Hidden Benefits of K9 Nose Work®
What is K9 Nose Work®?
Anyone who has watched their dog pinpoint the precise coordinates of a chicken bone in the bushes of their local park can attest to just how powerful their sense of smell is. In fact, domestic dogs have an estimated 300 million olfactory receptors, while us humans have a meager 6 million. Roughly one third of your dog’s brain is dedicated to processing odor, and they have sophisticated adaptations that make their sense of smell so incredible that they can detect one teaspoon of sugar dissolved in one million gallons of water (ie: the volume of TWO olympic sized swimming pools.)
It’s easy to get frustrated by a dog whose nose is pulling them into the bushes on walks or into the trash at home. Luckily, we can harness your dog’s superpower with the sport of K9 Nose Work®! This unique dog sport is designed to get your dog using their nose to solve puzzles and find hidden odor, similar to other detection dog training. You and your dog can play nose work games casually in your living room, or work all the way up to trial and title at official K9 Nose Work® events.
In a typical nosework training plan, the goal is to teach your dog how to find and indicate the presence of specific essential oils (birch, anise, and clove). When your dog finds the odor, they get a tasty treat! As your dog gets more skilled, the hides become more challenging as they navigate indoor and outdoor environments to hunt for their target odor. This is a true team sport that will teach you to read and trust your dog’s behavior. After all, you’ll be relying on their amazing sense of smell to find the hidden containers of odor.
Why We love Nosework
There’s a reason why trainers are so obsessed with nosework: it RULES. Nosework is genuinely a sport that any dog can play. It is a low impact activity, which makes it safe for puppies and senior dogs alike. Since one dog searches at a time, it also means reactive pups can join in on the fun. Most searches can be easily adapted for both disabled dogs and people to participate fully. You also won’t break the bank collecting supplies to practice and play at home! All you’ll need to get started is a collection of cardboard boxes, your dog’s favorite treats, and optionally an odor kit (you can get a simple one for around $30!).
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity, this is an activity that can fulfill and tire out even the most intense pups. There are so many ways to make this game more challenging for your dog, from changing up obstacles to manipulating air flow with an open window or fan, that will get your pup really thinking and working. Watching your dog use their nose and working their way to find the hidden odor is fascinating. Even the non-sporty among us tend to get hooked after their first class wraps.
3 Hidden Benefits of Nosework
In addition to providing some added fun and enrichment into your dog’s life, there are a few surprising concrete benefits to taking up the sport of K9 Nose Work®.
Confidence Building: Nosework is a dog-lead sport, which means they set the pace as they navigate novel environments, objects, and situations as they search. A good nosework instructor will set challenges and adjust as needed in response to your dog’s body language. We want to keep them happy and successful as they learn to work independently and access reinforcement. Time and time again we have seen dogs with sunken postures and tucked tails approaching the classroom on their first search, who by the end of class are dragging their parents to the start line with loose bodies and wagging tails. But it’s not just anecdotal, studies have found that dogs who participate in nosework develop a positive judgement bias (ie: they become more optimistic about the unknown!)
Improving Focus: In a typical K9 Nose Work® class, there are other people spectating and plenty of distractions to pull your dog off course. Instead of drilling obedience skills and nagging your dog for their attention away from the environment, nosework is set up to be a short and clean loop. You and your dog enter, work for a few minutes to search for your hides, and exit again. There is very little room for boredom, shenanigans, or yucky feelings to enter the picture for your dog. What we see across the board are dogs who quickly learn that all of the distractions are irrelevant, and get sucked back into the game without much guidance from us. Interestingly, we also observe that dogs who have taken nosework classes are much more likely to stay “on task” even in a more traditional obedience class. I became a true believer in the power of nosework the day I witnessed my VERY social and not historically food motivated golden retriever easily rush past a sea of onlookers to let me know she had found the hide.
Strengthening Body Language Reading: What nose work lacks in flash it makes up in nuance. If you’re the type of dog parent who loves the little details, this is definitely the sport for you. In nosework, you will learn to read every inch of your dog, from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. Every weight shift and direction change has a purpose, and you’ll be able to confidently read the little signals and ultimately, their clear alerts.
Are you and your dog ready to take the leap? At Clickstart we offer four different levels of K9 Nose Work® classes with our certified Nose Work instructor Mara Clare VanValzah, CTC, CNWI, as well as a free orientation/Instructor Q&A class to get your questions answered before you make the commitment. All ages and experience levels are welcome.
