If you’re looking for something fun to do with your pup in Austin, it’s time to learn more about nosework classes!
Nosework is a great way to provide mental stimulation and enrichment for any dog but especially high-energy dogs, as it can give them a sense of purpose and allow them to engage natural instincts.
What is nosework?
Nosework or scentwork is the sport and skill of teaching dogs to search by smell. Sometimes, these dogs are eventually trained to sniff out drugs, explosives, or to find missing people. But many folks just do the sport for fun!
Introductory nosework classes will teach your pup to recognize one or a couple of specific scents (we start with birch), as well as how to signal to you when they’ve found it. We teach the dogs to search through boxes until they find the one with the right sniff, and it turns into a super fun game!
Why should you do nosework with your dog?
It’s a mental workout and enrichment for your pup! Nosework classes take advantage of your dog’s keen sense of smell by putting them to work solving scent puzzles and searching for hidden treasures. It’s like a canine detective adventure.
Stress relief for dogs (and humans!) In a city where traffic and fast-paced living can sometimes get the best of us, nosework classes provide a low-stress opportunity. Your pup gets to relax and get the stress-reduction benefits of sniffing. And it’s super cool to watch, which is great for humans.
Building a bond with your dog. Nosework classes can help strengthen the connection with your dog as you work together to solve puzzles and communicate.
Appropriate for all ages and breeds! ANY type of dog can do nosework.
Builds confidence and focus. Scent work classes can give dogs some great skills and activities to apply out in the real world.
What does a nosework class look like?
In our nosework classes at Every Dog, we focus on having fun and using our dogs' brains more than competition. We start by helping your dog learn to associate the scent (Birch) with awesome stuff (treats!). Once they know that this smell is awesome, they're more likely to seek it out. Then we train the dogs to give us some kind of "alert" or signal when they've found the scent! We then have them start practicing searching for the scent in different boxes, making the search games harder each time.
Our Introduction to Nosework classes are either four or six weeks long, and held at both our North Austin and South Austin locations!
If you’re looking to tap into your dog’s natural talents and have a blast while doing it, nosework classes are your ticket to success. Enroll in a nosework class today!