Dogs experience the world through scent. Their sense of smell is thousands of times more powerful than ours—and now you can give your dog the opportunity to use it in a structured, cooperative, and rewarding way. Whether you’re looking for a new activity, building focus, or training for sport or real-world applications, Scent Detection is a great option for dogs of any age, breed, or experience level.
Scent Detection teaches your dog to search a designated area for a target odour and perform a specific physical action or “alert” to tell their handler where the odour is located.
Dogs must be able to work around other dogs and cannot display any human or dog reactivity/aggression in order to attend Scent Detection classes.
Photos on this page were taken by Kelmor Photography.
Intro to Scent Games
This course sets the foundation for recreational or competitive Scent Detection with any of the major nosework organizations (including CKC, SDDA, and C-WAGS.) Dogs will learn to discern which container of several contains Wintergreen odour and to alert on the scent.
CURRENT DROP-INs
Drop-in classes are open to anyone, any time, and can accommodate all skill levels. The price is $25.00 + GST / 1 hour. Please email info@sundogcanine.com to register.
Available drop-in dates for Intro to Scent Games are:
– Thursday June 18, 6:15-7:15 PM
– Thursday June 25, 6:15-7:15 PM
Upcoming Classes
$200.00 + GST, 6 week program / 1 hour per week
| Day: | Thursday |
| Start date: | July 2 2026 |
| End date: | August 13 2026 |
| Time: | 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM |
* NO CLASS on July 23 2026
AREA SEARCHES
Designed for dogs who have already taken “Intro to Scent Games”, this class will teach them how to search for odour without the visual cue of containers, as well as how to alert on smaller and more complicated hides. Suitable for all skill levels, from dogs who have just been introduced to the game to dogs currently competing in scent work.
Upcoming Classes
$200.00 + GST, 6 week program / 1 hour per week
| Day: | Wednesday |
| Start date: | July 8 2026 |
| End date: | August 19 2026 |
| Time: | 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM |
* NO CLASS on July 22 2026
Meet Your Instructor
Darcie
Darcie is the owner and lead trainer at Sundog CTEC. She has been training professionally for 8 years and competing in a wide variety of dog sports for almost 15.
She started training Scent Detection in 2021 and actively competes in CKC with both of her Aussies, Dune and Tempo. Darcie’s favourite part of nose work is helping teams build confidence in the sport and in each other!