K9 Nose Work Classes

K9 Nose Work is a newer dog sport but its popularity has been skyrocketing. The sport was designed to mimic professional detection dog skills, such as drug or bomb sniffing, for the average pet dog.

Nose Work has taken off in popularity for good reason. Every dog has a nose, and every dog loves to sniff! From the dog’s perspective, they get to run around and sniff and get rewards for doing so. From the owner’s perspective, their dog is working hard being physical and solving problems. This equals a tired dog! It is a win, win situation for everyone involved!

K9 Nose Work is open to all dogs, even dogs with disabilities or behavioral issues. At higher experience levels, competitions for titles are possible.

**See the right sidebar for upcoming classes**

Nose Work: Foundations
Join us for our Nose Work Foundations class (on Thursdays at 5:45pm) for a sniffing good time with your dog. In this class your dog will be introduced to searching initially for treats and when they are ready for the target odors from the National Association of Canine Scent Work. The dogs will be introduced to searching interior rooms, containers, vehicles and exteriors.

Class is open to all dogs – puppies to senior dogs, reactive dogs included. Foundations Level class is for Teams who are working on paired hides (odor with treats) in all elements.

Since our Nose Work classes are level classes you are able to start, take a break and start again when your schedule allows.

When you are waiting for your turn in class your dog will need to be contained either in a crate, x-pen or in your vehicle. If this is a concern, please contact us.

To graduate to our Nose Work Continuing Skills class you team will need to pass a mock Odor Recognition Test (that we offer during class time) and blind, paired searches in all elements.

Nose Work: Continuing Skills
Nose Work Continuing Skills class (on Thursdays at 6:45pm)  is for Nose Work Teams who have graduated from our Nose Work Foundations classes. In this class we will work on all four elements with and without pairing.

We will be building skills towards competition Nose Work, but there is no need to compete. Continuing Skills class is a great class to stay in if you are just looking for a fun and enriching activity for your dog.

For teams who are interested in competing you can graduate from Continuing Skills class by successfully passing an Order Recognition Tests (ORT). Once you have passed an ORT you can start attending Competition Nose Work class.

Nose Work: Competition Skills
Have you and your dog been enjoying Nose Work classes and want to compete in nose work trial?

Then Nose Work: Competition Level class is for you and your dog! In this class we work on all four elements for trial preparation. Every week will be something different, with a focus on skill building for trial success. Class will meet around the neighborhood as needed. Some weeks will be video review from previous trials.

In order for your team invited to Competition Nose Work class:

• Your dog has passed Odor Recognition Test (ORT)
• Your dog is successful searching all elements without pairing
• You are interested in competing in nose work trials.

If you have questions if your team is ready for this class please email us!

If you are not interested in competing but want to continue on with your training, we invite you to join our Nose Work: Continuing Skills class.

About the Instructor
Sara McLoudrey became a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) in 2012, soon after she was introduced to the sport. Since then she has enjoyed teaching a variety of K9 Nose Work group classes, workshops and seminars.

Sara currently competes with her American Water Spaniel, Rizzo and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Lindy in NACSW trials. Rizzo has earned her Elite Level 1, L2-E, L2-V, L1-C, and L1-I titles. Team Rizzo consistently places in individual elements and the overall trials, earning 3rd place overall for her NW2 and 2nd place overall twice for her NW3 Elite and evening earning a pronounced designation. Lindy has just started her competitive Nose Work career in 2019.

Sara loves helping shy or nervous dogs come out of their shell with nose work. One of her favorite teaching topics is leash handling, helping everyone be able handle their dog with skill and finesse.

For full information about our pre-screening process and class policies, please visit our class policy page. For commonly questions we are asked about class, visit our class FAQs page.