Welcome
Scentdog is designed for those pet owners just dipping a toe in the scent work world and also trainers who teach pet nose work.
Affordable and occasionally geeky products to help you on your scent detection journey. Whether you are looking for local classes, or some kit to get you started. It's all here.
What is scentwork?
We have all seen tv programmes with dogs being used to sniff out drugs, hoards of cash and even explosives! Have you ever noticed that it's always a dog walker that finds a body in the woods!
That's because a dogs sense of smell is so powerful, where as we "see" the world through our eyes, dogs see everything through their nose.
Us humans have around 6 million scent receptors where as the average dog has 150 -300 million!
We aren't so much as teaching our dog to smell, but to harness it to our advantage; dogs are trained in nose work to sniff out cancers, when someone is likely to have a seizure etc so why would you not encourage your own dog to see just how good they are?
It's good for all dogs of any age, breed and also ideal for reactive or anxious dogs.
Why?
Sniffing activates something called the 'seeking system' part of the brain which in turn releases dopamine - the chemical for feeling good.
Sniffing a particular scent and then interpreting that information is the dog version of a mental work out. They won’t be running miles or building up muscles, but being mentally engaged is just as important.
Where as we turn to the likes of Facebook for information about friends, family and acquaintances, a dog will get all this from their sniffy walks. Sniffing will tell them who has recently been there, how long ago and whether that dog was male or female, along with other odours left by the neighbourhood cat or fox or passing beetle, for example.
Harnessing your dogs natural talent for sniffing is a constructive way to keep them mentally stimulated. By teaching them to find and locate an odour we have taught, whether it be cash, your keys or a specific odour used, we start the seeking system in motion and are also having fun with our dog creating and even closer bond.
Odours used in the UK
Various scents or odours are used in different organisations throughout the UK, the main ones being Napier Gun Oil, KONG pieces, truffle oil, KONG Catnip or even a flavoured teabag.
There is a list of nosework Instructors throughout the UK listed in the menu section - why not pop along and watch a class in action. Most dogs will work in turn so don't be put off if your dog isn't sociable around others.
If there isn't one listed locally, send me a message and i'll try to put you in touch. The instructor list is growing all the time.
Check out this great TED video about how dogs "see the world"
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