What is Scent Detection Sport and Why You Need to Join The Sport?
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Sport Scent Detection is not a new sport. It has been around for 10 years. The best thing about scent detection is that any dog can excel. Your dog may be too slow for agility, or not engaged enough for Rally Obedience, but it will excel in Sport Scent Detection.
All breeds, unregistered dogs, old dogs, and young dogs can join this sport. This is the best sport for a nervous dog, a lame or old dog, or a very small dog. Your dog can excel whether it has high food drive, high toy drive, or no drive at all.
This is the only sport where your dog never receives a correction. The dog already knows what to do. The handler needs to train the dog to execute a search pattern, target odors, and building the behavior we expect when the dog finds the odor.
Once the foundation has been laid, the dog can be trained anywhere. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You don’t need a hall, or training arena.
The best part about the scent detection sport is that it is a game that you can play with your dog. Your dog is allowed to use its brain – something that most sports restrict or restrain. As your dog advances it will take charge and you will just follow.
This is why we’ve seen behavior problems diminish, confidence increase, and dogs become more responsive to obedience commands.
You can learn from home, or join a club. If you can’t find anyone in your area then leave a comment with your city. Maybe we can increase the sport by helping people connect.
How Does it Help with Behavior Problems?
Most Urban dogs are environmentally stressed. Sport Scent Detection is perfect because the dog will learn that we are not going to put any stress on them. We will not correct them. We only reward them. This counter conditions them, and builds confidence.