Anne Lilll Kvam’s newest book contains all the information needed to train your dog to use their fabulous sense of smell to search and track everything from treats and toys to lost keys and people! Kvam provides clear and detailed step-by-step instructions for each exercise, and puts a strong emphasis on the importance of using positive reinforcement in training. Training your dog to use their nose to search and track is a unique activity that you and your dog can enjoy together and will enrich the lives of all participants, human and dog alike!
• Explains in detail how treat search tracking is a perfect activity for all dogs, from puppies to seniors, couch potatoes or dogs with limited mobility to high-energy dogs
• Contains clear explanations of how to get started and what to do if you or your dog get stuck
• Outlines ways to increase the level of challenge while still setting the dog up for success and avoiding frustration or burnout
• Provides a thorough introduction to tracking and discusses how and when to increase difficulty of tracking with the age and length of tracks
• Gives great tips for helpers & handlers for tracking exercises
• Includes photos and true stories of tracking dogs!
Praise from bestselling author Alexandra Horowitz:
Dogs live in a world of smell -- one that most dog people aren't privy to. Anne Lill Kvam's book offers the contemporary dog person the means and method to interact with their dogs in that vitally important, yet oft overlooked area. Her dogs have smelled out water, found lost keys, and located wayward sheep by their odor alone. Kvam's experience and technique combine here to provide something that no other training book does. Dog folks: read this book!
Alexandra Horowitz Senior Research Fellow, Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College and Author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know.
Anne Lill Kvam began working with scent discrimination dogs in Africa to detect land mines decades ago. She now works with people all over the world to discover the joys of scent work with their dogs through International Dog Trainer Education Courses. Anne lives in Norway where she continues to explore the fabulous sense of smell that dogs possess.
Note: Some of the material in this book previously appeared in the author’s The Canine Kingdom of Scent published in 2012.
6 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell
I bought “A Dog’s Fabulous Sense of Smell” because I wanted some ideas for cross-training my nosework dogs in the off-season. I was not disappointed! Each chapter is about a different type of skill using the dogs’ amazing nose. Starting with simple searches for treats, the author instructs the reader in searching for toys, then “lost” items like keys. She then moves to tracking/trailing people, and finally nosework-style detection. The author’s instructions are clear, easy to follow, concise, and outline how to advance each skill. Most of the exercises are suitable for puppies and geriatric dogs, as well as adult dogs. The author’s methods are fun for the dog and for the trainer. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore their own dog’s fabulous sense of smell.
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A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell
A Dog’s Fabulous Sense of Smell by Anne Lill Kvam is one of the best books I have read pertaining to dogs using their noses. The book begins with a couple of short chapters explaining the science behind a dog’s senses and natural behaviors, but it never gets too technical for the average dog owner who just wants to have a fun activity with their dog. There are games for dogs at every level of nose work, from the straight up newbie to the seasoned veteran. Games include Search for Treats, Finding Mom’s Keys, and Pancake Tracks. Each game has clear, concise instructions to set your dog up for success, as well as how to advance the games to challenge your dog. The games do not require any specialized equipment or objects either, so they are accessible to everyone. This is a book I know I will use again and again with all my dogs!
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A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell
This is an absolutely delightful read as well as a clear and easily understood set of instructions. We have taught nosework and tracking classes at our store and from now on this is the main book we will encourage our students to buy. The respect she has for dogs' ability, intelligence and agency in learning and working with people is refreshing. In addition to being an excellent resource for our classes, it's well suited to guide an owner working at home, for whatever reason. I love the fact that she doesn't rule out dogs with disabilities or other-abilities, age and fitness challenges, or personalities. Inspiring and empowering!
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This book makes scents!
I taught my dog how to find my keys after reading this book! I really enjoyed how the author broke down the steps of training throughout this book, but my favorite part by far was chapter 8. My dog and I trained together, practicing having him find and retrieve my keys first in an easy to find spot then hidden around the house. Beyond being an impressive party trick he has ACTUALLY found my keys a few times when I couldn’t remember where I put them and was on my way out the door! This book provided training opportunities that were both fun and practical!
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A very in depth guide into scent games and tracking for all levels
This book includes multiple games with step by step instructions for each game. One of my favorite aspects was how the author discussed limitations, what problems could arise, what to do about those problems, and when to take breaks. Though I haven't read every training book, the way this author talked about breaks was something I haven't seen before. She explained when, why, and how to take breaks most effectively and I can apply that to all aspects of our training. Besides how detailed this book was for scent games, it also had anecdotes of different dogs that have been trained in scent work. A dogs fabulous sense of smell is the perfect title for this book because dogs are truly fabulous in what they can do with their smell.
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A little book filled with well written step by step guide to scent work activities
You know an author is an expert in their field when they are able to write easy to follow along step-by-step instructions. This is exactly what Kvam can do. She makes complicated activities very easy to follow a long and does not bog the reader down with too many details. After her first book came out, I hoped to read some more from her. And here it is! This, and her previous book are both books that I would (and do) recommend to a first-time enthusiastic dog owner or to a professional trainer. Kvam breaks down each task in to very easy to follow along instructions. I enjoy the personal stories of dogs that she has known that are included throughout the book. She includes a brief intro to training but by page 29 she on to the instructions for the first activity, starting with a simple search for treats. I followed along with the Finding Keys chapter and my dog was finding my keys in tall grass by day 2. My favorite thing about this book is that it is so well written it does not need to be long. If I need to go back a step or two it was easy to go right to the steps rather than search through paragraphs of stories. The chapters are put together really well, making it easy to find stories and steps to each task. Photos are included throughout. There is also a very well written quick guide to retrieves which I know so many people struggle with. My favorite activity? Pancake Tracks! This is one of those books that I would call a class (or in this case several classes) within a book. If interested in scent work at all this would be a great place to get started but would also be a fun book for more experienced scent work people looking for new ideas.
