Nosework is easily the hottest new sport around, and it’s easy to see why! It’s fun for humans, dogs love to participate, and it’s good for building confidence and focus in dogs that have issues like shyness, reactivity, aggression, or a simple lack of confidence. Any dog can participate; from puppies to very old or retired dogs. In a matter of weeks, you’ll see your dog confidently ignoring distractions and focusing on the target scent; and by the end of the course, many of the dogs will be ready to compete for their ORT.
This course is unique in that your dog will NOT learn to search for food; instead, we use the proven training method that produces the nation's top drug and bomb detection dogs! Our backchaining method is effective on almost all dogs, from insecure and unfocused dogs to highly driven and intense workers. The proof is in the pudding; dogs going through only one or two levels of our courses are earning their ORT and NW titles in record time! Even if your dog has failed using other methods, we can help you succeed!
In this class, you will learn about the basic concepts in searching for odor, proper use of equipment, how to handle odor, how to make and place hides, and how to teach your dog the importance of odor obedience. You will also learn how to make the search for scent extremely important to your dog.
This class has updated content including new exercises for building odor value, starting with other containers to help prevent box smashing/interaction and introducing distractions and generalization earlier in foundation training. We will also discuss optional exercises outside of nose work to enhance your nose work skills.
Announcement: This class will have a Teacher Assistants (TA). If you join the FB discussion group for this course, then you will have access to an awesome TA to assist bronze and silver level students who need additional support. There will be no change to the classroom itself here on the FDSA website and Melissa will respond to all student threads as per usual. For more information about joining the FB Study group for this course, please join the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Alumni AFTER you become a student of FDSA. Information is also posted in the class discussion.
Melissa Chandler lives in Ohio and is owned by her Weimaraner and Vizsla. Melissa has been addicted to dog sports since starting in 4H and AKC Jr. Showmanship. She has competed in conformation, agility, obedience, hunt tests, nose work, and rally. She has also
The focus for this class will be to build value/history on odor, use of proper containers to minimize container interaction/ box smashing / pawing, introduce and build drive for hunting, and emphasize the importance of staying at source. Many fun games are used to progress the teams at their own pace. Other topics include generalization, aging, equipment/gear, handling, mild proofing games, creative container placement patterns, handler position, and handler analysis - can you tell where hide is from handler cues?
Week 1:
What is Nosework / Explanation of training method
Preparing/handling odor & avoiding contamination
Building odor Value
Adding Duration
Value of Rewarding at Source
Generalization of location
Discrimination
Supplemental Lecture: Training with Cocktails including the pros and the cons
BONUS: Game from Nose Work Games Class
BONUS: Non Nose Work exercises to enhance Nose Work Skills part 1
Week 2:
Containers
Setting criteria for behavior at source
Red Light/Green Light
Introduction to hunting
How to address false alerts
Generalization of containers
BONUS: Game from Nose Work Games Class
Week 3:
More Generalization
Show me the money!! Mild proofing for staying at soure
Handling & body language - how that can affect your dog's search
Hunting skill building games / adding more containers and challenges in search area
BONUS: Game from Nose Work Games Class
Week 4:
Nosework gear and leash handling
Elevated Containers
High and Low
Adding Intentional Distractors
Introductions to Interiors
Easy interior with a known hide
Introduction of aging (aka cooking) your hides
BONUS: Game from Nose Work Games Class
Week 5:
Start Line Routines
Introduction to NACSW ORT / AKC Novice Containers
Introduction to searching chairs
Easy interior in known area
BONUS: Non nose work exercises to enhance your nose work skills part 2
BONUS: Game from Nose Work Games Class
Week 6:
Preparing for your NACSW ORT / AKC Novice Containers
Video camera/access to YouTube upload (Gold only) including tripod to hold camera
6 "Game Boxes" - plastic sandwich boxes with holes drilled in the top work great. Sandwich style containers work the best as they are not top heavy and do not move around as easy. You can get them from the Dollar Tree with a soft lid (easier to put holes in top).
3-6 of the optional containers, all the same or a couple of each
Colander for Building odor value - metal colander or plastic colander with bowl
Birch odor (or first odor for your NW organization)
q-tips
small glass jar
metal tins with holes
tweezers
Quake Hold or museum putty
(Optional) small rare earth magnets that can go inside a tin
A cold tin that will never have odor in it. If you are ordering a kit, you might as well order a few extra tins in different sizes. Most kits won't come with an extra metal tin.
Colander 5 Quart recommended (or 3 Quart for small dogs) Can also use plastic colander and put inside large plastic bowl
(Optional) Disposable gloves
(Optional) ORT boxes used in NACSW for weeks 5 and 6 (12-pack). Good options are 11 1/8 x 8 3/4 x 3" size or 10 x 8 x 3" and /or fold top boxes as used in AKC Scent work. Amazon boxes or any shipping boxes work well too, no reason to buy extra boxes if you already have them available
To purchase your odor supplies, you can purchase supplies individually or as a kit in the US from:
At http://k9nwsource.com/product-category/containers/odor-kits/ - the minimum you would need is the "student starter kit". The "plus" kit includes a round and slider tin plus a heat strip sleeve and Centrafuge Tubes (may be used end of class and in NW120). The "deluxe" kit includes 1 dram bottle of oil and more qtip containers. Eventually, you will want to make your own scented qtips so you will want to have the oil also. For existing scented qtips, I may refresh them every 3-4 months if I find they are drying up. Located in the east/PA.
At http://www.paws4fun.net/target-odor-kit - the minimum you would need is the "labeled jar". This kit only comes with 5 scented qtips. The "target odor kit" includes the dram bottle of oil, more scented qtips and a cute case! With this kit you must indicate you want a tin slider with holes. Located in the west/CA.
At http://www.thek9nose.com/ - the minimum you would need is the "starter travel kit". The "Beginner Starter kit" includes a bottle of oil and some additional qtip holders. Located in the mid-west/MN!
At http://www.allgooddogs.biz/products - the "Travel kit starter with Birch" or "Student kit with single odor" are good options. (Specific to NACSW).
For international orders, check with your country organization to confirm the correct target scents. If you're training strictly for fun, you may select any scent that is available to you, not used a lot in everyday use and safe for your dog! Order early, sometimes the scents are back ordered.
For Poland, you may order supplies directly from Nosework Polska / Nosework Poland: http://nosework-polska.pl/
The specific scent for the ORT (NACSW), Pre-trial (UKC), or the Novice (AKC) title is: BIRCH: (aka "Sweet Birch" or Betula Lenta). Make sure you buy this specific one! Wyndmere brand is Available at Whole Foods, but is not always in stock. You can also order online at: http://www.wyndmerenaturals.com/
NOTE for Canadians:
Odors required for Sporting Detection Dogs Association (SDDA) are:
Wintergreen (Gaultharia procumbens), Pine (pinus pinaster or sylvestris) and Red Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Nose work gear: Back clip harness and 10' leash (biothane, leather, cotton) not needed until week 4 of class. More information provided within the class.
This first week we will be introducing your dog to odor right away using a high rate of reinforcement at odor. This will build the value of odor and will be the start to great odor obedience.
Time Commitment: Plan for 2-3 times a day for no more than 2 minutes each session.
Supplies Needed:
Soft treats
Small tin to put scented qtips in
Cold tin
Plastic container with holes drilled in lid to be used and labeled as a HOT container, sandwich size plastic containers work very well
Week 1: Intro to Odor
Game 1, Part 1: “It’s your choice” with a tin
1. Prepare your tin with 3-5 qtips inside. Use a lower number if your dog is sensitive to smells or seeming to not want to go near the odor tin.
2. Pick a familiar area in your house that will be your primary training area when introducing new exercises.
3. Have treats available on you or in nearby dish.
4. Get your dog.
5. Pick up tin with one hand, and grab a handful of food in the other.
6. Sit on floor or in chair.
7. Place your hands 12-18” apart at dogs nose level. Keep hot tin hand open with palm up and your food hand closed.
- Your dog will likely spend some time trying to get the food out of your food hand. Wait dog out.
- When your dog investigates the other hand with the tin, IMMEDIATELY mark their behavior (“yes”) and THEN give treat by bringing hand with food to tin and feed at source.
- If dog stays at source/tin, keep feeding at source.
- Make sure to anchor your tin/source hand. Hold that hand still and bring the TREAT hand to source.
8. Switch hands, repeat step 7 for another minute or so.
9. Take a break (don't over do it, should be short session). Repeat later in day.
10. If you have been using 5 qtips, reduce to 2-3 by weeks end. 3 qtips seems to be the average used in most cases.
Here's Drac at 4 months old on his first 2 days of learning nosework:
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Troubleshooting:
1. If after giving it some time and your dog is too distracted by your food hand, you can just put out the tin hand for a few times with your treat hand at your side or behind your back and mark then feed immediately for checking it out. The objective is to have your dog "find" odor and get reinforced at source. Once you have had some success with this, you can try having your food hand out to give your dog a choice.
2. If your dog gets stuck and doesn’t offer any behavior. You can use your FOOD hand to lure them back in or out of a stuck position. Or shift your position to get them to move. NEVER lure them with the tin.
3. If your dog is a little put off by the odor and won't eat near the tin, go to Game 3 and use a vented plastic container. The container will act as a bigger "target" and you can place your treats right on top of the container.
4. Engage some play drive by taking off and trying to get away from your dog in a fun game of chase and then hold out your hands with food and hot tin.
Make sure to mark and feed IMMEDIATELY when they check out your hand with odor. They are finding it by accident and will repeat what led to reinforcement.
Game 1, Part 2: “It’s your choice” on the ground
Play the same game as when holding the tin and food, but place the tin on the ground.
1. First just place the tin on the ground and feed when your dog checks it out.
2. Then place your choice of food out by holding treats on the ground about 12-18" inches area from the odor tin.
3. You can also put the treats on the ground but cover them. You can feed from your other hand or from under the cupped hand. This will work some impulse control too!
Game 2: Two Tins!
Now we will test that our dog doesn't think any container (or any tin) pays. We will now put a cold tin (a tin that has NEVER had odor in it or been stored with odor tins) and a hot tin on the ground. Place the tins 1-2 feet apart and reward for checking out or staying at the hot tin. If you don't have an extra tin, find any small container about the same size as your tin. You can usually find something equivalent at a local craft store - since it will always be a "cold" tin, no need to have vented holes in it.
Note: If you are doing some treat tosses to reset between reps, it's good practice to pick up the hot tin after you give your last treat for that rep so we don't encourage them to leave source. After you pick up the hot tin, THEN toss your reset treat. Now you have the hot tin in you hand and you can place it down in a new spot before your dog returns. This will become more useful when we get to more containers.
Here's a video of Drac choosing between 2 tins for the first time.
Game 3: “It’s your choice” with a container
Repeat the same steps above, but put your tin in a small vented tupperware container. Hold the container in one hand and your treats in the other. This is your first introduction to search containers!
Here's a video showing this with Bam! using a vented plastic container (with odor tin inside).
Pre-test before you proceed:
Before you proceed to the next lecture, test that your dog goes quickly to source within three seconds, without offering additional behaviors like barking or positions. If you pass, you are ready to proceed to the next lesson.
Here is Drac's pre-test before moving to the next level. This was his 5th session of nosework!
A sampling of what prior students have said about this course...
This course was recommended to us as part of a rehab program for my dog who had surgery and needed a lot of crate rest and quiet time. Best thing we could have done ! We found a new sport that we love and will continue to take other nosework classes here. Outstanding individual attention from the instructor and an incredibly dynamic group of students, with lots of positive energy. Great way to strengthen your relationship with your dog and tap into their natural skills ! Loved it ! Ana C.
This was my first gold at Fenzi and I haven't regretted a second. :) We (me and my dog) had so much fun on the course and we got so much helpful feedback and positive encouragement from the instructor. Super course.
I had hesitated to try Nosework because it didn't seem as exciting as other sports, but as a novice handler with an independent, reactive dog, I wanted to find an activity that might come more naturally to us as a team...we are hooked! It is a special kind of thrill to see my dog starting to understand and search for odor, all in just 6 weeks.
One of the best online courses I have taken. The material provided was helpful, but best of all was looked after by the teacher. She provided feedback really fast and comprehensive. Thanks a lot, looking forward to the next course, you got me and my dog hooked on Nosework!
My dogs have developed good, independent hunting skills as well as value to stay at source. They are confidently completing container and interior searches. Now we are working on transitioning to ORT boxes. I look forward to the next level of nosework classes!
The progression was logical and systematic, but with the flexibility to tailor to the strengths and preferences of each dog. Feedback was timely and very supportive. It was educational to see the variety of breeds of dogs in the class mature in their skills during the course. As someone who has a non-traditional work schedule, finding a quality on-line class is the perfect fit! Thanks FDSA! Kyla S
This was a great course. The written material was excellent as were the videos. Shortly after the course began, I found myself unable to continue due to illness in the family. However, knowing that the material would be available after the course finished, allowed me to relax & focus on the crisis at hand, without stressing about missing out on the course. During this time, I read the lectures & viewed the videos & am confident that I will be able to pick up where I left off, as the lectures & videos were so well done. Having access to the lecture material for a full year, strongly influenced me to sign up for the course when I did, as I knew this would give me time to work through it with my 3 dogs. I also knew that even if I was unable to give a constant 6 weeks to it, I would be able to do it as time was available. I look forward to finishing this course & progressing onto the next level with my dogs. If your other courses are as well done as this one, I will be taking many more. Thanks, for making it possible for us to have top-notch instruction online. Karen H.
This has been a great class. The lectures were easy to follow, and even though I was only at the bronze level, I still have great confidence that with a little more proofing in distracting environments, my dog will have no problems completing an odor recognition test. All of the exercises were straightforward, nicely demoed, and something I could easily do. The feedback given to the gold students was invaluable, even to me who wasn't one of those students! I really enjoyed this class, and cannot wait to take the next level! Brittany L.
Registration
Next session starts: April 1, 2020Registration starts: March 22, 2020Registration ends: April 15, 2020
Instructor: Melissa Chandler
