Canberra Nosework Training

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Canberra Nosework Training

K9 NOSE WORK® dog training service in Canberra, ACT with John Sam, a Certified Nose Work Instructor There are two main methods used to teach Nosework.

Canberra Nosework Training is a dog training business in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) specialising in training your regular pet dog to become a scent detection dog. The sport was first started in the US by the founders of National Association of Canine Scent Work® (NACSW™) in the mid 1980’s for virtually all dogs and people. The founders, through their extensive experience working in pro

fessional canine detection, developed K9 NOSE WORK® methodology. John Sam is the founder and trainer of Canberra Nosework Training. He is one of the first eight Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI™) with NACSW™ in Australia and a qualified Canine Behaviour Practitioner with ISCP. He was also a Nosework instructor in Belconnon Dog Obedience Club, Tuggeranong Dog Training Club and RSPCA-ACT. The targeting approach and the K9 NOSE WORK® method. In the targeting approach, the dog is presented with the target odour(s) and reward is given when the dog's nose touches the container containing the target odour. I have used both methods to train dogs. Both methods will work, but I found that K9 NOSE WORK® methodology is more rewarding, fun and therapeutic for the dogs. In K9 NOSE WORK® we start with getting your dog excited about using his/her nose to seek out a favourite toy or food hidden in one of several boxes, expanding the game to entire rooms, exterior areas, and vehicles. As your dog grows more confident with his/her nose, target odours are introduced, and competition skills are taught. This activity is FUN and rewarding for all dogs and their people. It is easy to learn, helps build confidence and focus in many dogs, and along the way build that special relationship and bond with your canine friends. Nosework is ideal for shy or reactive dogs because only one dog works at a time, while the other dogs are kept away from the working area. There is a lots of literature on why scenting activity has therapeutic benefits for dogs. In K9 NOSE WORK®, we give our dogs control and the opportunity to hunt. This ability to hunt activates their SEEKING system which has so much heeling benefits.

22/06/2025

A vehicle search photo from 2025 Down under K9 Nose Work camp. Thanks to JayDub Pet Photography

20/06/2025

10/06/2025

Woohoo! It’s finally time for the long-awaited 2nd Australian K9 Nose Work Camp! We’re off to Riverwood Downs for over three days of Scent work fun, learning, and connecting with like-minded people.

There are limited internet and phone receptions at the camp, so I may not be able to get back to you until after Monday.

07/05/2025

Level 2 Introduction to Odour course (6 weeks) will be starting on 30th of May 2025. New and repeat students are welcome.

Prerequisite: Your dog must have completed K9 Nose Work - Introduction to Nosework course or at similar level.

Full details and enrol here

May 2025 Introduction to Odour course enrolment information

04/05/2025

Today, Canberra Nosework Training hosted the NW1 trial in Canberra. It was a fun and relaxing day.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our CO, Rosie Porter. It was a very well-run trial.

We were fortunate to have two lovely judges from NSW—Holly Floyd and Danielle Foster. You were both so supportive of our competitors, and our volunteers learned a great deal from you. Thank you for giving up your time and travelling such a long way to be part of our trial.

It truly takes a village to run an event like this. A big thank you to our dedicated volunteers: Jacqui, Sue, Leanne, Amy, Cathy, Bob, Michael, Fiona, Rhiannon, Jerry, Janine, and Kat.

All credit goes to you—our volunteers—for making this such an enjoyable experience for our competitors. The flow was managed so well that we finished much earlier than expected. Thank you!

We held a lucky draw for the volunteers who helped throughout the day. The lucky winner is Rhiannon Corby, who receives one free entry to any ACSW event of her choice. Congratulations, Rhiannon!

To our competitors—congratulations to you all for giving it a go. It’s no small task to enter a trial like this. Pass or miss, title or not, you know you have the best sniffing dog!

Huge congratulations to the following:
• High in Trial: Anne Walkington & Holly
• Second Place Overall: Jennifer Gambell & Shady Lady
• Third Place Overall: Anne Wilson & Keltie
• Overall Partnership Award: Judy Roger & Toddy
• Bravo Award: Andrew De Plater & Sarah

Some overall amazing statistics:
• Containers: 80% pass rate
• Exterior: 95% pass rate
• Interior: 95% pass rate
• Vehicle: 95% pass rate

Congratulations and well done, everyone!

There were a lot more photos taken on the day, thanks to Amy Smith. Feel free to visit the Google Drive link below and download your own photos.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q-5DOpig--3JGUyZXfm8n1TIMCeVNi_e

29/04/2025

The competitor information email for the NW1 trial in Canberra on 4th May 2025 has been sent. If you haven’t seen it yet, please check your spam folder.

21/04/2025

The Dog Driven Search workshop in Canberra with Sue Sternberg & Dana Zinn is only a few months away. If you have registered as an auditor with a video submission, please note that the deadline for your video submission is the 20th of May 2025. You should have received an email from me on the 12th of March. Please reach out if you did not receive it. We are looking forward to learning from your video submission.

18/04/2025

Just a reminder that the registration for ACSW NW1 trial in Canberra on the 4th of May will be closing soon. We will be extending the closing date to Monday, 28th April for those who may be considering entering after passing the Birch ORT in Castle Hill on 27th April.

25/03/2025

Hello Nose Work Community,

We are hosting the 2025 ACSW NW1 (Nose Work 1) trial in Canberra on May 4, 2025, and we are looking for volunteers to assist on the day.

If you have participated in a trial before and have a few hours to spare, we’d love to hear from you! Likewise, if you are new to scent work and would like to see how a trial is conducted, how we manage dog-reactive dogs, and, most importantly, learn from the participants, this is a great opportunity—you’ll have a front-row seat.

No experience is required, and lunch will be provided. Ideally, we would prefer volunteers who are available for the entire day (7 AM – 5 PM). However, if you can only assist for half the day, please let us know if you are available in the morning (7 AM – 12 PM) or afternoon (12 PM – 5 PM).

The ACSW® acknowledges the time and effort of volunteers. As a token of appreciation, one (1) volunteer will receive free entry into an ACSW® event of their choice. To be eligible, you must volunteer for the entire event (i.e., the full day). A draw will be conducted at the end of the event among those who meet this requirement.

To all local Scent Work trainers: Please share this with your new scent work members and encourage them to volunteer if they can. They can PM me or email me at [email protected].

Important:
• ACSW members can register as volunteers through the member portal: https://app.mpev.au/members/ #
• Non-ACSW members are also welcome to volunteer, but they will need to sign a waiver on the day.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at the trial!

08/03/2025

A common excuse for certain tools and human-to-dog punishment techniques is 'it's mimicking what the mother dog would do' but is that actually a good thing? 🤔

Two of the common techniques/tools that get explained as a variation on 'what another dog would do' are the alpha rollover and the pinch/prong collar, and there are fundamental issues that come with both of these.

The alpha rollover comes from the idea of physically putting a dog in a position of submission. This has shown to not actually happen in the wild with wolves which, although they are not dogs, a lot of these myths do stem from. In fact, any time a wolf rolls over onto its back in this way it is done voluntarily and isn't forced by another wolf putting it in its place. Furthermore, true alphas are actually parental figures in natural wolf packs and part of being successful in this is shown by the fact they do not need to rule over others with some kind of iron fist. Aggression and squabbling in wolves tend to be seen in insecure packs in captivity, not well-established functioning packs in the wild.

The pinch/prong collar is often attributed to mimicking the idea of the mother physically grabbing a puppy with their mouth 'correcting' them with the pressure of the teeth on the dog's neck. However, yet again this is not accurate to reality. Normally there are many steps a mother dog will take before an inhibited bite is used on her pups, and being able to defuse the situation and teach her pups how to do so without resorting to aggression is part of what is seen as being a successful mother. It has also been shown that mothers who use more of these aggressive behaviours to wean their pups end up with pups who are less social with people, which is not an outcome we are usually looking for!

At the end of the day, we are not dogs or wolves and our dogs know that, but even if they didn't these techniques do not hold up to scientific scrutiny. It is so important that we look into these claims rather than taking them for a fact. So NEVER just do something because someone told you 'it's what another dog would do'. 👍

You can find out more about the study mentioned in the graphic here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/016815918490056X?fbclid=IwY2xjawIyshBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfFIvgSkiGQcKrZ3TAr3clSXsjbVNCTcVBTjHxdcX5MLNKwrFRXiYjhClA_aem_hTxcGbvZ_DuwEoxEHPQe3w

23/02/2025

Sue Sternberg..

Address

Canberra, ACT

Website

http://www.CanberraNoseWork.com/

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