Nose Work
The new dog sport, K9 Nose Work, is taking the country by storm! Reach out to us today to learn more about this exciting activity that is sure to enrich your dog's life.
What Is It?
Dogs smell scent just like we see color—they're born knowing how to use their noses. For this reason, Nose Work classes don't teach a dog 'how' to follow a scent; instead, they teach us how to communicate with dogs about the specific scent we want them to follow. It's all about focusing your dog's superior smelling skills! To do this, we tap into your dog's natural desire to hunt and positively reinforce this hunting behavior with a reward system that your dog loves, including highly-valued toys, special food, and sincere praise.
Fun For Humans & Dogs Alike!
Nose Work classes are exhilarating for both dog and handler. These classes develop confidence in even the most timid of dogs. Additionally, the mental exercise of searching and problem-solving is great for calming down more energetic and reactive dogs. And for humans, you'll appreciate the positive working relationship that develops between you and your dog when you are both out "hunting" together as a team.
For those handlers who love to compete, our series of Nose Work classes with Gail McCarthy, Certified Nose Work Instructor, Tracey Costa, Certified Nose Work Instructor, and Janice Ritter, Associate Nose Work Instructor, will help prepare you for upcoming Nose Work trials across the country.
Virtual Nose Work Training
There are various forms of Virtual Nose Work training and they are the perfect solution for anyone who wants to start their dog in Nose Work or continue learning about this line of training. With more than 25 years of experience as detection dog trainers, Gail, Tracey, and Janice have developed a powerful Nose Work training plan that has produced many successful competition dogs. Email today to learn more about online dog training.
As a result of this continuing period of self-isolation, your Nose Work training may have come to a screeching halt. And, some of you may be wondering how you can socialize your new pup or otherwise engage that growing, inquisitive puppy brain. Well, to address those two training gaps, we offer Virtual Nose Work Training.
VWDC - Nose Work Training Protocol For Puppies
If you are looking for a fun thing to do with your young pup, sign up for the “VWDC – Nose Work Training Protocol For Puppies.” The type of nose work training that we do is so positive and so motivating that there is no pressure ever felt by a dog with this training. So, you can start your pup if he is three months or older in Nose Work by following our fun and stimulating multi-step system. And, a lot can be accomplished even at that early age with just short, fun training sessions a day. This training is prepared in one part and you can spend as much time on each step as you would like. Videos of your training can be posted on a Facebook Group that was created for this training and one video per week during a one month period of time will be reviewed by VWDC Instructors. The fee for the “VWDC – Nose Work Training Protocol For Puppies” is $220.
VWDC - Phone Consultation/Virtual Coaching
We offer “Phone Consultation/Virtual Coaching” to handlers who are already doing search problems. When handlers first sign up for our “Phone Consultation/Virtual Coaching,” we ask them to videotape a search problem in each of the four NACSW elements and to send the videotapes to us for review. We then critique the performance of the dog and handler team by a phone consultation. Based on the training goals of the handler, we describe various training “set ups” to help the dog team achieve, or to further, their training goals in any or all of the four NACSW elements. This form of “Phone Consultation/Remote Coaching” has proven to be very helpful to all levels of handlers. The cost for this service is $65 for a 30 minute phone consultation and the review of two videos if submitted. Upon registration, the instructor will contact you to arrange a date/time for the phone consultation.
VWDC - Virtual Foundational Training
The “Foundational Training” that we offer in our “brick and mortar classes” has been successfully followed by many dog teams over the years, as well as utilized by other detection dog instructors in their classes. Through our “Virtual Foundational Training,” we are able to share our “Foundational Training” with individuals who want to start their dogs in Nose Work. We have written Training Plans for our Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Each of these Levels spans a six-week period, and handlers will be sent one lesson plan a week. Handlers are asked to send to us one video for each lesson plan they receive for our review and comment. To view the description and progression of each level, click here. The cost for this service is $190.
VWDC - Video Review
We also offer “Video Review” to handlers who are already doing search problems. When these handlers sign up for our “Video Review,” we ask them to send two videos to us for our review and critique. The critique can either be by Zoom Meeting or by email, but remember that it takes much more time for us to write up a critique and, therefore, the time you purchase may be better spent by talking with us by Zoom Meeting as to what we see in each video. The cost for this service is $35 for the review of two videos. Upon registration, the instructor will contact you to arrange a date to virtually meet to review your videos.
VWDC - Training Protocol To Develop More Independence in the Detection Dog
Given that the size of Elite search problems, and even NW3 searches, are getting bigger and bigger, it becomes important to encourage the detection dog to work further away from the handler by teaching the dog to leave the handler’s hand and to search at a distance from the handler. One of the ways to do that is to condition in an “expectation” that hides can be hidden at a pre-set distance to the right and to the left of a center baseline along which the handler walks (i.e., a “Ranging Left/Right Grid Pattern”). Our goal with this Training Protocol is to get the dog willing to range out thirty (30) yards to the right and to the left. This training is a three Part Series with Part 1 consisting of 10 Steps, Part 2 consists of 6 Steps and Part 3 consisting of 6 Steps. Videos of your training can be posted on a Facebook Group that was created for this training and one video per Step will be reviewed by VWDC Instructors. The fee for each Part is $220. You will need a training partner to effectively apply this Training Protocol.
VWDC - Overriding Unwanted Behaviors
This training is for those handlers whose dogs are “marking” in a search area, doing extraneous cataloguing, are always searching for and vacuuming up food, or are obsessed with birds and other critters. Can these behaviors be changed? Yes!! But, the time it takes to resolve the issue is directly linked to the intensity of the behaviors in the dog and how strong your dog’s desire is to do these behaviors when doing nose work. This training will get you started with a process to override these unwanted behaviors by shifting your dog’s “mindset” so that the dog comes into a search area “hunting” for target odor and not thinking about the unwanted behaviors. This training is a three Part Series with Part 1 being 6 steps in length, Part 2 is 6 steps in length and Part 3 is 6 steps in length. There is no time limit as to how long it takes you and your dog to work through each step. If Facebook Support is purchased for a separate fee, videos of your training can be posted on a Facebook Group that was created for this training and one video per week will be reviewed and critiqued by VWDC Instructors. The fee for each Part is $240. The fee for Facebook Support is $190.00 and support will be provided at this cost for twelve-weeks starting on the date that one of the Parts of this Series is emailed to you. Additional Facebook Support at the end of the twelve-week period may be purchased for a separate fee. You will need a training partner to effectively apply this Training Protocol.
VWDC - Virtual Training Classes
(With Pre-Recorded Video Review)
We offer "Virtual Training Classes" to a group of handlers who are already doing search problems. Each week, we will supply the Training Group with descriptions of the skill-building set-ups or the element-based set-ups that we would like each handler to do with their dog during the week. The set-ups will focus on different kinds of searches commensurate with the level of each Training Group. Each search will be videotaped and the Training Group will watch the videos in a one-hour Zoom Meeting that we will schedule each week. This class closely duplicates a "normal training class."
The minimum enrollment for the “Virtual Training Classes” is four students up to a total of ten dog teams working at the “same level.” “Same level” consists of:
1) Dogs on Primary; or2) NW1 Teams; or3) NW2/NW3/Elite Teams; or4) Elite Teams.
Please contact us for the next start date.
Please contact us for the next start date.
Some "Virtual Training Classes" currently available focus on the following topics: Pooling Trapping Odor, Triangle Hides, Multiple Hides, Corners and Thresholds. If you have a group of at least four handlers, we would be happy to run a "Virtual Training Class" on any of these topics or on another topic of particular interest to you!
The cost for each of these "Virtual Training Classes" is $220 covering six lessons over a six-week period.
VWDC - Nose Hold as a Demand to be Paid
This training is for those handlers whose dogs demonstrate a destructive behavior when making a find (i.e., biting, chewing, digging, standing on boxes etc.) or whose dogs are so quick to pull off a hide to orient back to the handler that the handler cannot identify the location of the hide when asked. Depending on how long the dog has rehearsed these behaviors, we may not be able to completely eradicate these unwanted behaviors but, in participating in this training, you may be successful in “layering in a default behavior” that your dog can use as his “demand to be paid,” and you also will be building “odor obedience” in your dog as well as “conditioning in duration” when the dog is at source. This training is a two Part Series with Part 1 being 7 steps in length and Part 2 being 12 steps in length. There is no time limit as to how long it takes you and your dog to work through each step. If Facebook Support is purchased for a separate fee, videos of your training can be posted on a Facebook Group that was created for this training and one video per week will be reviewed and critiqued by VWDC Instructors. The fee for each Part is $240. The fee for Facebook Support is $190.00 and support will be provided at this cost for twelve-weeks starting on the date that the Training Protocol is mailed to you. Additional Facebook Support at the end of the twelve-week period may be purchased for a separate fee.
VWDC - Virtual Training Classes
(With Live Coaching)
Coming Soon!
