Welcome to Nose Work with K9 Scentral. What is Nose Work? It s the sport dogs put their paw up for! Nose Work classes provide your dog with the chance to unleashes their incredible olfactory ability in a safe environment. This simple opportunity has incredible benefits for your dog in ways you will not believe. First and foremost It is the very best way to build confidence, focus and concentration in your dog while building an even greater bond between your dog and you. Nose work is taking the dog world by storm because of the incredible benefits this activity has for every dog. Dogs that suffer from stress or anxiety are especially blessed because of the therapeutic aspects of the opportunity to hunt (an increase in dopamine and endorphins in the brain) and due to the creation of a practical workshop where each dog is worked on their own, with out the social pressure of other dogs. Dogs are invited to lead the way for us as we use their body language and overall behaviour to gain information as to how to create a session specific for their needs. Nose Work workshops are very different to any other dog related workshop you may have been to. These practical workshops will combine an introduction to the activity of nose work and an introduction to the neuroscience of Nose Work - what is going on inside the brain that makes this activity such an incredible therapy for all of our project dogs. Attendees will leave with a brand new understanding of their dogs and a set of easy scent activities that can be played which will make a huge difference the dog s confidence level and state of wellbeing. The understanding and trust you will gain, even after just the first lesson will totally blow your mind. And the very best part is Nose Work can be enjoyed by any dog. Old, young, shy, timid, blind or deaf. All can participate and benefit. Reactive dogs especially love Nose Work as everything is done without physical or mental pressure. The dog's comfort is our primary goal. Dogs will all be worked individually, allowing the focus to be totally on that dog and handler team. This also provides handers with the chance to watch other teams working which provides an added opportunity to learn and understand.
Nose Work gives each dog and handler exactly what they need to succeed. While dog and handler teams may choose to pursue Nose Work at a competition level, we remain committed to the therapeutic foundation of all kinds of scent work for dogs. Students will be supported in integrating scent work into their dog s daily life whether Nose Work is solely used as a foundation of enrichment for their dog or if the competition bug bites. The Workshop/s The main focus of a Nose Work Workshop is on the physical and mental comfort of the dogs. Workshops are designed to run for 4-4.5 hours and consist of two short lectures and two working sections of a maximum of seven teams (dog and handler). The number of auditors is governed only by the venue space, but should provide all auditors to be able to have a good view of the dogs while they are working. More information on this can be found under the heading The Venue below. Workshops all follow the same format: 40 min lecture / powerpoint presentation 60 min working dogs 15 min break 40 min lecture 60 min working dogs 30 question time Currently the workshops focused on Nose Work Animal Training Solution offers are: Introduction to Nose Work for Dogs. Scent Work for the K9 Stress Head - The Therapy and Science of Scent Work for Dogs. How Odour Works - What You Need to Think About When Training on Your Own From Boxes to Competition - The Four Elements and the things you need to know when competing in K9 Nose Work Trials. The Venue All of our workshops are presented indoors. The venue should consist of at least one large room (minimum would be 6 meters x 10 meters), though the larger the space the better. It is in this space that we will present the power point lectures and work the dogs. When a dog is working we must be able to allow seating for auditors in a sectioned off area. Most hosts use x pens or puppy pens that can be lengthened out. It is vital that dogs are not
This is the set up for the workshop presented at the RSPCA in Wacol, Queensland, Perfect! made to feel threatened or crowded in. Dogs with issues thrive in Nose Work when their needs are catered for, so we have to be ready to accomodate them. Additional rooms are great for crating dogs IF THE DOGS ARE CRATE TRAINED! Dogs will require space and should not be packed into rooms like sardines! Weather permitting, dogs are usually more comfortable waiting in their cars, so adequate parking close by in an area that does not have much through traffic, a nice amount of shade and room for cars to be parked at a distance from one others is a must. At least one grassed area where the dogs can toilet is a must. The more area for dogs outside the better. We do not invite dogs socialising at K9 Nose Work events. This is again to ensure the comfort and safety of all dogs. Even if dogs know each other, their play could place a dog with issues over threshold. Respecting the needs of all the dogs that are lucky enough to attend our workshop is fundamental to our requirements from ALL ATTENDEES. The very best venues are the ones that: offer us a lot of space to work the dogs provide two entry / exit points are not too slippery on the dogs feet allow one or at most two sides for the auditors to watch dogs work
provide the dogs with space from each other when being exercised or toileted. FOR SAFETY REASONS DOGS ARE NOT TO BE OFF LEAD DURING THE WORKSHOP IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. Working Dogs Queensland RSPCA, February 2015. Working with the shelter dogs. Our advice is to book a dog into only one working position per day. However, we certainly do understand that many handlers will want to make the most of a day out learning with their dogs, so It is up to the host and the handlers if they would like to submit an application for working positions in two workshops on one day. Please remember that being in an unknown environment and the learning of new and stimulating activities for the dog is incredibly mentally tiring. The dog MUST have a place where they feel safe and secure while not being worked. The welfare of the dogs is and will always remain our main focus. All workshops and classes allow only one dog to work at a time. There can be no other dogs in the room or space where the dog is working. This allows confidence to grow and the magic that we so often see in Nose Work workshops to take place. The down time in between the dog working is just as important as the working time, allowing the brain to digest the experiences that they have had. When they are not working
Piggy at Paws and Relax in Queensland, July 2015 dogs can either be resting in the owner s car or in a crate by the car or in a room seperate to where the dogs are working. This is fundamental to the success that we have with improving the behaviour and mindset of all dogs that we work with, and we love setting up a learning environment where all dogs are welcome. Nervous, aggressive, fearful, blind, - all dogs are welcome as we design the environment for dogs to feel safe. This allows confidence to grow and the magic that we so often see in our workshops to take place. The down time in between the dog working is just as important as the working time, allowing the brain to digest the experiences that they have had. Teams that secure working position will be required to submit a short profile on their dog to ensure the dog s safety and comfort on the day. This profile will be provided to you by us a few weeks before the workshop.
Other requirements Lots of different sized cardboard boxes! The more boxes the better - 30 of all different sizes is a good number. At least 5 shallow boxes. Shoe box lids & printer paper box lids are great. The dogs need to be able to comfortably eat out of these boxes Handlers who have working positions must bring LOTS really yummy food items cut up into medium to small pieces, depending on the size of their dog. We would expect at least 500g of cut up food that their dog loves and rarely gets. Natural foods low in fat and salt such as chicken, lamb, turkey are best. This should be provided in a plastic container with the handler and dog s name printed clearly on the lid. Host is to provide 2 BBQ chickens per workshop as a standby as handlers often don't bring enough high quality stuff. Several big bowls of water - sniffing makes dogs thirsty. If your handler s dog prefers toys or tugs or balls please bring a few of the same toy, along with food treats.
A spray bottle of water and some paper towers available in case a dog eliminates in the search area - Please not NO CHEMICALS FOR CLEAN UPS UNITL AFTER THE DOGS HAVE FINISHED WORKING FOR THE DAY AS IT CAN UPSET THEIR OLFACTORY SYSTEM. Projector that is mac compatible (we have all the adaptors). Screen or a light coloured wall for power point presentation. Small table for projector Small table for food and other bits and pieces extension chords for computer & projector Barrier fencing - puppy pens work well or even tables turned on their sides to keep the search area separated from the audience. Toilets for us, kitchen facilities etc are obviously all required for the comfort of the humans. We often find that people are most comfortable if they bring their own camp chair, but chairs for us all would also be great! Please let us know if there is any other information you require for our time together. Peta Clarke