36 Saber Tails Winter 2016

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

W

hen our PBGV puppy Pinot (GCH CH Lacey’s Ain’t No 

Sour Grapes, NW1, NW2) was 3 1/2 months old, he 

would track my scent during his walks after I left for work 

in the morning.  We knew then and there that we had 

to put this scent hound to work.  After looking around, 

we discovered that our local club offered K9 Nose Work 

classes.  Referred to as “the best smelling sport ever!” by 

its parent organization - the National Association of Ca-

nine Scent Work (NACSW) - this seemed to be the way to 

go.  Unlike Tracking, Nose Work can be done year-round, 

indoors and out, day or night.  The Association held its 

first official trial in 2009 and since then has grown nation-

wide and has an international presence.  The founders of 

NACSW all have backgrounds in K9 Nose Work with Police 

K9 detection and most of the early adopters had a back-

ground in drug, explosive, human detection and military 

K9 scent work roles. 

W

e signed up and for our first class and started to 

learn the rules of this new game.  The sport of K9 

Nose Work has several levels, like any other canine sport, 

and starts with the basics of the game:  “find the a treat.”  

In the beginning, Pinot, being food driven, would search 

for cookies in boxes and other objects.  With toy/ball driv-

en dogs, the instructors would hide the dog’s favorite toy. 

And the fun continued with hiding the treats in ever more 

complicated places or objects. 

T

he next phase of K9 Nose Work was to learn the first 

odor, Birch.  Three odors are used in the sport: Birch, 

K9 Nose Work

The Game of “Find the Odor” Will Make Any PBGV Happy

By David Eisenbacher and Olga Kornienko