Nose Work Class in Seattle

Nose Work is an activity where you just get to do the fun part - watch your dog excel at finding scents with his or her nose. Join us for this fun ongoing class! This is an intro class, where we help you and your dog get the foundation skills to excel at finding things on cue with their nose. Once we get enough dogs who are ready for the next level, we'll offer more advanced classes in Seattle.

Be sure to look at the INFO column to see the type of Nose Work class on the schedule above.

• NW1: Intro to Nose Work is the introduction to the concept of searching. This is the class for you, unless your dog is reactive or your dog has already graduated from NW1 at Ahimsa or elsewhere.
• NW1 for Reactive Dogs is Intro to Nose Work for dogs who have issues with other dogs or mild issues with people.
• NW2: Intro to Odor is where the dog learns to search for a particular odor, starting with birch essential oil. We continue to build teamwork and drive to search. Ask your NW1 instructor if you're ready to move up to NW2.

The cool part about nose work is that you and your dog can do it anywhere - on walks, in the yard, in the house, and there is not a lot of gear, as there is with agility, and it doesn't take a lot of space, like tracking does. Nose work is a blast! It's great for older dogs, puppies that have finished kindergarten, dogs with joint problems that can no longer run agility, and even reactive dogs. It's not just for particular breeds, either. No matter how big or small or smush-faced, your dog can do Nose Work!

Crates: For the Reactive Dog class and for Nose Work 2, your dog must be crated or in the car during the times when s/he's not working.That means you'll need to bring a crate. All dogs will be kept away from the working area when it's not their turn. That's why Nose Work is an ideal activity even for dogs that have issues. A crate is optional in our regular Nose Work 1 class, but it is encouraged, if you intend to compete.

Reactive/growly/aggressive/fearful dogs: We have a class that's just for reactive dogs. You should have a training plan for your reactive dog, so if you haven't attended Growly Dog class or a private behavior consultation, you should do that first.

Nose Work classes are rolling admission, so you can pick a start date and join the class at any time. You can always log in later, to change the days of the week or the type of session during your 6-week class. Nose Work students can also attend other ongoing and workshops for free: Manners classes, Backyard Sports and games (which includs some nose work), and our special topics seminars, like Possession Aggression, Bravery Boost, and Barky Dog, during their 6-week class.

Click here to read a PDF article on the sport of K9 Nose Work that was in the Bark Magazine in 2010.