Sniff New England was created to bring K9 Nose Work® activities to scentwork enthusiasts.

Future events are being planned. Check out the Events page to see everything that is going on.

What is K9 Nose Work®?

K9 Nose Work® is the latest & fastest growing canine  sports in North America.  It is a sport  in which dogs are encouraged & rewarded for doing what they do best – use  their highly sensitive noses to locate an odor.   The main emphasis is on FUN.

Through careful control of the environment, dog and handler  teams are provided with repeated, successful opportunities to find a specific  odor. Dogs learn to trust their noses and their handlers learn to read their  dogs’ behavior to recognize when they have located the target odor. Through  this continued experience, a stronger bond is established between dog and  handler, and the dog’s confidence begins to grow. The emphasis on FUN continues.

The target starts as a smelly treat hidden in an ordinary box  and progresses to a small tin, hidden somewhere in the search environment, that  holds a couple cotton swabs that have been dipped in an essential oil.  The oils used are Birch, Anise and  Clove.  The search environments are  Containers, an Interior room, an Exterior space, and Vehicles.

One can continue forever just playing around home, or if you  are of a more competitive nature you can go to trial to earn your title in Nose  Work 1, Nose Work 2 and Nose Work 3.  Each  level increases in difficulty & complexity.   For those competing at trials, the main  emphasis is still on FUN.

What are the benefits  of K9 Nose Work® ?

• Builds  stronger bond between handler and dog
• Great  for new dogs and especially rescue
• Builds  confidence in the dog
• Great  for shy/timid dogs
• Great  for reactive dogs
• Provides  an outlet for energy
• Provides  an outlet for high energy dogs or dogs that need a “job”
• Improves  focus
• Great  for distractible dogs
• Improves  impulse control
• Great  for dogs who have trouble with self-control

What special  qualifications does my dog need?

None: All dogs can do Nose Work!

• Dogs  who have mobility or sensory challenges
  • Blind  and deaf dogs
  • Dogs work at their own pace
  • Dogs in carts
  • Dogs work in a safe environment
• Dogs  of any age
  • Puppies  to the elderly
• Dogs  of any size
  • Chihuahuas  to Great Pyrenese
• Dogs  of any breed
  • Pugs  to Border Collies

What special  qualifications do I need as a handler?

None: Only the desire to have some  FUN with your dog!

• People  with mobility or sensory challenges
• People  of all ages
• People  of all sizes