Scent Work

The best part? You only need minimal equipment to get started—a simple red Kong is all it takes! Teaching your dog basic search techniques is fun, and the bond you'll develop through this activity is priceless. Trust us, once you introduce scent work, you’ll never look back.

Interested in how dogs really use their noses? Check out this fascinating TED Talk to learn more about how dogs "see" the world through their incredible sense of smell!

Why Scent Work?

Dogs see the world through their noses. The part of their brain dedicated to analysing and processing scent is about 40% larger than that of humans, and it's estimated that they can smell over 1,000 times better than we do! This extraordinary sense of smell makes scent work a highly rewarding and beneficial activity for dogs of all breeds and ages.

Scent work taps into a dog’s natural abilities, engaging their brain in a way that is mentally tiring —perfect for wearing them out without the need for excessive physical exercise. It's an incredibly versatile skill that's simple to teach and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Whether it’s a rainy day, you're feeling under the weather, or your dog is recovering from an injury, scent work can provide an enriching alternative to traditional walks.

Why Barkology? Meet Your Scent Work Trainers

  • Karen Henley

    Karen is a certified dog trainer and has studied with World Scent Dog Association, Completed level 1 & 2 trainer courses with Scentwork UK and most recently UK Sniffer Dogs.


  • Julie Russon

    We have also teamed up with Star Dog Training run by the amazing Julie Russon has competed at Crufts with her own dogs in agility and obedience and runs her own successful training business focusing on Agility, Hoopers and Scentwork and has many specialist instructor qualifications to her name.

As well as many years of experience training her own and others dogs to a very high level she has completed Instructor course for UK Sniffer dogs. Julie is also running regular classes so if you are looking for alternative dates do get in contact with her: julierusson3001@googlemail.com

Classes

Beginners

Beginner classes 4 week course 6 hours teaching time, scent kit take home and a your Bronze UK sniffer dog certificate on completion.  

Next dates for Beginners 9th January 2025.

Improvers

Improver classes - once you have completed your Bronze award, improve your skills with these regular classes. They are PAYG and suitable for all. 

Thursdays at 5:45pm.

1-1s

Scentwork is great for all dogs but we know that some dogs struggle with group classes. Julie and I also offer 1-1 training at our respective training fields so get in touch for availability and details. If your dog is reactive and you want to take part in trials (below), let us know and we can arrange the times accordingly.

Trials

We are very excited to announce that we will be running scent work trails throughout the year! 

It’s open to anyone who has done scentwork and we will be searching for red kong!

There will be 4 x times searches all in different areas and different themes.

Once you book you will be given a time slot.

There are prizes and rosettes to be won! 

Dates for 2025 to be announced very soon!