Since we’ve been teaching K9 Nose Work classes, we’ve had a lot of students ask us what equipment they need. Well, we mentioned in an earlier blog post, we’re big fans of having a specific Nose Work harness or collar. This doesn’t have to be a particular brand or manufacturer – it just needs to be a piece of clothing that your dog only wears when they are doing Nose Work searches.
Here are some examples of harnesses to check out – A quick Google search should pull them right up:
Copper doing K9 Nose Work on an RV
Brilliant K9
Julius K9
Comfort Flex
Balance Harness
Kong Harness
Shop around, and ask questions (of other classmates, or staff) – find the harness that is the easiest for you to use and the best fit for your dog!
When we introduce ‘Odor’, you’re going to need an Odor Kit. In our classes we use the scents used by NACSW as the target odor:
Birch (“Sweet Birch” aka Betula Lenta)
Anise (“Aniseed” aka Pimpinella Anisum variety – NOT Star Anise, Illicium Verum)
Clove (“Clove Bud” aka Eugenia Caryophylatta or Syzgium Aromaticum)
Be VERY CAREFUL, when shopping, to make sure you get the right kind of scent!
For convenience sake, you may just want to purchase an ‘Odor Kit’. There are a number of places that you can buy your odor kits from, but here are a few for you to check out:
Keep in mind – read the descriptions of the product, to make sure odor is included (unless you WANT to buy your odor, separately!)
Happy sniffing!