Nosework (also called Scentwork) is a relatively new dog sport. It was created by a couple K9 law enforcement trainers who thought it would be a fun thing for non-law enforcement dogs to do with their owners. Working K9 officers are trained to find narcotics, explosives, and other contraband. Sport nosework dogs are trained with virtually identical training methods to find certain essential oil scents.

The oils are used to scent short Qtips, which are then put into small vented metal tins or in short pieces of drinking straws or similar tubes. These are then hidden in various places for the dogs to locate, with the handler not knowing the locations of the hides. Trials will have hides placed on vehicles, in interior rooms, in various containers, in exterior settings, buried in sand or soil, and even the handler’s own scent!

The original sanctioning body for competitions is the National Association of Canine Scentwork, or NACSW. They have the most stringent testing and qualifying criteria, as their trials require the dog to successfully find hides in 4 “elements” – Interior, Exterior, Container, and Vehicle – on the same day to earn their titles. They also sometimes hold Element Trials, which are only for one of the 4 elements, but these are not as common.

Several other organizations have joined the nosework world, including UKC, AKC, C-Wags, Performance Scent Dogs, and others. Most of these have titles in individual elements, along with an overall level title. For instance, AKC offers Interior, Exterior, Container, and Buried elements, each with their own titles at 4 levels of difficulty. If a dog earns each of the Novice element titles, it would be awarded the Novice Scentwork title, SWN. Levels increase in difficulty as the dog advances, with more hides to be found, increased numbers of distractions, and more difficult scent puzzles to solve. One of the most unique things about scentwork trials is that the handler can reward the dog with a treat when it finds the hide – food rewards are not allowed in any other dog sport!

Nosework is a wonderful sport for young pups to learn as they so naturally like to use their noses, and getting a cookie is a bonus! It is also great for dogs who may be retired from some of the more physically demanding sports such as agility, herding or coursing. 3-legged dogs are welcome to compete. It is easy to train as there is relatively minimal equipment needed, and handlers can train right in their homes, backyards and driveways. It is, however, very helpful to gain the knowledge of a good instructor to help with the nuances of how scent travels, how to read the dog’s indication that it has found the scented hide, and how to work through distractions and challenging environments.