Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - N101J: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Course Details

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 start with your target odor on DAY ONE! 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.

Teaching Approach

This class offers extensive written lectures, no verbal lectures, and videos of varying length. Any video lectures that include verbal information/instructions are accompanied with written steps. Lectures are designed to be watched and follow the ideas presented in the lecture. Lecture videos may run from 1 to 4 minutes long, with the average between 1-2 minutes. The lectures are designed to help a student understand the purpose of the exercise and how it might vary by dog. Pre-lectures are available before the class starts so that teams can get a jump start on conditioning odor for optimal skill progression. Since most lectures are sequential, they will be rolled out in 2 batches - the night before each week and a few days into each week. A 1 minute unlimited homework video option is available, along with the standard 6 minutes option per week. This class will work best for students who learn by reading text lectures, watching videos and who like having structured lesson plans.

This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining that Facebook group will be in the classroom after you register.

Instructor: Julie Symons

Julie Symons (she/her) has been involved in dog sports for over 30 years. Starting with her mix, Dreyfus, in flyball, she went on to train and compete in conformation, agility, obedience, herding and tracking with her first Belgian tervuren, Rival. Rival was the first CH OTCH MACH Belgian...(Click here for full bio and to view Julie's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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The focus for this class will be to build value/history on odor, 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
Supplemental Lecture: Training with Cocktails
Conditioning your dog to odor
Non-Odor Drills
Choosing a marker word and when to use it
Buldling criteria to stay at source
Hunt verses Choice

Week 2:

Generalization
Discrimination
Progressing with hunt games
Discrimination Proofing - Adding novel odor distractions
Reverse Luring
Change of Behavior at source

Week 3:

Search cues and other cues!
Box acclimation - ways to avoid box smashing and antics!
Intro to Interiors
False Alerts
Handling & body language - how that can affect your dog's search
More Generalization

Week 4:

Gear and leash handling
Start line routines
Box Acclimation part 2
More hunting games
Introduction to “ORT”/Novice container boxes

Week 5:

Proofing arousal on container
Interior search, small known area
Introduction to aging your hides
Introducing hides on chairs
SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURE: Elevated Containers

Week 6:

Novel interior searches
Distractors in Interiors
Preparing for your ORT/Novice container trial
Mock ORT/Novice container search (blind search)
Line of Objects

Prerequisites & Supplies

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Prerequisites: Open to All.

MINIMUM EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Soft, high value treats
Video camera/access to YouTube upload (Gold/Silver only)
Scent kit supplies
- Pre-scented Birch qtips (3-6) - borrow from a NW friend or see detailed kit info below
  - Birch shoudl be “Sweet Birch” aka Betula Lenta
- Vessel to hold scented qtips - Drinking straw OR lip balm tin with holes OR heat shrink tubing. Small tins ideal and come in kits.
- Or this inexpensive kit: https://k9nwsource.com/shop/https-k9nwsource-com-shop-student-starter-kit/ for $12.50
- Quake hold or duct tape
Medium/Large dogs: One large 5 quart colander (big dogs), or wide rim deep bowl or pie plate. These open top containers will be used for conditioning odor. Recommend a sturdy colandar lilke the link this link below at Target. You can get some cheaper ones when adding in cold colanders at the dollar stores. https://www.target.com/p/5qt-stainless-steel-colander-figmint/-/A-88889284?preselect=87707187#lnk=sametab#lnk=sametab
Small dogs/puppies can use a smaller colander or a pie plate. I also like these "pavlov" plates from K9 NW source. I would get the set of 5. You'll get 5 tins with magnets as a bonus! I keep one hot and the rest cold for discrimination. Later on you can turn some of the cold ones to be hot when adding new odors. https://k9nwsource.com/shop/pavlovs-classical-conditioning-introduction-plate/
Assorted cardboard boxes that you have around the house or shipping boxes. 10-15 of varying shapes and sizes - roughly 10x8x4 - single fold or 4 fold flap. Start saving all your amazon delivery boxes! NOTE: Please do NOT take boxes from the Post Office. That is illegal to use for non-mailing uses. (Used ones are fine of course!)
Three (3) Plastic shoe containers. (Dollar stores) These are trial type containers but any kind of sturdy plastic container can be used. Putting holes on side allows us to teach our dogs to search the seams and not the tops and will be recommended in class.

OPTIONAL/ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:

Odor kit (or build your own)
- Birch oil - “Sweet Birch” aka Betula Lenta (or first odor for your NW organization)
- q-tips cut in half (or a little shorter - I cut out a bit in the middle).
- small glass jar
- metal tins (lip balm tins) with holes or slider you can open a bit.
- tweezers
- Quake Hold or museum putty
- (Optional) small rare earth magnets that can go inside a tin

(Optional) A few cold tins that will never have odor in it. If using a store bought mint tin, make sure to thoroughly wash it out so that there is no mint smell. If you are ordering a kit, you might as well order a few extra tins in different sizes. The kits won't come with an extra metal tin. I really like these slightly larger tins that you can make a few for odor too - drill/nail some holes in a few of them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FY7OH80/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Smalltins 628x293

(Optional) Slightly larger tin for a BIGGER target and to hold more odor/qtips - the size of a large altoid rectangle tin (shown below is 2.5x3.5 inches)

LargeTin 428x320

(Optional but VERY important to have some - used throughout career) ORT boxes used in NACSW for weeks 5 and 6. A good option is 10 x 8 x 3" OR slightly smaller for better storing using 9 x 6 x 3.

They come in a 50 pack and ship in a small stack unassembled. Split with friends or you will find you'll go through them as they get damanged/used and always nice to have "new" ones to pull out.

white mailer box

Uline:https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-159/Indestructo-and-Literature-Mailers/9-x-6-1-2-x-2-3-4-White-Literature-Mailers

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9T2G3M/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?pd_rd_i=B01D9SZNF6&pd_rd_w=ZuymM&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=Fb9zp&pf_rd_r=DB7J7DWQ8345V4TTMMZV&pd_rd_r=2cf0197e-9a29-11e9-ab2b-6576650e2f66&th=1

(Optional and highly recommended) 6 metal light switch boxes - for use as alternative to game boxes or for dogs that may overly interact with boxes. A great way to avoid box smashing by learning on something heavior.
- You can find them at larger brand hardware stores. The bottom and top are sold separately and are in different bins in the store.

metal box 1 metal box lid and bottom

(Optional) white drain caps with a top drain grate.The part without the holes is a drain cap. The drain grate should fit inside the drain cap.

https://www.homedepot.com/.../NDS-4-in-PVC.../100172701

https://www.homedepot.com/.../NDS-4-in-Styrene.../100377413

drain

(Optional) Disposable gloves, for handling odor

To purchase your 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! 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 and safe for your dog! Order early, sometimes the scents are back ordered.

Canadians, you may order here: http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/
Australians, you may order here: https://k9pro.com.au/nosework-kit/ and https://www.puppingtons.com.au/store/p110/Scent_Work_Mini_Kits_-_Matchy_Matchy.html#/
For Poland, you may order supplies directly from Nosework Polska / Nosework Poland: https://noseworkpolska.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)
It may be quickest and cheapest to put together your own kit. You will need to start with Wintergreen unless you are planning to train all 3 odors together. You can get these Essential Oils at your local health food store.

Tins can be purchased on Amazon. Get empty lip balm slide tins and poke 6 holes in the top with a nail.

You will also need a small jar to "cook" Qtips. Something the size of a sterilized baby food jar works great!

Sample Lecture

From Week 1-3: Conditioning your dog to Target odor

We condition our dogs to odor through its association with a primary reinforcer. We simply pair it with food by rewarding them at odor! There are many ways to do this. You can just hold out the odor and feed your dog at it. You can “pair” it with meal times so the odor is associated with good things! You can offer them a choice of food or odor and reward when they choose odor. Any of these methods work to reinforce being at odor.

A very simply way to introduce odor that has an added benefit of keeping nose down and eyes off handler is to use a large bowl or colander and to feed “over odor”.

The reason I really like this method is we can take advantage of our dog anticipating a predictable rhythm of dropping treats down in the bowl over their head so that they don’t lift their head/nose up. By creating a rhythm of a continuous flow of treats dropping down one at a time, our dogs will anticipate the treat dropping down and keep their nose down at source - and eyes OFF of us!

The additional benefit of a deep wide bowl is we can drop the treats over their head verses having our hands in the bowl delivering them. Once we get our hands in the mix, our dogs focus on our “food hands” and will learn to watch us and our hands. By keeping our hands up high, our dogs learn to wait for treats to drop from the sky and eventually to listen for our “mark” at odor when we start to hunt and discriminate. In NW we want a dog to listen and not watch us for any handler clues/cues we may be giving off!

For some dogs using a flat plate or pie tin will work better. Whether it's a bowl, plate or pie tin, they all allow for dropping treats right next to odor!

When you start you don’t even have to mark any behaviour. Just feed over source.

Here is an example of my bowl with the loaded qtip tin. I duct taped the hide to the bottom, or you can use clear packing tape to tape down a metal washer so that the magnetic tin will attached to the bottom. You can also use a colander, and place it inside a big bowl like this with the hot tin under the colander.

Deep wide bowl Deep wide bowl with tin

colander in bowl metal colander in bowl

Prepare your tin with 3-6 qtips inside. Use a lower number if your dog is sensitive to smells or seeming to not want to go near the odor tin.
Have small soft HIGH VALUE treats available in nearby dish or in an accessible pocket or treat pouch. Cheese/cubed meat works well.
Use a pie tin, plate, large bowl or colander.
Sit on floor or in chair. Prefer NOT to stand as that puts you so far up/away from bowl/dog.
Place your tin inside the plate/bowl. Ideally secure it with a magnet or tape.
Put some treats in both your hands.
Place the bowl on the ground in front of you, your dog should check it out. Make sure you are each FACING each other as the treat drops work better when you are dropping over nose veres ears or head.
Drop treats one at a time by alternating which hand you drop a treat out of. This helps create a nice predictable rhythm. Drop treats at a pace so that your dog never lifts nose/head up. No need to mark any behaviour as we are just feeding over odor.
When you are finished rewarding (or run out of treats), say “ok” (or a release word of your choice), and pick up your container. If you EVER HAVE TO RELOAD TREATS, just end this round and pick up the container. The release cue will be applied later in your training when searching multiple hides
1. Picking up the hide/container is in my opinion one of the MOST important steps when introducing odor. We never want our dog to leave odor. We want to rehearse staying at source and not leaving it.
Load up with more treats and place the bowl/plate back down and do another round.
Practice at least once a day before class starts.

Here is a video using deep wide top bowl. Watch the rhythm I get into using both hands. At first, I hold my hands a little low to ensure the treats drop in the bowl. Then I get more comfortable holding them higher and getting them in the bowl.

And here's a video using a pie tin!

Testimonials & Reviews

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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: August 1, 2025
Registration starts: July 22, 2025
Registration ends: August 15, 2025

Registration opens at 12:00noon Pacific Time.

N101J Subscriptions

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Tuition	$ 260.00	$ 130.00	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	12	25	Unlimited
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N101J: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

N101J: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Course Details

Teaching Approach

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