Your dog can find scent.
That’s a brilliant foundation.
But if you’re honest, do your searches sometimes feel a little hopeful?
Are you letting your dog loose and trusting they’ll work it out?
Are you unsure how to increase difficulty without things becoming messy or chaotic?
Finding the target scent is one thing.
Working together to tackle more challenging searches safely and intentionally is another.
Essential Scentwork Skills is where that shift happens.
Once your dog understands the target scent, the next stage isn’t about doing more of the same. It’s about building structure.
It’s about:
- Developing real concentration
- Building teamwork instead of relying on free searching
- Increasing challenge without losing control
- Searching exciting places while keeping your dog safe
This is the course that turns scent finding into true scentwork partnership.
You might be noticing:
- Your dog works quickly but not always carefully
- Searches feel repetitive and you’re unsure how to progress
- You want to search more complex environments but don’t feel confident yet
- You’re not sure how to balance detail, duration and difficulty
That’s completely normal.
This is exactly the stage where many teams plateau.
With the right structure, it’s also the stage where everything opens up.
In Essential Scentwork Skills, I guide you step by step through the techniques that create focused, efficient and enjoyable searches.
You’ll learn how to:
- Handle with clarity
- Communicate effectively
- Build shared focus
- Increase challenge together
By the end of this course, you won’t just be watching your dog search.
You’ll be working as a team who can tackle almost any environment with confidence.
The skills that turn finding the target scent into real teamwork
If you want to search more challenging places, work with greater focus and feel confident increasing difficulty, these are the skills that make it possible.
This is not about doing more searches. It’s about doing them well.
In Essential Scentwork Skills, you build the foundations that allow you to move from hopeful free searching to structured, intentional teamwork.
You will develop four core elements that underpin every successful search:
Directed Searches
The majority of your searches will use directed work once the basics are in place. Without structure, dogs waste energy and handlers miss detail.
With clear direction, you increase efficiency, reduce chaos and dramatically improve results.
Search Planning
A good search never happens by accident.
You’ll learn how to create and follow structured search plans using clear patterns. You’ll see the difference between working with intention and working without one, and understand how small changes in movement create big improvements in outcome.
This is where you begin to feel in control rather than reactive.
Safety Checks
As your searches become more exciting and varied, safety becomes even more important.
You’ll learn how to carry out simple, effective pre-search checks that allow you to work confidently in a wider range of environments while protecting both you and your dog.
Harness Use
The right equipment supports good handling.
You’ll understand how to choose and use a scentwork harness in a way that improves communication and clarity rather than creating confusion.
Alongside the practical lessons, you’ll receive:
- A detailed course booklet
- Graded quizzes to consolidate learning
- A graduation certificate on completion
This course is designed for teams who have completed Teach Your Dog to Sniff, Puppy Scentwork, Senior Scentwork or an equivalent foundation workshop, and are ready to build structure, confidence and true scentwork teamwork.
Course Booklet
Each section has it's own notes that support and add to the accompanying video lessons. You can now download the course notes booklet. This means all the notes can be kept together which makes it easy to refer to whenever you want.
Harness Guidance That Supports Clear Communication
The right equipment should support your handling, not create confusion. Included in the course is a practical 4-page guide to choosing and using a scentwork harness safely and effectively.
You’ll learn:
- What to look for in a fit-for-purpose harness
- What to avoid
- How to use a harness in a way that improves communication during searches
You’ll also receive a curated list of recommended options to make choosing straightforward.
Ready to move beyond free searching?
Your dog can find the target scent.
Now it’s time to build the structure, clarity and confidence that allow you to search anywhere - safely, intentionally and as a true team.
Essential Scentwork Skills gives you the techniques that transform hopeful searches into focused, efficient teamwork.
If you want to:
- Increase challenge without chaos
- Work more exciting environments with confidence
- Feel in control of progression
- Build real teamwork instead of relying on luck
Then this is your next step.
Enrol today to start building the skills that make every search more purposeful, more effective and more enjoyable for both of you.