Scent Work - Sniffing for fun
– Silke Weyland
A new fascinating dog sport has taken Australia by storm – the ANKC Scent Work. This sport is based on the work of actual working detection dogs. The dogs are trained to recognise specific odours and communicate to their handler when the odour has been found. Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors in their brain compared to humans with 5 million, catapulting the dogs into the top range of supersniffers in the animal kingdom. When we walk our dogs in the park, they barely lift their nose off the ground pulling us with excitement, seemingly erratic, all over the place. This is not erratic at all but a bit like reading the newspaper for the dog. They detect what is happening right now, what did happen a while ago and what is approaching, giving them a much broader picture of the environment than humans. Dogs see their world through their sense of smell and we take advantage of this highly evolved skill. Humans and dogs have developed successful working relationships whether this is working in the Health Industry detecting Cancer or Covid, clearing mine fields in the Armed Forces or sniffing out drugs for Customs.
Above: Rieka and Mark Thomsett at a training session for vehicle search in the CCKC.
In the dog sport of Scent Work, the dogs are allowed to use their strongest natural sense, the sense of smell, in a fun and challenging way. Scent Work is an all positive, engaging activity, great fun for dogs and handlers alike, furthering the relationship and trust with your 4-legged friend. Dogs and Handlers of all ages, breed, size and ability can participate with no prior training required. You and your dog work as a team. In most other dog sports the dog has to obey commands, performing the exact cues from the handler in order to succeed with the task. In olfactory-based sports like Scent Work and Tracking, the handler takes a step back, and only gives guidance and help to the dog when needed. The dogs are taken through different environments in their searches to find the hidden odours. They search around luggage and cars, in closed rooms and outdoor scenarios. When a dog has detected the odour, it communicates to the handler the exact location with a distinct indication and the task is completed. Communication, praise and rewards while the dogs are searching is encouraged.
DOG WORLD January 2022
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