About the Course
The sport of Scent Work is based on the work of professional detection dogs employed by humans to detect a wide variety of scents and substances. Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog. Sniffing is a great way to get your dog some indoor activity when the weather outdoors doesn't allow for those long walks our dogs love.
In so many dog sports the handler is in control but this isn’t true in Scent Work. Neither the dog nor handler knows where the target odor is hidden. The handler has to rely on the dog, and follow the dog’s nose to success. In Scent Work, it is the canine who is the star of the show.
In the introductory class dogs will learn to use their noses to search for cotton swabs saturated with specific essential oils. Teamwork is necessary as when the dog finds the scent, they need to communicate the find to the handler, who can then indicate where the scent is located. As dogs progress to more difficult levels of scent work they will learn to locate the hidden scent both inside, outside, in containers and hidden in cars.
Scent work is a SUPER fun way to connect with your dog.
Your Instructor
Kelly Hawtrey
Kellys' unique ability to connect with her human students allows her to shape the learning process in ways that makes sense to both halves of the partnership: dog and human. The past thirty years she has followed and studied Suzanne Clothiers' training style and has gained her unique outlook on training from Suzanne. Kelly continues her education by participating in workshops, training camps, behavior seminars and webinars. Kelly is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, APDT, an Accredited Dog Trainer with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, IAABC-ADT, a Professional Dog Trainer with the Pet Professional Guild, PPG-PDT, a Certified Fear Free Professional as well as an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, STAR Puppy instructor, FIT DOG instructor and an APDT CLASS instructor. Kelly raises and shows Saint Bernard's and is proud of her owner handled AKC Champions and Grand Champions.