SCENT DETECTION CLASSES IN CALGARY | HUNTER'S HEART

SCENT DETECTION CLASSES IN CALGARY

Welcome students!  Hunter's Heart has been sniffing since 1999. From bed bugs to birds, nosework to narcotics, we’ve helped thousands of students around the world, including dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes. Whether you want to start training scent detection for fun, you’re competing in nosework at the Elite international level, or your training a dog for deployments (e.g. Search and Rescue), we’ll help you to succeed with our proven protocols.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Your instructor is Dr. Carla Simon, MD, BSc, MBA, a professional bed bug detection handler and sniffer dog trainer. She's Alberta's Sr. Representative on the Scent Detection Council for the Canadian Kennel Club, and has judged competitions for CKC, UKC, SDS, and K9 ABC Games. Carla has handled dogs to multi-high in trial wins in scent detection, including Elite High in Trial titles (UKC). Her students have been deployed and titled in CKC, SDDA, UKC, AKC competition. Carla's passion is helping dogs and people become better partners and have fun finding scent. 

BEGINNER SCENT CLASS (FIND IT)

Every dog can learn to find target odor. In our Beginner Scent Detection classes, we’ll motivate your dog to search in our scent detection training lab. 

We’ll explain what to do at every step so it’s easy. Your dog will learn:

• To love finding target odor. Motivation is the key to all advanced skills!
• Obedience to odor
• To search systematically
• To find the precise location of source (the highest concentration of odor), within 2-6 inches
• To move their nose as close to source as possible
• To stay at source and receive multiple high value rewards, until cued to leave.

No previous experience is required. There are no prerequisites for this course. We start our puppies as young as 5 weeks, using motivation and games so every dog can succeed. Dogs of all ages can learn as long as they are motivated by food or toy rewards.  

Goals

Our Beginner Scent Detection classes will prepare you to:

• Pass an odor recognition test  e.g. ORT, DOT, container search or lineup
• Confidently search and find source (the precise location of a target odor)
• Our protocols consistently prevent common undesirable behaviors that cause failures in advanced searches, deployments and nosework competition.

TARGET ODORS

For all of our classes and events, dogs search for scent. We use  a cocktail of ALL 6 odors used in beginner level sporting detection and nosework competitions:

1. Wintergreen
2. Birch
3. Anise
4. Clove
5. Pine, and
6. Cypress.

Be weary of classes that only hide food in jumbles of boxes. No competitions or deployments involve searching for food. Scent detection requires dogs to ignore intentional food and toy distractions, to find target scent. Dogs can learn to detect almost any scent (as long as it's safe). It's all about making finding scent rewarding. As long as your dog enjoys food or toys, we'll show you exactly how. 

Email Carla to ask if you can bring your own scent to class. Previous students have searched for handler scented articles e.g. socks, gloves, keys, or toys (for Scandinavian Working Dog Institute Protocols), snakeskins, antlers, teeth (for search and rescue), etc. All scent must be safely contained with proper odor hygiene at all times. 

INTERMEDIATE SCENT CLASS (SHOW ME)

Prerequisite - our Beginner class, successful completion of Beginner scent detection title or equivalent experience.

Once your dog proficiently finds the source of target odor, our Intermediate Scent Classes will teach them to show you where source is, using a Trained Final Response (aka indication behavior). We train the indication away from odor, using the dog’s favorite toy. Our protocols are inspired by the Scandinavian Working Dog Institute protocols, but broadened to appeal to a wider variety of dogs. Our proven protocols harness natural prey drive, and create intense focus. For dogs who prefer food, we use food stuffed lotus balls, which are very popular for teams who haven't fully explored food play and toys. 

Gradually we build drive and confidence, then teach the dog to ignore distractions around them e.g. handler motion, talking, etc.

Alternative options for training an indication on low hides include:

1. Shaping a down using a wooden indication box (inspired by Dave Kroyer, as shown in the photo below), or
2. Using leash pressure to train the dog to freeze like a statue with attention focused at source.

We have successfully trained many dogs, using all of the above methods. The only right way is the way that works for your dog. We'll show you exactly how to succeed. 

ADVANCED SCENT CLASS

Prerequisite - our Intermediate Scent class, successful completion of Intermediate scent detection title or equivalent experience. 

Once your dog is proficient at finding and indicating in container searches, we systematically increase search duration, complexity and distractions. This course will introduce multiple hides, in blind Interior, Exterior and Vehicle searches, including high hides (2-4 ft) and thresholds. You’ll practice locating source (the highest concentration of target odor), within 2-6 inches. 

For example, in a vehicle search, if source is at the top left corner of a license plate, the judge may fault or fail teams that indicate the bottom right corner. Successful practices will help build your confidence as a team. Unlike container searches, where you only need to pick the hot box, other searches require the handler to identify the precise location of source.

Watch Zahra’s Exterior Search at: https://youtu.be/8dZbdkDeHuk.

PRE-TRIAL PREPARATION & HANDLING CLASS

Prerequisite - completion of our Advanced Scent Class, Advanced Interior/Exterior Scent Detection Title or equivalent experience.

Want to take your scent detection to the next level? Now that your sniffer dog is trained, your job as a handler is to get them where they need to be to detect odor. You’ll learn to predict airflow and plan efficient searches of large areas, under time constraints. You’ll learn how to handle advanced challenges, including: converging hides, distractions, distance, unknown number of hides, speed, clearing rooms and navigate fun scent puzzles.

Challenges help students to succeed in deployments and the higher levels of international nosework competition, where teams are evaluated on their ability to:

• Bypass intentional toy and food distractions in the search environment to find the target odor
• Search buildings or other large areas under time pressure (up to 10 minutes per search)
• Find an unknown number of hides.
• Navigate high hides, and
• Clear rooms that contain no odor.

While it’s most important to focus on your team’s strengths, we'll help you to address areas of weakness to minimize errors. We'll troubleshoot issues such as fringe and false alerts, to improve your precision, accuracy, and reliability, while continuing to have fun with your canine partner in skill building games.

CLASS RULES FOR SCENT DETECTION

Please note that dog-dog interaction is never allowed at scent detection events. Well managed reactive and aggressive dogs may be present on the property (as well as children and horses), so all dogs must be under control at all times. We’re committed to a safe, positive, environment that sets all the dogs up for success, and we can’t do that without your help!

• Never let your dog sniff or greet another dog, and leave as much space as you can between dogs (10 feet or more).  If your dog is close enough to greet another dog, you’re way too close!
• Your dog must always be on leash in the parking lot, and in the facility. Scent class never requires the dog to be off leash, but sometimes the instructor may invite advanced teams to remove the leash during a search, if the dog works just as well off leash and has a reliable recall. All dogs must remain under control at all times. 
• Please dress for the weather. If conditions allow, advanced searches will likely include exterior and vehicle searches. 
• Only one dog works at a time. All other dogs must be inside crates or inside vehicles in between searches, so please come prepared. Consider bringing a food stuffed Kong or your dog's comfortable bed if that will help them to relax while waiting. 
• If your dog is reactive or aggressive, these busy classes may not be conducive for your dog’s learning at this time. Ask us about private lessons.
• Aggression towards people or dogs will not be tolerated. If your dog is not under control, you may be asked to leave immediately. One incident may result in immediate dismissal without a refund, entirely at the instructor's discretion. For example, if you let your dog off leash and they cause an incident, you may be asked to remove your dog from the property immediately. Please help us to keep classes fun and safe for everybody. 

WHAT TO BRING TO CLASS

• A hungry, energetic dog. Please do not feed your dog before class.
• If your dog does not love the rewards you're offering, you cannot train! Even if your dog works for dry food at home, class is more distracting so you need to bring better rewards to motivate your dog to search. 
• Bring handfuls of the non-crumbly, irresistible high value food rewards your dog loves most e.g. rotisserie chicken, wieners, or tuna fudge.
• However much food you think you need, double it.
• Cut each piece into bite sized pieces, so your dog finishes each reward in one secord or less. One weiner should make at least 70 rewards!
• Do not bring ziploc bags into the search area, because they're hard to ignore! Please put rewards inside your bait bag or pocket, where you can access them instantaneously without dropping any crumbs.  
• If your dog enjoys toys, bring 2-5 toys of equal value (we’ll search for 1 toy and reward with the other). If your dog isn’t interested in balls or tug toys, you can try a stuffed lotus ball (available for sale at the front desk) or Kong Ballistic Hide N Treat from Dexter's (on Ogden Road), or Amazon.ca. 

• During scent detection searches, we want the dog to pull ahead independently, so the dog should not wear their usual walking gear (associated with heeling, not pulling). Bring your tracking type harness if you have one. If you don't have a harness, you can use a buckle collar. For custom gear, we recommend biothane longlines from TaxcoCollars.ca, which are handmade in Calgary. (Wendy is a detection handler so she's very familiar with our requirements and frequently make custom equipment to fit your dog.) 
• Please note that choke chains, slip leads, pinch collars, head halters and e-collars are not permitted in scent detection classes. Ask us in advance if you want to use a martingale collar.
• You need a long leash, approx. 8-15 feet. I use a 10 foot long biothane leash. Leather is also very good, but nylon leashes will likely burn your hands. Note that 30-50 ft longlines are great for tracking, but too long for scent detection.
• Dog poop bags for cleaning up.
• Optional: please bring your own camp chair if you'd like to sit and watch the other searches during class, crate, clicker, water and bowl.

We hope you can join us for some fun sniffing!