The Scent & Search Academy

15/08/2024

Can’t deny that I secretly loved it when Frizzle retrieved the scented toy to me instead of his owner… Sorry Clare! But he has got extra marks for showing off! 🤣 Clare Greenwood

15/08/2024

WHAT IS ACTIVE SEARCH AND RETRIEVE?!?!?!

Its the specialised process where trained detection dogs are employed to actively search for and locate specific scents. But they must also assist in the retrieve, and that is their new indication!

3 Key Features of our Active Search and Retrieve training:
1. Active Search: Dogs are actively moving through an area, such as a building, vehicle, or open terrain etc to detect the target scent. This involves the dog using its keen sense of smell to follow scent trails or locate scent sources, in challenging environments.

2. Retrieve Component: In some cases, particularly in search and rescue or casualty recovery missions, the dog may not only locate the scent but also assist in retrieving the item or leading the handler directly to the source.

3. Training: Dogs undergo rigorous training to distinguish between different scents and to ignore irrelevant or distracting odors. They are trained to alert their handler in a specific way upon detection of the target scent.

How do we start? It’s not as technical as you may think….
Our Silver level dogs must begin with PLAY!!! 😍
This truely is training made fun 😎

12/08/2024

How are you keeping cool? 🍦
Those taking part in tonight’s training have been notified of our postponement due to the ongoing heatwave…
So for us, its been a de-shed and frozen lickimat, a cool bath and a nap in front of the fan to air-dry…

As there are no classes to travel to, we will both be snoozing for the remainder! zzz 🤫

11/08/2024

Changing the game 🥳
We are proudly launching our virtual induction sessions. These sessions are designed to allow our new customers to concentrate on the all important information ahead of their first week of training with us!

Even from our own training journey, we know that it’s hard to concentrate on the information being presented to you when you’re surrounded by new dogs and new people - which may be making your dog excited or potentially anxious. It takes your attention away from potentially key information.

So our induction session won’t consist of any training, but will give our new groups an insight into what to expect, the science behind scent detection and the class etiquette we would like to see, as well as some Q&A time!! Allowing us to make the most of our training time together 🐾

Our first 30 minute session runs this Thursday evening with 6 brand new faces 👋🏼
Eeekkk!!!!

11/08/2024

Listen to the excitement in our voices 🤣
Scout’s performance in our Bronze class this morning deserves a very special shout-out. 👏🏼

He has been notorious for retrieving the hides for his owner, so this morning, we altered the training to teach him a new static indication. To keep him still and to combat his biting.

Even with some distractions, after 10-15 minutes he was marking his commitment with a sit, on his own without a command 👏🏼

Just needs some refinement but he is definitely Silver Level ready - well done Scout! 🥳

04/08/2024

Weekly roundup 😭🥰

We are using Scent Detection to increase the confidence of two of our 1-2-1 dogs. These are some of my most exciting sessions as I love seeing the dogs relax into the tasks and enjoy the buzz of each successful find! Our other 1-2-1s this week were boosting reliability in the indications of two excitable puppies.

3 group classes all aced their new tasks this week, I have already shared my thoughts and photos on how proud I am of these teams… but seeing these dogs go from little to no experience up to professional looking “sniffer dogs” has 100% made my week.

Thank you for even more memories 🐾

03/08/2024

Detective Doggies on Duty. At least 5/6 Gun Oil hides were found by every dog this morning! 🚓🚨👮‍♀️

Unfortunately this team had little to no hints from me, they needed to clear the search areas without knowing the location or the amount of articles in each area 👏🏼

Smashed it once again! 👏🏼

30/07/2024

Postponing our classes due to this hot weather hasn’t been all bad… it’s given us some time to consider how we can continuously improve our services… 📝🐾💡

Keep an eye out 👀

29/07/2024

Last week, our Thursday evening class tested their skills on contained hides.

Gatwick Airport, are you in need of some sniffer dogs? I would bet my bottom dollar that this team will have you covered. 😎🚔

29/07/2024

OOPS! 😭 Our Saturday Bronze UK Sniffer Dog class starting on the 24th August 9-10am in our hall is still going ahead…
I am clearly not as tech-savvy as I thought I was… as I deleted our Facebook event for this course ACCIDENTALLY!

For those that saved the event or responded as “interested” this class is still going ahead!! I’ll be creating a new event for this course soon! ☺️

Speaking of which, what a fabulous marketing plan as we have two unconfirmed spaces available. 😏👏🏼🥳

29/07/2024

TRAINING HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED 🚫

Those attending outdoor evening classes or 1-1s this week have have been notified of the postponement.

As Scentwork is less physically demanding, we have fortunate enough to able to practice in the shade or inside to escape the summer warmth, but unfortunately there is a temperature limit that becomes unsafe for our dogs to train in, and the weather this week is definitely over that limit.

We are prioritising the well-being of both the dog’s and their handlers by postponing until we see temperatures below 23 degrees and reduced humidity.

A concequence of this decision is the loss of money due to some non-refundable venue costs. We will be taking this loss, you will not be affected.

Your training will reconveine as we left off, so this will likely add an extra date or two onto your original training plan. We will discuss this with you.
We don’t believe you should miss out on any training hours due to a postponement, so we will work hard to ensure this is as less disruptive as possible.

Thank you
The Scent & Search Academy

27/07/2024

PROBLEM SOLVING 🧠
It’s important that our teams are able to trust their dogs when searching for blind hides. To get there, there’s a few things we need to do,

•Strengthening their Scent Fitness, this is important to stop our dogs from “flaking out”, we need to prevent frustration on longer searches and slowly increase their stamina through fun.

•We need to practice different search styles and methodologies to ensure the dog knows to how to search efficiently, with only occasional guides from our handlers. Developing their independence.

•Exposure to “problems”, by giving our dogs small blockers in each search, our handlers will be exposed to potential new behaviours from their dog teams. This allows us to work on moulding the correct, healthy responses to support our dogs in potential future situations. This will create confident dogs who are able to “assess” the situation and find a solution to continue to their target odour.

So proud of this team today 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

26/07/2024

What’s it like owning a dog?
…I wrongly assumed that my birthday presents were actually for me! 🐾🤣🎾

26/07/2024

Alex is amazing, she is a lovely person with a passion for her dogs. 🤩🐾🐕

🎉🐕 We have spaces available on our fun and friendly small group walks! 🐕🎉

With an experienced and reliable walker your dogs will be in safe hands while they run, play, sniff and make new friends 🐾

If you’d like to use my services and have peace of mind that they’re having fun and being cared for while you’re out for the day, then please feel free to message me on facebook or text/whatsapp 07860611320 🐶

24/07/2024

WE HAVE JUST SURPASSED 50 DOGS THAT HAVE COMPLETED OR ARE STILL UNDERGOING TRAINING WITH US 🎉

You may think that this is a small achievement but …

1. Our business has only been operating for 7 months!! 👶

2. Scent detection is still quite a “new” and undiscovered sport for most pet dog owners, so when we launched, we didn’t even know if scent detection was even something that owners in our local area would want!

3. We launched this business after seeing the benefits of scent detection with our own pet dog, (who at the time was a highly reactive, rescued Dutch Herder with arthritis! ) - Scent work bolted onto her existing training to build her confidence and provide an alterive form of exercise that wasn’t just physical.

Over the past 7 months, we have run our 6-week courses, day workshops and our increasingly popular private sessions… all of which have allowed us to meet you lovely humans and your companions.

I have enjoyed seeing every single one of our sniffer students acing every task, progressing each week and having proper quality time with their owners. 💙

I also want to give thanks to the lovely network of likeminded dog businesses that have been very supportive and welcoming of our presence! 🐾

We are still finding our feet but here’s to many more mentally enriched dogs! 🎉

22/07/2024

Who said you can’t teach an elder dog new tricks?
Oodie mastered our scent games - at age 10!

It’s never to late to enjoy the fun of scent detection 👏🏼

21/07/2024

We had a great first session with a lovely XL-Bully this afternoon. 🐾💜

She is an absolute sweetheart who has lost her confidence through needing to wear a muzzle (to conform with the XL-Bully ban)

We have shown her owners how scent detection can be introduced to build her confidence and to put her mind onto something fun.
The next step is to practice with the muzzle on for positive association and working around distractions to practice her focus skills👏🏼

20/07/2024

How do we progress your dog’s scent detection skills? 🤔

A dog may very well able to find a hide at home or inside their usual training venue, but what happens when you change environments?
When they have grass under their feet instead a wooden floor?
Or when you have the wind manipulating the scent clouds?

Training in different environments will help our dogs to generalise the task of scent detection beyond the specific context in which they were initially trained.

It will reduce anxiety and hesitation, making the dog more reliable and effective in unfamiliar or challenging situations. Ultimately helping them to adapt and perform consistently under different circumstances.

They will experience different distractions (noises, smells, sights) as well as varying weather conditions, terrains, and airflows that dogs need to learn to ignore, improving their focus and concentration.

I’d like to say a huge well done to Maple and Bertie to aced their first training session outdoors. They built strong foundations at our indoor venue, now they must tackle new environments. 👏🏼

18/07/2024

Group classes, I hope you are ready, our new stash items are about to put you to the test...😎😈

16/07/2024

We had a very heartwarming day at Turners Hill Village Fete and Dog Show.
We want to share both the technical and the more simplistic Scentwork activities that we can all be doing with our pet dogs and with the whole family!

We would like to say a big hello to our new followers and those who have enquired about more dates already. 🫶🏼👋🏼
More info will be released this week after we have organised our current groups 🐾

14/07/2024

I’d like to give a very warm welcome to our newest Bronze UK Sniffer Dog Class…
River 👋🏼
Coco 👋🏼
Scout 👋🏼
Penny 👋🏼
TJ 👋🏼
Patsy 👋🏼
Poppy 👋🏼
Although Scentwork can be mastered by any type of dog with a working nose, we have a class of very intelligent dogs that will be put to the test! 🧠🐾

Well done on your first week as ‘sniffer’ dogs in training ⭐️
UK Sniffer Dogs

12/07/2024

We would like to say a huge thank you to Turners Hill Village Fete and Dog Show for having us this Sunday! It sounds like it will be a fabulous event! Sniff out our stall for some ‘have a go’ Scentwork fun! ☺️

10/07/2024

I cannot wait to train with Stanley and Louise again this week.
Stanley has been taking our UK Sniffer Dog Bronze course from home. He can sometimes become very vocal and easily frustrated without a job to do, but when we start searching, he is clearly happy to get his nose down and work for his treats!
Over the past few weeks, we altered the tasks to make sure this is enjoyable for him: we have paired the scent, practiced his focusing skills and exposed him to gentle searches… now we can start to gently shape his indication! 🙌🏼👏🏼

09/07/2024

But do you even know what you’re signing up for when you book onto our classes or workshops????

Say goodbye to your shadow for a few hours as the significant mental exercise in every scent detection class should leave your dog sparko! 👋🏼

Scent detection can help address and manage behavioral issues. A dog that is mentally and physically stimulated is less likely to develop problems such as excessive barking, chewing, or digging.

Depending on the type of scent detection activity, it can also involve physical exercise.
Get rid of that boring ball throwing session and replace it with the games that you’ll learn in class. 🧠

Training and working with your dog on scent detection requires teamwork, communication, and trust, enhancing your relationship.

Successfully finding scents can boost a dog's confidence. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and can be particularly beneficial for shy or anxious dogs.

There are various dog sports and competitions that focus on scent detection. These activities provide structured opportunities for dogs to use their scenting abilities and for owners to engage in a shared hobby.

Cool right? 😎😇

08/07/2024

Over the past few weeks we have changed insurance providers to allow us to expand our private training services for banned breeds; we can allow XL Bullies to enjoy the fun of scent detection!
We are firm believers that it’s not the breed, it’s the lack of responsible dog ownership and a lack of training. We have met many loving XL bullies over the years and we hope to continue to do so.

We have have heard from a few owners of XL bullies that they’ve lost the enjoyment of being outside because they have been muzzled and kept on lead…😞
We want to change that, we want to bring back some fun for these dogs when they leave the house to make this a positive experience for you.

Our training is 100% achievable on lead and with a muzzle, you’ll be working independently with your dog so there is no interference from other dogs or people.
Scentwork releases endorphins in our dogs, making them feel happy and relaxed after releasing all that instinctual energy. We will give them fun activities to play whilst wearing their walking gear, to start to remove those negative connotations of having a muzzle on. Our training games are ones that you can play anywhere, to continue the fun outside the classroom, whether that’s on your next walk or in your living room at home.

So what do you need to do? 🤔
When you submit a booking request with us, we will ask you for the relevant documentation in line with the exception rules set out by our Government.
If this is in order, then we can proceed with your booking where we will ask you a few extra questions about your dog’s behaviour to ensure we maintain a safe and stress-free environment as much as possible.

Disclaimer: For any breed of dog, we do not offer behavioural adjustment training… but using scent work, we can support your existing training plan.
Scent detection has many benefits for our dogs, but it shouldn’t replace ongoing obedience or behavioural training.
If you are with a behaviourist, please follow their recommendations to make sure your dog will enjoy this activity. 🐾

07/07/2024

I have a huge favour to ask from you all, we still don’t have a name for our “plank with holes in”….!!! 🚨
Please help us out, any ideas? 🤔

03/07/2024

With UK Sniffer Dogs, we will teach your dog to passively indicate in a way that is obvious to you that they have found the source of the target odour.
This not only helps you to identify the change in your dog’s body language, but it is also safer for them…

Retrieving our hides may look cute, but imagine that it was real contraband… we don’t want our dogs to put that in their in their mouths! 😅🤢
There is also a risk of our dogs swallowing or choking on our smaller hides, including our 0.5ml vials…

So instead, we train indications which will show you, the handler, the area(s) in which your dog has identified, and even the height of where the hide is placed! This is achievable for most dogs with practice and lots of praise.

I’d like to give a little shoutout to all of our clients for working hard on their indications, no matter which class or workshop you have been a part of. Watching your dogs indicate correctly has been just as enjoyable as watching them search. 😍👏
UK Sniffer Dogs

27/06/2024

Studies have shown that our Orbitofrontal Cortex is activated when we find something pleasurable or rewarding.
We know dogs love to sniff, now we know the science behind it, an actual chemical change is happening in their brains whilst sniffing, which further proves the theory that scenting/sniffing could be classed as mindfulness for dogs. ☺️