Ready to Sniff: Scentwork Starter Kit Guide
Welcome, and well done for following your dog’s nose this far.
Scentwork is a brilliant activity where your dog gets to be the expert and you get to be the support act. It suits almost every dog: young, old, busy, shy, nervous, bold, experienced or completely new to the game.
Your Ready to Sniff Scentwork Starter Kit includes everything you need to begin, including your target odour, so there’s no guesswork about what to use or where to start.
This guide takes you through three short stages, from setting up your first scented pot to helping your dog make their very first search decision. It is based on the same core principles used in professional detection dog training, including police and search dogs, but pared right back to the essentials for you and your dog to play at home.
No serious face or detective badge required. Just a dog, a nose, a brilliant reward, and a simple way to begin.
Work through the stages in order, keep your sessions short, make your rewards fabulous, and let your dog’s nose do the rest.
What's inside the Starter Scentwork kit
- 2 Sniffer Pots™ with vented and non-vented lids
- How to Use Your Ready to Sniff Scentwork Starter Kit including video
- Small glass jar of pre-scented cotton buds (your chosen scent)
- Clicker
- Vented aluminium tin with magnet
- Tweezers (in their own tube)
- Disposable gloves
Stage 1: Getting Everything Ready
Set up your scented pot safely so it's ready for your dog to find.
Prep your pot
Pop on your gloves and grab the tweezers. These help keep your scent off the scented cotton, so your dog’s nose has only the target odour to work with.
On a clean surface, lift three scented cotton buds from the jar into your tin. Place the tin inside one of the pots and close the pot with the non-vented black lid. Leave it to “cook” for at least 5 minutes, so the odour can build up inside the pot before your dog starts searching.
These pre-scented cotton buds are designed to be used with the enclosed tin-and-pot setup, rather than loose or on their own. Start with three cotton buds. If your dog needs a clearer first odour picture, you can add one or two more, but you do not need a huge amount. Your dog’s nose is doing the clever bit.
When you are ready to begin, switch from the black non-vented lid to the vented lid and place the pot out for your dog to find.
This pot, also referred to as a "hot" container, now carries odour. Always use this same pot for your scented work, so your other pot stays clean and your dog is not confused by stray scent.
Trainer Tip
The odour may smell faint to you, and that is fine. Your dog’s nose is far more sensitive than ours. The 5-minute build-up inside the pot gives the scent time to collect before your dog starts searching.
Stage 2: Pairing the Odour
Teach your dog that sniffing the odour leads to a sniff-tastic reward.
Set up the game
Place your sniffer pot ( now containing your odour) on the ground in a quiet, distraction-free space. The kitchen or garden is perfect.
Let your dog explore
As soon as they move in and sniff the pot, mark the behaviour with a word like "Yes!" or a clicker, then drop a high-value treat right next to the pot.
Repeat and build confidence
Run through this several times. You're aiming for an enthusiastic, consistent response where your dog thinks: "Sniff the pot = yummy reward!"
Trainer Tip
- Keep sessions short: 2 to 3 minutes is plenty.
- Once your dog is consistently sniffing the pot, move it to a new spot and shift your own position slightly between reps. This stops them cueing off you and keeps the focus on the scent.
Stage 3: Pick the Pot
Introduce simple scent discrimination: one scented pot vs. one blank pot.
Your dog has learned that sniffing the scented pot means a fantastic reward. Now we're asking them to choose between two identical-looking pots, one containing the target odour and one completely blank. It's their first step toward becoming a nose ninja!
- Set out two pots: your "hot" pot containing birch, clove or anise, and your clean pot, not containing odour. Around 18 inches apart is plenty.
- Let your dog investigate both: observe them closely. Don't point or guide. Let them decide!
- Mark and reward only the correct choice: when your dog sniffs the pot containing the odour, say "Yes!" (or click). Reward close to the correct pot.
- Reset and repeat: you can switch the pots between repetitions to avoid pattern learning.
Why it matters
This is the first true "search decision" your dog makes. They're learning to trust their nose, and this honestly is the foundation of all scent detection work.
Trainer Tip
Let your dog investigate both pots, and observe them sniffing and gathering information from each one before they make their decision. Stay quiet and still while they work, without correcting or steering them, and save your mark and reward for the moment they commit to the hot pot. If frustration starts to creep in, step in and make it easier: remove the blank pot for a rep or two so they can win easily on the hot pot, then bring the choice back. Always finish on a success while they are still keen. Remember, learning is rarely linear; with dogs it often resembles a squiggly line!
Ready to start? - Everything you need is in one box, target odour included. Choose your scent, clove, birch or anise, and you're ready to sniff. Check out our "Ready to Sniff" Scentwork Starter Kits here.
Article written by Kate Hart, award winning dog trainer with the IMDT and qualified scentwork instructor and founder of the Sniffer Shop.
She juggles a busy life teaching scentwork, running the shop, and keeping six enthusiastic Labradors mostly out of mischief! Her passion is making scentwork simple, fun, and accessible for all dogs.
