The Scent and Search Academy has launched in Crawley and surrounding areas

The academy was formed by official UK Sniffer Dog instructor Maisie Howes, after experiencing the benefits of scent work fun with her own dog. Maisie rescued a shepherd dog in 2022 who was severely under socialised and reactive. Fortunately, with long hours of consistent training and adjustments, they were able to overcome the majority of the reactivity and nervousness. Although Maisie didn't stop there, she looked for alternative training opportunities to continue supporting her dog's development. She found a UK Sniffer Dog instructor who was providing other pet dogs with the benefit of scent work.

The Power of Nosework is endless!

All Dogs Love Sniffing! In fact, this natural instinct makes it a basic necessity them.

Their nose helps them to “see” and understand the world around them. Your dog has between 200 to 300 million olfactory receptors (scent receptors) compared to your 6 million. They can do some amazing things with their nose and they absolutely love using it.

The part of their brain that is responsible for interpreting these scents is 40 times larger than ours. The olfactory bulb is responsible for sending signals to their brain, which science has proven that when activated, makes the dog feel good, releasing those happy hormones - exactly what we we want to do for all our dogs!

Allowing your dog to sniff will release a lot of pent up energy, leaving them calmer and more satisfied in that environment. This has multiple benefits, it will allow you to keep your dog’s focus and attention for training and general obedience. Additionally sniffing releases your dog’s endorphins, leaving them in a positive state of mind, this can greatly improve the lives of nervous / reactive dogs.

Did you know dogs can technically use their noses to ‘see’ into the past and into the future.

Their sense of smell is so strong that they can pick up on scents like of other dogs and people, who have been in that area before you, basically allowing them to understand the past! And, their noses allow them to pick up scents through the air, which could tell them who is ahead of them, helping our dogs to understand who they might meet in the future!

After experiencing the benefits for herself, Maisie studied with the UK Sniffer Dogs to become a licenced instructor, allowing her to host her own classes and provide even more dogs with the benefits of Scentwork.

At The Scent & Search Academy, Maisie aims to provide a safe space where all pet dogs can have fun and succeed at their own pace. The aim isn't to create working dogs, but to give dog owners another tool in their toolkit to mentally enrich their dogs and ultimately have more fun with them!

So who would benefit from this scent work?

Any dog with a working nose will be able to take part. Sniffing is scientifically proven to leave our pooches feeling calm and content. Sniffing releases a certain type of pent up energy that cannot be released through physical exercise alone.

It can be especially beneficial for: -Young puppies with a lot of energy to burn - as long as they've finished their vaccines you can bring them along

-Adolescent dogs who are beginning to test the boundaries and would benefit from more focus

-Over aroused dogs who have endless energy to burn

-Working breeds of dogs in need of an activity to keep them busy

-Elderly dogs who are not as mobile as they once were but who still have the drive to be active

-Dogs recovering from surgery or injuries

-Great for nervous dogs - using their noses is like a having safety blanket & is great confidence building

-Dogs that cannot be exercised fully due to being in season

-Reactive dogs that are undergoing training - scent is a great tool to help you redirect your dog's focus

The Scent & Search academy has launched half day workshops, private sessions and group classes across Crawley. In the coming months Maisie is also looking to branch into Worthing and Brighton.

Currently the group classes are running weekday evening classes and Saturday classes. To join the fun, enquire through their Facebook page or [email protected]

There really isn't another company offering the same time and dedication to improving a dog's life through scent work as Maisie at The Scent and Search Academy.