Who

Prerequisites are:

• Dog has taken the Nose Work Intro group class with Ruff Translation or the equivalent thereof.

• Dog is comfortable in their owner’s car, and does not panic when the owner leaves them for a few minutes.

• Dog is not aggressive toward strangers - some fear or wariness can be easily accommodated, but dog should not be lunging toward bystanders.

• Dog is up to date on vaccinations per their vet’s recommended schedule.

What

What to expect

• This class picks up where the Nose Work Intro class ends. We will add more height to hides, practice more challenging interior and container hides, and add easy exterior hides.

• Owners will continue learning how to interpret their dog’s searching behaviors, and the change of behavior that happens when the dog is naturally alerting.

• We will work on finessing your dog’s “alert” behavior, to teach them to clearly indicate the location of the hide, without any pawing or scratching at containers or other property.

• We will continue to use birch oil as the target odor, but discuss how to teach the dogs to search for other target odors as desired.

• Owners are strongly encouraged to continue to practice with containers. These are typically cardboard boxes approximately the size of a shoe box, or a small to medium Amazon box. You can also use large tupperware or other reusable containers as long as they are not see-through.

• Only one dog will be searching at a time, so the rest of the dogs will be waiting in their owners’ cars for their turn. Owners are encouraged to watch and learn from the dog currently having their turn.

  • Classes take place in the evening to avoid extreme heat. If you are still concerned, I recommend purchasing an aluminet shade cloth to cover your car and reflect sunlight.

  • The shade cloth can also be used to cover your windows if your dog is reactive while in the car.

What to bring

• A large quantity of treats that your dog LOVES (such as cooked chicken, hot dogs, string cheese, beef liver, freeze dried minnows). These treats should be already cut into small pieces, and not crumble as you hand them to your dog.

• A six foot leash - no retractable leashes.

• Your dog should be wearing a plain buckle collar, martingale, or harness. No prong collars, choke chains, or slip leads, as we want the dog driving ahead of you to get to the odor.

• Your dog’s most recent vaccinations (DHPP/DA2PP and rabies) - these can be emailed to me ahead of time instead.

Where

The location is a private residence in northern Vacaville, off the Midway Rd exit of I-505. The address will be emailed to you after you sign up and pay for class.

Why

There are two big reasons that I recommend nose work training for clients:

1. It’s a major mental workout, which is a huge help for meeting the exercise and enrichment needs of active dogs. This is particularly helpful if you have a dog who is so athletic that you can’t tire him out physically, when the weather prevents you from getting out, or if your dog can’t do much physical exercise due to injury or illness.

2. It’s a huge confidence booster for anxious or shy dogs. It gives them a structured, fun way to explore new surroundings and acclimate to the presence of people, noises, new surfaces, etc. There’s even a study that shows that “practicing nosework increases dogs’ positive judgment bias or ‘optimism’.” The authors also note that “behaving naturally and making active choices are two key factors in animal welfare,” and “olfaction-based activities contribute to dogs’ welfare.”

There’s also a third reason… which is that it’s fun!

How

Simply click the button below, select a date, and then follow the prompts. Email me if you have any questions about registration or the class itself.