Nosey Dogs Class – Need to Nose

Dogs We Welcome

Party Dogs

Most dogs are party dogs and the first and foremost goal of any Nosey Dogs class is to provide your dog with a good time. They can be bouncy puppies, teens or adults without a whit of focus and of any breed. They can be elderly dogs still in need of a job. They can be disabled dogs as well. We started a German Shepherd in a doggy wheel chair and she did just fine. Don’t worry about your dog’s obedience either. It doesn’t impact Nosey Dogs at all. You just have to be able to physically control your dog well enough that you don’t get dragged over to another dog.

Dogs with Behaviour Problems

The majority of owners bring to us have little or no obedience so don’t worry we’re not expecting Lassie. You will find that your Nosey Dogs class certainly challenges your dog’s mind and in what is probably the only true all positive dog training experience in existence. As an added bonus most dog owners report that post-class, their dogs are happily exhausted as well.

Aggressive Dogs

If your dog has behaviour issues – particularly aggression towards dogs and/or humans we need to chat first. I’ve seen some wonderful break throughs by training dogs like yours to do Nosey Dogs class work. It seems that many of these dogs become so engaged in the hunt that the things that triggered aggression are ignored in favour of the “hunt.” I have seen reactive dogs not even lift their heads away from their search when challenged by another dog in the class. If after we chat I have enough concerns that I think it unwise to include your dog in a regular class, don’t despair you’re not alone and when we collect a minimum of 4 dogs we can put together a special smaller class just for dogs with aggression issues. Keep in mind though that a Nosey Dogs class can play a role in reducing and controlling aggression but there are many other factors that need to be addressed if that is your goal. Visit Puppy and Dog Obedience with John Wade if you want to book an assessment and put together a rehabilitation program to supplement your Nosey Dogs class. You may need to do that first and work on your dog for a while before we can get him or her into a class. It’s rare that we can’t.

Anxious Dogs

If your dog is at the other end of the spectrum and has a history of anxiety, this is an excellent activity. If you could give your dog 3 or 4 searches between when you wake up and have to go to work in the morning – while you’re getting yourself ready do you think you’ll be leaving behind a mentally and physically tired dog? You sure will! A Nosey Dogs class is a must for your sort of dog but we have to tread carefully in the introduction. It’s worth having a phone chat and as with the aggressive dogs mentioned above, I’d like to chat first. Some dogs do alright in a regular class but others can make better progress in a much smaller class. Either way the results if you’re under the guidance of an experienced trainer and someone that reads dogs exceptionally well can be astounding. As with the aggressive dogs mentioned above, anxiety problems are serious and a Nosey Dogs class or two can play a role in reducing anxiety but it should not be your sole strategy. If your goal is to reduce anxiety there are other strategies to implement and you too should visit Puppy and Dog Obedience with John Wade to learn about having your anxious dog assessed and put on a complete program.

Levels

The first Level is Introduction to Nosey Dogs – 6 weeks (1 hour each) (Every Class Each dog does 3 sets of 3)

This Nosey Dogs class level focuses developing your dog’s natural scenting ability through “the hunt” and developing the dog owner’s ability to read the signals their dog provides that the “game is afoot”. This is important because at some point the instructor will hide the scent without your knowledge and your job it to announce, “the find!” We almost always start off with treats or toys teaching you how to encourage and develop your dog’s natural scenting abilities by using their desire to hunt and their love of toys, food and exercise. In the Introduction to Nosey Dogs class we’ll lay our foundation teaching you dog to use its nose to find a specific scent or odour on cue, and then tell you that they have found it. We are going to vary the difficulty as well. Of course the searches will be easy at first but they will soon change to more challenging flop locations, hidden under a chair or a carpet, the elevation may change and the scent will be sitting on a chair. You never know where it will turn up. Have a look at the picture of me sitting on the floor and see if you can find the scent tin. The dogs all did.

Class Cost – $150.00

Click Here to Register for a Class

The second level is Introduction to Scent

In this level we introduce the real scent (usually birch oil) along with the odour your dog has been hunting up to this point and as the weeks progress we gradually wean the dog away from the treats until the dog is hunting for the scent alone. Once found we shower the dog with whatever most catches its fancy, treats or a tug or war or some cuddles. We’re also going to start moving towards a passive alert which means the dog won’t make physical contact with the scent but will notify its owner by sitting and/or barking and pointing with its nose or paw. By the end of this level the dog owners are going to be challenged a little themselves as they will often be unaware of where the scent is hidden and become responsible for saying, “Alert!” to notify me the search has concluded.

The third level is Introduction to Combining Indoor, Outdoor and Vehicle searches.

More of the same in the third level but far more challenges in difficulties of the hides and the distractions provided by different environment. We will also begin adding a second unique scent to your dog’s repertoire.

Needs and Wants

Highly Recommended – If your dog is currently a grazer as opposed to a gulper and is healthy begin transitioning to one or two 5 minute meals a day instead. It takes some dogs 3 or 4 days. Not only is this way of feeding healthier it will make Nosey Dog training easier as you won’t feed your dog it’s evening ration until after class. Start this now. Send an email if you wish some guidance.
Need you to bring treats – a lot of them – a big bag of whatever your dog’s favourite is and a back up if you’re unsure.
Need – Just in case, bring a few of your dog’s favourite squeaky and/or tug toys and/or balls he or she associated with retrieval.
Need a 6′ leash.
Need a water bowl and some water
Want – If your dog normally wears a training collar of any sort bring it but during the training if you have a different type of collar available, preferably a flat collar fit snuggly we will switch. You’ll find down the road when your dog sees that collar come out he or she will put their noses in gear right away.
You might want – Something to sit on (although depending on our location we may not have a lot of room.)
Want – At some point all participants will be invited to bring in a household item to hide the scent in.

Class Location – Nosey Dogs Scent Training Center – 1109 Sarnia Road – Map

Class Availability – Classes are Tuesday nights starting at 6:30 PM and Saturday mornings starting at 10:15 AM. You can come out and try a class for free, just email or call me first. john@noseydogs.com or 519-457-9559.