The start dates/times will be advertised on the website and in the club’s newsletter.

The classes are held on Sunday mornings. First week please arrive 15 minutes early to complete enrolment.

The club offers two Scent Work courses.  Numbers are strictly limited to a maximum of 6 dogs per course.

Introductory Scent Work Course – 6 weeks – next course will begin Sunday 5th January 2025.

Places on this course fill very quickly.  To register for the course please email tasdogclub@gmail.com.  Once the course is fully booked, if you would like to register interest, we will keep a reserve list and notify you if a vacancy occurs or when the next course is scheduled.

Intermediate Scent Work Course – 4 weeks – NOTE:  Only for those dogs/handlers who have completed the club’s Introductory Scent Work Course – next Intermediate course will be advertised when scheduled.

To register for these courses, please contact the club by email.  We will be asking for prepayment to confirm your place on the course.

Scent Work is a sport that is based on the task of working detection dogs to locate an odour and communicate to the handler that the odour has been found.  Detection is done in a variety of environments and often during changing weather or environmental conditions.

Scent Work is a positive, challenging activity that allows dogs the opportunity to use their strongest natural sense in a way that is fun, engaging and builds and strengthens a foundation of trust between the handler and dog.  Dogs are trained to recognise specific odours – birch, anise, cloves and cypress – and to alert their handlers when the odours are detected.

The dog and handler must work together as a team.  The handler is part of the team, using body language and verbal encouragement to ensure all sections of the search area are covered, directing the dog’s search only when necessary.  The handler indicates verbally when the dog has found the odour.  Communication with, and praise of, the dog during the search are encouraged.

When attending the scent work courses, you will need to arrive early to exercise and toilet your dog.  The classes will start promptly on time.

Only one dog is working, or in the training area, at any one time.   If  your dog is not working it must be put back into your car or you can bring a crate to the clubhouse.

Introductory Scent Work Course

These classes introduce the concept of the game, build handler observation skills and timing, and get the dog focused.

Throughout the Introductory classes, the primary focus will be on providing scent puzzles for the dog with the use of boxes.  Boxes act as a cue for the dog that the ‘game is on’.  It’s a simple and effective way to build confidence and the drive to hunt.  Our aim is to give control to the dog, and to let the dog think independently.

The first class is primarily an evaluation class and teaches the overall game.

The remaining classes work on building foundation skills to help a handler read their dog and to build the dog’s intensity for the hunting game.  We start Scent Work classes with just food rather than odour as most dogs will quickly build the hunting drive for food.  This way, when odour is introduced, the dog’s desire to play the game is very strong and the handler has established good teamwork with their dog.

Equipment and lead handling, which is a very important part of training, will be explained during the course.

Weeks 1 and 2 the food is easily accessible to the dog, and self-rewarding as the dog can eat the food as soon as it is found.  As the course progresses the searches gradually increase in difficulty and the dog must wait to be rewarded by the handler.  At Week 4 the dogs are introduced to Birch odour which is ‘paired’ with food so the dogs begin to associate the birch odour with the food.  The final weeks of the course the food is removed and the dogs are searching for birch odour only.

A Birch Odour Kit is included in the course cost.

Intermediate Scent Work Course

The intermediate course is available only for dogs/handlers who have completed the Introductory course.

This course

builds on the skills achieved in the introductory course

• concentrates on techniques to use when training and when trialling
• introduces the anise odour
• work on dog’s search technique
• work on handler’s lead handling
• each week will be dedicated to one of the four search elements – Container, Interior, Exterior and Vehicle
• explains the handling of odours and placement of hides when training
• explains and demonstrates ‘Threshold hides’

Week 1 – Container Search

Each handler/dog will be assessed to see what skill level they have achieved.  Searches will use birch hides.

A container search will be set up to trial specifications.

Then will cover –

• Techniques of approaching this type of search will be discussed and demonstrated.
• How to approach training for a container search.
• Dos and don’ts of container searches
• Faults which can be incurred at a trial
• Alert call

Each dog will have at least one container search.

Week 2 – Interior Search

Week 3 – Exterior Search

Week 4 – Vehicle Search

At the conclusion of the course, we will explain about:

• trial rules and procedures
• odours – birch,  anise, clove, cypress
• levels – novice, advanced, excellent, masters
• elements – interior, exterior, vehicle, container
• how to enter a trial
• volunteering to help at trials to gain experience
• on-going training at club
• odour kits