn how to better understand your role in this webinar.
Sniffy Fun
50 Sniffy Fun Challenges eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos Whether your dog is hunting for food, toys or target odors, playing the Scent Work game for fun or getting ready to compete, you will find these challenges fun, engaging and flexible enough so that you can make them your own.
Trial Prep Program
The Power of Pairing: Search Monster Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Learn the power of pairing and Tony's unique system that has afforded his clients to enjoy epic results where dogs consistently drive to source, avoid fringing and are not tripped up by distractors.
Handler Skills
Language of Nose Work: Reading Your Dog Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Learning how to read our dogs is a necessary skill for every Scent Work handler to master. See how you can go about doing this in this webinar.
General Scent Work
How Would You Train It Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Nancy Reyes Our roundtable will be posed with three common issues handlers may encounter when training or trialing in Scent Work. Learn how they would design a training plan, react to subsequent issues and more in this exciting event.
Instructor Program
How to Keep It Fresh Webinar Instructor Aleks Woodroffe Are you an instructor who is running out of ideas? Using the same training space over and over again, losing the spark of creativity and inspiration? Maybe you train on your own and are running on fumes, repeating the same search exercises and hide placements ad nauseam. This webinar is for you!
NW Relationship
Coach Jeff's Guide To The Nosework Relationship Webinar Instructor Jeff McMahon Everyone deserves a good relationship with their dog. This is the webinar where we light the path to the authentic and fulfilling Nose Work relationship that best fits YOU and YOUR DOG.
General Scent Work
Catalog of Odor Puzzles eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos Wouldn't it be nice to have a resource which listed all the various odor puzzles we can offer our dog when training Scent Work? Look no further than this helpful eBook.
Trial Prep Program
Boundaries: From Start Lines to Flags and Cones Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn Boundaries are a big part of a Nose Work search, but they are often undervalued and/or ignored. Learn how to more meaningfully tackle your start lines, cope with search area boundaries and more in this informative webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Vehicle Search Mechanics: The Handler's Role Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Once the dog understands how to confidently execute a vehicle search, the real finesse comes from the handler. This webinar dives into the human side of the team: how to support, read, and respond to a dog who is already patterned and fluent.
Trial Prep
Building Blocks for Elite and Summit Webinar Instructor Wendy Krehbiel Learn how to master the transition from NW3 to the Elite and Summit levels by deconstructing high-level challenges into foundational building blocks.
Trial Prep
Building Endurance in Container Searches Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Reliable container performances are a cornerstone for success in competition. In this webinar, learn specific drills and exercises designed to enhance container endurance and accuracy.
Live Webinar
Releasing the Inner Dog Webinar Instructor Bob Deeds Puzzles are used to manipulate drive states, build confidence, and enhance nose time, all the while fine tuning handler/trainer observation skills. Learn how to create search environments that help dogs by giving them environmental challenges they can overcome.
Trial Prep Program
Detoxifying Distractors! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Do intentional distractors have you down? Are you stressed out trying to distinguish between snack interest and an alert? Maybe you’re just looking for a few fresh and fun “gamified” drills! If so, consider joining us for a night of exploring multifaceted ways to detoxify the distractor downers!
Foundation Scent Work
Foundations: Building, Maintaining and Celebrating eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos Are you looking for ways to build and maintain solid foundational skills for you and your dog when it comes to Scent Work? Perhaps how to stay motivated to offer foundational searches throughout your entire sniffing journey? This eBook is for you!
NACSW
NACSW Trial Experience Webinar Series: Part 3 (Elite, Elite Premier and Summit) Instructor Lori Timberlake Elite, Elite Premier and Summit trials represent the highest levels of competition in NACSW™ and require advanced skills, thoughtful strategy, and a deep partnership between handler and dog. Learn how to better prepare with this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Supporting v Interfering: Becoming a Better Handler in Scent Work Webinar Instructor Khara Schuetzner The goal in Scent Work is to achieve teamwork, where the dog drives the search with its superior nose, while the handler manages logistics, reads body language, and tries to stay neutral enough to avoid cueing or pressuring the dog. Learn how to find the balance between supporting and interfering with this webinar.
Trial Prep
Skills Supporting the Sniff Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Training is all about building skills. Learn about all the various skills which exist outside of searching which allow for our dogs to be successful when they ARE searching!
Trial Prep Program
Best Practices for Trialing an Older Dog Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Nosework sports are so good for our older partners! While the scent sports are older-dog friendly, there are many things we can do to help keep our partners in their best shape and frame of mind to work at the optimal performance levels. Learn how in this webinar!
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