Scent Search Skills Award Scheme

It's been a while! How are you all doing? We're hot! 🫠 But what better time to work on indication? You can't go for walks, your all hot and bothered, but you can still do the very basics!
This video goes over nose target. Retrieve and stare to follow.

How to teach a nose target in scentwork for dogs - the basics Scentwork is not mysterious and it didn't have to be complex or expensive. Here we briefly go over the start of teaching a nose target in scentwork. We will ...

HUGE well done to Leanne & Maslow for achieving their Level 12. Maslow was, once upon a time, a dog that really struggled with scentwork. He could do it, but he was so excited and couldn't focus. He's a different dog! Amazing work both! Amazing!

A huge congratulations to everyone who has completed the Spring scent challenge! The searches and wonderful search setups were absolutely fantastic.
We're going to focus on the standard awards for a few months, but keep your eyes peeled for future seasonal challenges.
Your rosettes will be with you all asap guys! 🏵

There was no question this month as to who would get the Judge's Pick. 's search of the May Flowers with the scent jar still in reach was just fantastic and deserves full recognition! He worked really hard to find the correct item and retrieve it. Great sniffy skills!

The Indication Accolade is so hard to award because I see so many brilliant indications, but I feel Bandit had really earned this this month after a loss of confidence. So bravo to Wendy & Bandit

This month's Creativity Accolade HAD to go to Faye Sparkes and Pippie for their cardboard box search which had been made into a castle! Very good!

I'm finally caught up on May's submissions! Well done to Rachael and Esme for their use of "Maggie May" playing in the background while Esme searched! Bravo to Esme for continuing to search, despite having to cope with that noise 🤣

Laura and Colin continue to absolutely smash scentwork! Pop over to Colin's youtube channel and have a watch of how Colin manages to find his scented article despite the scent jar being in close proximity (and bear in mind he's still fairly new to this game!)
Brilliant! Very impressed!

Some of you will probably be getting out to training classes now, others won't for a number of reasons, so if you need any help with your scentwork training, leave a message and I'll see if I can do a little video on the subject for everyone to access.

Just 3 days left! If you've taken part in previous challenges, this one could get you a rosette through your letter box!
Accolades to be won!
Prize draw for all entries.

Well done to Wendy Cook with Talie and Bandit for her fantastic searches! Really wonderful to see Bandit back on form after a little loss of confidence (happens to us all little man!), and fabulous to see Talie being her ever independent sniffy self!

In completing their May search, Faye & Pippie are the first to earn their seasonal rosette! A physical one will be in the post shortly xx

Congratulations to Faye & Pippie! Wonderfully imaginative searches and starting to build up to a slightly higher level and trying harder searches which is always good to see. Well done both!

Hot on their own heals for Level 9, Wendy with Talie and Bandit have successfully completed Level 10! Bravo guys!
Level 10 is doorways which can be a bit harder due to drafts and air currents, but both dogs did a super job! Well done.

So, a little announcement!
Having watched so many of you take on the levels on offer and do really well, it's become clear there are two main types of sniffers out there - the fast and the methodical, and we want to recognise both in their own unique ways.
As such the scoring mechanism is going to change a little bit in the coming weeks to recognise this. Once it has been finalised, I'll make sure to release a new video and pdf file explaining it, just so you're clear what is expected.

Many congratulations to Ruby Kwok and Boo Boo for completing Level 11! This is quite a step up for many dogs as we start asking them to find multiple hides in the same area! Boo Boo tackled it like a pro though! Well done both!

Well done Wendy with Talie and Bandit for completing Level 9, and with it Silver! Highs are not easy for dogs with physical limitations, but we can adapt levels if needed - just give us a shout, let us know your dog's issues and we can give a different option.

I know I've taken my sweet time letting you know what the theme is this month, but, it's "Queen of the May" (or poles if you want a single specific item)
How you interpret this us up to you, but of course you could shorten it to just "Queen" and be inspired by royalty or even the songs/videos of the pop group!
Have fun! And remember, for those who have done one or two challenges already, completing this month will result in a rosette for the season! 🤗

Last accolade of the month is "judge's pick" and this absolutely HAD to go to Faye & Pippie for the amazing display of post-search fuss. The bonding that happened after the search just really needed to be recognised. 🥰

Creativity - this so very nearly went to Rachael and Esme for their eggs in blue sparkly egg cups, but then Laura and Colin submitted a video with a search based on the rolling of the stone from the Sepulchre tomb! Last month they were pipped to the post, and this month it was their turn!
Bravo guys! AWESOME search idea!

April's challenge - Indication
This had to go to Ruby and Boo Boo for his excellent indication on a hat on a washing line in BLIND search! A really fab nose target! Well done guys! 🥳

Bravo to Laura and Colin for completing April's challenge! Great searches and sniffs, and some narrowly avoided egg-box destruction. Colin certainly is a super sniffer!

Bravo to Rachael & Esme who submitted some very challenging searches for their April challenge submission. Rachael spotted as well that Esme was getting a bit over excited and gave her time to calm down. Really lovely handling and team work

Bravo to Wendy with Talie and Bandit - beautiful searches on the theme of Easter. Wendy was the second person to use "real" eggs and thankfully no paws have yet to be covered in yolk!
Perfect score for some fab searches.

Level 13! Well done Mandy and Reenie!
For level 13 your dog needs to find 3 hides in the same area. Great work both.

Quick reminder that there a week left to her your April submissions in. All submissions get entered into the monthly prize draw which this month is a scentwork kit from Scentdog

The accolades up for grabs too - best indication, creativity and judge's pick.

Anyone submitting 3 successful searches this month and next will sent a rosette.

Really lovely searches from Faye and Pippie for the April challenge. Pippie is still very new to scentwork, but none the less she knew what was being asked of her and did it beautifully! Well done guys.

Bravo Ruby and Boo Boo for some fantastic door searches! Doors can bring about quite a challenge due to all the drafts that come between the door and door frame or through a letter box or key hole. Never underestimate how tricky a door can be!
Super Sniffing! Well done guys!

Congratulations to Mandy and Reenie for completing their Level 12. To some dogs cars are just another thing to sniff, and to others they represent exciting trips to the park, or horrible smells of fuel. Either way, Reenie put in a sterling performance. Well done guys.

Very well done to Michelle and Beth who achieved a perfect score at Level 3. Level 3 is where we asked the dogs to search for a scent on different carriers - this is what holds the scent (a piece of paper, a bit of fabric, some cotton wool, etc.) This was no issues for Beth though who aced it! Well done! 🥳

Congratulations to Ruby and Boo Boo for putting in a great show for both levels 8 and 9 and earning their Silver award!
Levels 8 and 9 are low and high respectively, and for Level 9 Ruby managed to find some really interesting places out and about which gave Boo Boo some wonderful new textures to sniff! Fabulous work both! 🥰

Just a reminder that April's monthly challenge is Easter (or crosses) for you to interpret as you wish :)
If you submit 3 searches for the different challenges of the season a rosette will be yours! (If you're catching up and didn't do last months there will be a mini rosette for two challenges)

A while ago, Lynne & Liz with their three amazing Hovawarts - Mist, Alize and Torin - put in a sterling performance to secure their Level 13s.
Amazing sniffing and great work!

A huge well done to Jessica and Effy for completing Level 13! Technically they're not the first to do so, but they are the first to get a shout out for it!
In level 13 we ask your dog to find 3 scents in the same area. Not an easy task! But Jessica and Effy did a great job. Well done guys!

Congratulations to Ruby and Boo Boo for being the first to complete the Monthly Scent Challenge for April. Three lovely searches, all of an Easter theme, and only one point dropped across all three!
Bravo guys! Some tough searches in there too!

Despite a minor camera incident (it fell over) Mandy & Reenie were still able to demonstrate that two scents in the search area were NO trouble to them and put in a couple of wonderful searches.
Great skills guys!

A very well done to Jane and Milly who did a superb job of Level 1! No marks dropped across 3 wonderful indications.

Bravo guys!