Scent Detection

Scent Detection can take many forms. Most of us are familiar with working dogs using their nose to detect illegal substances for law enforcement, or find lost people by following a scent trail. Our instructors have experience with narcotics dogs, ratting dogs, and even search your house for bed bugs! But did you know that your pet can also participate in scent detection as a fun activity or competitive sport? 

Dog nose work (also called scent work) is a sport or activity where dogs use their incredible sense of smell to search for specific scents, usually hidden in different environments. It mimics the scent detection work that dogs do for things like search-and-rescue, drug detection, or even detecting medical conditions, but in a fun and structured way.

In dog nose work, a handler and their dog work together to find a scent that has been hidden by the instructor (or "trial" organizers, in the case of competitions). The dog is trained to alert when they find the scent, either by sitting, lying down, or using another signal.

The sport has several levels, often starting with a simple introduction to sniffing and progressing to more challenging searches. The scents used are typically essential oils like birch, anise, or clove, which are standardized for competitions, although you can practice with other scents as well.

1. Container Searches – The dog searches through various containers (like boxes or bags) to find the target scent.
2. Vehicle Searches - interior, exterior, trunk, engine...all fair game.
3. Interior Searches – This involves searching indoor areas like rooms or buildings.
4. Exterior Searches – Dogs search outside in areas like parking lots, gardens, or open fields.
5. Buried Searches – The scent is buried under materials like sand, dirt, or gravel, and the dog needs to dig it out or sniff it out.