Nose Work
Is your Newf nosey? No, not spying on your neighbors through the fence, but nose constantly on the ground smelling everything when you are on a walk. That’s because your dog’s sense of smell is 100,000 times stronger than yours. Why not put that nose to work and try out Nose Work?
Nose work is a great activity for young and old dogs alike, and can provide many benefits. Dogs use lots of mental and physical energy which allows overactive dogs to put their energy into fun searches. Confidence can be gained to help shy or fearful dogs. You and your dog can build a stronger bond and you will learn to understand your dog better.
Scent Work is designed based off of professional detection dogs, think bomb or drug sniffing dogs. In Scent Work, dogs search for scents such as Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress. A cotton swab is saturated with the scent and hidden out of sight within a search area.
The AKC also has Tracking Trials in which your dog follows a path and locates an article at the end of a course that can be anywhere between 440 yards and 1,000 yards depending on what division the dog is entered.
If you are interested in learning more about Nose Work, please check out the following web sites.
"Scent Work The Nose Knows" by The Newfoundland Club Of America
The American Kennel Club's "Scent Work" webpage
The American Kennel Club's "Tracking" webpage
National Association Of Canine Scent Work
National Association Of Canine Scent Work's Education Division
Photo Credit: Laurie Pearlman