Racingredd Active Dogs.

Racingredd Active Dogs. Canine Hoopers World instructor. National Nosework Association ORT assesor & Judge. SWUK instructor & Judge. Mantrailing Global instructor.

Classes for all levels & breeds of dog with Wendy Clay. Keep an eye on this page for updates on training days. Weekly Group Scentwork & Hoopers classes. Β£40.00 per month. Mantrailing sessions at the Lilacs and other venues. Look out for details on this page. Β£35.00-Β£60.00 depending sessions.
1-2-1 sessions available on request.

I have a couple of permanent rare spaces available in my Scentwork classes starting in June. Venue Milking Nook near Pet...
08/05/2025

I have a couple of permanent rare spaces available in my Scentwork classes starting in June.
Venue Milking Nook near Peterborough.
Tuesdays 12.15-13.15 & 13.20-14.20.
Spaces would best suit a novice partnership but I can accommodate a beginner if you were able to attend a couple of 1-2-1 sessions to get you up to speed.

Please contact the page for further details.

01/05/2025

Fantastic post from Mandy Rigby.

πŸ• Scent Training Understanding Your Dog's Body Language πŸ•

Geek Alert ‼️ it’s a long one 😜

As a scent detection dog handler, your primary role is to observe the changes in your dog's behaviour as their brain processes sensory information from the environment.

These behavioural shifts will occur while your dog is investigating, within the odour plume, during environmental sniffing, and at the source of the target scent they are tracking.
Some changes will be obvious, while others are so subtle they can be missed in the blink of an eye.

I have been fortunate to observe hundreds of different breeds and thousands of searches. This experience has allowed me to develop a keen eye for the range of behaviours displayed during a search, to recognise what these behaviours signal, and to advise my clients on what to watch for in subsequent searches.

There is nothing more valuable than the symbiotic relationship built between an experienced scent detection handler and their dog.

The only way to enhance this powerful connection is through repeated observation of your dog searching in various environments.

Video recording searches is an essential part of your training progression. It allows the handler to review the search and to use slow motion to observe the subtle behavioural changes the dog exhibits throughout the different stages of the search.

So much can happen during a search that small changes can easily be missed as there is a lot to take in.

To simplify this, there are key behaviours to watch for that will improve your observation skills as your dog communicates their search story through body language.

The visual indicators can vary in intensity throughout a search and from dog to dog, but universally, the core elements will be present in some form for every dog.

Studying and learning your own dog's unique signals is a crucial part of the handler's role.
Observing other dogs is also beneficial, helping you develop a more experienced eye when watching your own dog.

Here are some key behaviours to observe

πŸ• 1. Breathing Changes

Sniffing patterns can change noticeably. You might hear faster inhalation and exhalation, deeper breaths, and increased intensity as the dog nears the target odour or works harder to locate it. Dogs can inhale and exhale rapidly, sometimes it can reach up to 300 times a minute whilst hunting. This rapid breathing can also be seen as a quicker movement in the rib cage area. The breathing may become noisy as more moisture enters the nasal cavity, aiding in capturing those crucial scent molecules packed with information for the dog.

πŸ• 2. Direction Changes

Observe changes in the dog's movement direction and/or intensity as they hunt down and lock onto target odour particles. The dog will often move in and out of the odour plume, evaluating the strength of the trail each time. Circling, side-stepping, and zigzagging are all body languages seen when a dog is searching for a target odour.

πŸ•3. Speed of Movement

Note the difference between the dog's active searching speed and their speed while on odour, as they home in on the source of the target scent. This is specific to each individual dog. Observing your own dog's movement speed and gait when they are on odour versus when they are not will enable you to recognise these variations.

πŸ•4. Head Flicks, Head Hooks (Knocking the Odour Plume)

These are usually obvious signs, but is it the target odour or something else of interest? Observing all the other behavioural changes leading up to this point, such as signals closer to the source and the final indication behaviour at the source, will help the handler determine the significance of the sudden head movement. A 'knock' on the odour is something for the handler to mentally note, as it can provide valuable insight that the target odour is in the vicinity. Allow the dog time to investigate further to see if they then show signals of being on odour or if they disregard it as a distraction smell that momentarily caught their attention.

πŸ• 5. Tail Carriage and Speed of Movement

The dog's tail position and speed of movement can provide a wealth of information to the handler. Knowing the dog's neutral tail carriage and natural movement is key, followed by monitoring the tail's position and wag speed when the dog is investigating, on odour, out of odour, or getting closer to the odour source. Tails come in various sizes, shapes, and angles, so there is no on size fits all interpretation here. While in the anticipatory state of a passive indication, some dogs' tails may lower and become still, others may sway, and some may wag faster or slower. This is certainly an area of behaviour to capture on camera and take note of.

πŸ• 6. Nose Height Changes

The height of the nose in relation to the dog's body is a key indicator. The nose is the leading guide, and observing changes in its direction is a crucial element that aligns with what the rest of the dog's body language is telling you. Has the nose gone to the ground or suddenly lifted higher? These variations in nose height inform the handler if the dog has latched onto a scent molecule trail of interest. Keen observation skills will indicate to the handler that the dog is onto something in that area.

πŸ• 7. Mouth Position

The dog's mouth plays an active role. It allows the dog to take in more information from the area and capture particles of interest to filter into their olfactory system or to disregard those that are not of interest. The mouth will often display some degree of closure when the dog is on the target odour, as this helps to lock in the strongest odour they have located. This closure might be momentary or last for a longer duration. Observe your dog's mouth on video replays, along with all the other key body language cues.

πŸ• 8. The Dog's Indication at Locating the Find

Pay close attention to your dog's entire body language when they indicate. Dogs sometimes second-guess, perhaps due to a memory find, strong pooling odour, lack of motivation, handler influence, or fatigue. In these instances, one of the usual signs might be missing or different from the reliable body language you have observed before.

⭐️ Summary ⭐️

Your Scentwork Handler Training Progression - To Video and Observe

Video record your dog on both interior and exterior searches. There is a lot of information to absorb. I find it helpful during replay to focus on one aspect of body language at a time – for example, tail carriage – and watch the replay with only that part of your dog's body in mind.
Take notes on what you observe.
Then, choose another element to observe within the same video and note what you see. You will essentially watch the same video up to eight times, but you will gain invaluable insights into your own dog's search style, and the subtle body language cues will become more apparent.

Record all your dog's searches and repeat this process.

Well, that's my 'nosey' geek-out for the day! πŸ™‚

If you found this information interesting and useful, please leave a comment and feel free to share any feedback about your own dog's searching body language. πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘

Mandy Rigby
Founder, Canine Scentwork
Academy
Scentwork Instructor















I am hosting two Jo Crosby scent workshop Racingredd Active Dogs. PE147BQ. 7th July 10.00-13.00 this session will be aim...
21/04/2025

I am hosting two Jo Crosby scent workshop Racingredd Active Dogs. PE147BQ.

7th July
10.00-13.00 this session will be aimed towards handlers and dogs who are working higher level trial search areas.

13.30-16.30 this session will be for beginner to novice dogs and handlers. Working on building confident search skills.

18th August
10.00-13.00 working on problem solving inductions and effective searches and improving those dreaded line ups!

13.30-16.30 focussing on large exterior searches,improving area coverage within time limits.

Each session will be 3hrs and costs Β£50.00. Maximum of 6 dWendy Rose ClayΒ£25.00 non returnable deposit to book a space.
Please pm for payment details.

Congratulations to Racingredd members Nicky Hamlin and B**g this weekend. 2nd place at SWUK level 6 trial and earning hi...
13/04/2025

Congratulations to Racingredd members Nicky Hamlin and B**g this weekend. 2nd place at SWUK level 6 trial and earning his excellence in the process. Level 7 here they come πŸŽ‰

We had a brilliant Mantrailing session today. Split trails,people searches,urban,novelty item starts and a couple of dog...
12/04/2025

We had a brilliant Mantrailing session today.
Split trails,people searches,urban,novelty item starts and a couple of dogs doing their first trail.

https://www.facebook.com/share/192z2Rhoct/?mibextid=wwXIfr
10/04/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/192z2Rhoct/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sunday Sermon

The day of rest and so let's talk about resting. I apologise in advance for sounding preachy or ranty, that's not the intention, no one is being told off, I just want to give you something to think on and I've got myself all passionate about it.

Dogs are supposed to rest a minimum of 16 hours a day. That's 16 hours where their brain and body does nothing but relax, recharge, process and decompress.

Digestive rest is important and I think some dogs have their digestive system taken advantage of, to suit human convenience, under the guise of it being a priority for the dog's own welfare.

Having patience and teaching yourself and your dog life skills without relying on food is important. People aren't patient or they want their dog to have treats or chews or training rewards and can't wait to get them off any kind of dietary restriction, because they rely so much on their dogs digestion to manage their activities of daily living.

I once read a comment that said "Immediate red flag if a dog owner doesn't want to use food rewards" (actually I think they said pet parent). How rude to immediately think that. Why not ask why? What if high value rewards make the dog s**t itself? What if the dog needs digestive rest after a period of illness? What if the dog isn't into food rewards? How about find another way instead of presuming that if someone doesn't want to train that way that they're a big meanie.

Sometimes we have to prioritise health and healing over the importance of what you're training or managing. Can Fido have a couple of weeks off from performing for primula and party sausage, seeing as he's spent the last week vomming his guts up and pebble dashing the patio. Could Princess maybe have a week doing nothing and maybe not ask her kidneys to process unnecessary food and exercise waste, so she can recover from that UTI she just had?

So many dogs never the get the opportunity to heal because the people that feed them use food to satisfy their own human emotions, or fulfil a perceived need that they prioritise over a dog needing time to heal. It's a constant battle for me to get people to place importance on healing above all else. It's amazing how much of an inconvenience it is to humans when I suggest they need to rest their dog's digestion. Broken digestion needs rest to heal. Just like a broken leg. Would you give a dog a quick run on a broken leg because "he needs to let off steam or he won't settle".

My Sunday Sermon message is please, let your care, kindness and drive to meet your dogs needs be more considerate of your dog's digestive system. It is not normal for anyone to be constantly eating, for so many reasons.

I might put that on my fridge actually. "It is not normal for anyone to be constantly eating, for so many reasons". That might fix the diabetes πŸ˜‚

Thank you for reading, please don't shout at me πŸ™

I have booked wonderful Jo Essex to come and teach a couple of Hoopers workshops at The Lilacs,PE147BQ on 7th April 09.0...
21/03/2025

I have booked wonderful Jo Essex to come and teach a couple of Hoopers workshops at The Lilacs,PE147BQ on
7th April
09.00-11.00 fully booked.
11.15-13.15 2 spaces available.
14.00-16.00 fully booked.

19th May.
09.00-11.00 fully booked.
11.15-13.15 1 space available.
14.00-16.00 1 space available.

Cost is Β£35.00 per handler per two hour group session.

Jo has a vast experience teaching Hoopers for all breeds of dogs.
All levels catered for but the groups are filling fast!
Comment below or message the page to book a space.

I have booked wonderful Jo Essex to come and teach a couple of Hoopers workshops at The Lilacs,PE147BQ on 7th April and ...
13/03/2025

I have booked wonderful Jo Essex to come and teach a couple of Hoopers workshops at The Lilacs,PE147BQ on 7th April and 19th May.
Cost is Β£35.00 per handler per two hour group session.
09.00-11.00 experienced only/11.15-13.15 and 14.00-16.00.
Jo has a vast experience teaching Hoopers for all breeds of dogs.
All levels catered for but the groups are filling fast!
Comment below to book a space.

A great day of searches at the Milking Nook classes yesterday. Everyone was given 10 minutes to search a fairly big area...
12/03/2025

A great day of searches at the Milking Nook classes yesterday.
Everyone was given 10 minutes to search a fairly big area with lots of environmental challenges.
I put out four odours and included a couple of magnetic tins which where all blanks or distraction odour (Velcro)
Here are the finds and some of the dogs working.
Well done everyone,really great work πŸŽ‰πŸ˜ƒ

There’s so much space to play Hoopers now the Agility kit has gone πŸ˜ƒ
07/03/2025

There’s so much space to play Hoopers now the Agility kit has gone πŸ˜ƒ

All set up and ready to go for the first outdoor Hoopers workshop of 2025 πŸŽ‰
22/02/2025

All set up and ready to go for the first outdoor Hoopers workshop of 2025 πŸŽ‰

Wow 🀩 what’s a fantastic workshop hosted by Racingredd with Justine Steele on scentwork patterning. So much information ...
28/01/2025

Wow 🀩 what’s a fantastic workshop hosted by Racingredd with Justine Steele on scentwork patterning.
So much information that we need a follow up to remind us of the bits our brains were too full to handle πŸ˜†
They’ve dogs all caught on to a new style of working and as ever have us 100% effort,they never cease to amaze me how honest they are.
Here’s a few snaps.

Address

The Lilacs Boarding Kennels, , 84 Broadend Road EAST, , Emneth
Wisbech
PE147BQ

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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