A dog's secret weapon (5 Photos)

There is a saying that 'the nose knows.'  In the case of our canine friends, this saying is most true. 

The Red Barn Event Centre offers a special scent training class every Thursday evening to help dogs sharpen their sense of smell and hone the craft of sniffing.

You may thing a scent class would be used for training dogs who needs to search for drugs or explosives. Red Barn's course is intended for everyday dog owners and their companions, but the training techniques are exactly the same for dogs who are helping police.

Certified Dog Trainer Katherine Ferger said that during the course, the dogs are learning to sniff out three essential oils: thyme, wintergreen, and pine. She said these are the same essential oils that are used for competitions.

“The dogs learn how to sniff out the odors and then they can actually, if they want, go and compete. It’s an actual sport. They don’t have to. They can do this just for fun. It's something they can do even around the house.”

Ferger noted that the sport of scent detection isn’t specific to one type of dog.

“Unlike other sports, where dogs need to be perhaps a certain size or certain athletic ability or certain breed for training purposes, every single dog, as long as they can still have a sense of smell, can do this.”

The training is simple. The instructor sets out a line of bins with a small hole cut out in the top. In three of the bins there are essential oil scents. Participants walk their dog down the line of tubs. The dog will sniff out the smell and be attracted to that particular bin. After the pup sniffs out each scent, they are rewarded with a treat.

Ferger has trained dogs for 24 years, and specifically taught scent training for five-years.

Scent training is an exceptional way to keep a dog's mind active.

“It gives the dogs an outlet mentally. So, even if people are exercising their dog with a Frisbee or chasing a ball, they’re only physically getting exercise. Dogs need mental stimulation and learning to find a scent is actually one of the best things you can do to enrich your dog's life.”

Karen McNichol and her dog Katniss have gone to Red Barn for training for two-years. She feels that scent training is a fun thing for her dog to do.

“She loves to sniff," said McNichol. "She sniffs everything, so I thought that this is one way to get control of it. And she loves it. She just loves sniffing everything, everywhere.”

Jane Killer and her seven-year-old lab Hartley have been doing scent training since October and also like it. Scent training is the latest thing she has decided to that they can do together, get out and have fun.

“It’s the bonding that I have with him," said Killer. "I really don’t think he’s going to get a job sniffing anything in an airport. It’s just good bonding for us to get out and do these things.”

For more information on scent training and Red Barn Event Centre click here.