How to Teach Scentwork
Teaching scentwork is about more than being able to search with your own dog. In this course I share how I teach. What works, what doesn’t. I share how to avoid overwhelming students while still teaching the myriad skills needed to be a proficient scentworker. I look at the practicalities of setting up classes, devising curriculum and coaching clients with different skill levels. With 40+ video clips, a comprehensive course booklet plus all you need to run an 8 week starter course, including handouts, this huge course is the perfect resource for all aspiring scentwork trainers.
Amy
After completing this course many years ago I recently plucked up the courage to start teaching. My first students are absolutely flourishing and its a joy to watch. The lesson plan set out in your course is really easy to follow and sets everyone up to succeed.
Masterclass – SAS Handling Skills
What you do while your dog is searching can have a positive or negative effect on your team’s success. Being able to see how your behaviour affects your dog is such a valuable tool. With use of video clips and explanations as to the why’s not just the how’s this masterclass is a deep dive into the vital, and often underestimated, role of the handler. You are part of a team, not just a bystander so be proactive and learn what your dog needs and how to provide it.
Suzanne
The Handling Master Class is really aptly named and highlights many of the initial mistakes made by new learners. This makes you feel positive and motivated to work towards eliminating errors and to support your dog more. There is one exemplary search which is efficient and keeps the dog motivated to work fluently with purpose. This course is a must if you wish to progress in partnership with your dog and enjoy scent work to the maximum.
Masterclass – Indications
Whether you have taught your dog using active or passive indications, learning scentwork body language is key. It’s not enough to wait for the final sit or retrieve, you need to know what your dog is telling you on the run-up to that point. Can you spot the difference between indication and interest? Not being able to respond appropriately to what your dog is telling you can result in the dog shutting down the conversation, shutting down the scentwork game and shutting you out. I will show you how to identify which signals are and are not indications, how to distinguish interest and investigation from indication and because every dog is an individual, understand how to tailor your behaviour to support different dogs. This masterclass is a must for everyone who is fascinated by canine body language and for every serious scentworker .
Michelle
This was an excellent course, I teach scent classes and I found the indication master class really helped me understand all the different elements and range of indication a dog may show, I will certainly go back to my classes with fresh eyes.
Savvy Scentwork
Smart strategies for scentwork success. Whether you’re a pro trainer teaching clients or a keen scentworker teaching your own dog you’ll come up against challenges you’ve never encountered. What happens if your dog works too fast? Does she need to be on a lead? How do you handle a long line without getting tangled up? How can you help a deaf dog enjoy scentwork? Or set up searches to accommodate wheelchairs? How can you boost the dog’s indication? Or increase engagement? I’ll give you strategies for all these situations and more.
Petra
WOW! This was such an amazing course! With so much valuable information and so many cues to teach the dog not only for scentwork but usable for daily life as well, I think this course is really underpriced and could be easily split to multiple much more pricey courses and it would be still worth it! I highly recommend this course, it is fantastic, easy to follow but with so much useful guidance I think this is the best dog training course I have ever attended (and I have been through a lot!)
Note: This review was written for the Support Skills course which is now incorporated into the Savvy Scentwork course. Instead of taking Petra’s advice, I doubled down and added even more!
Prioritising the Trainer’s Dog
As professional dog trainers, we devote our time, energy and emotional bandwidth to supporting our clients and their dogs. Yet in doing so our own dogs can often become collateral damage: deprioritised, overlooked or relied upon too heavily in service of others. This course challenges you to examine the impact of professional training life on your own dogs and offers practical strategies to redress the imbalance.
