🐾 What to Expect at Our Sniffer Dog Trials at the Dairy! 🐄
We’ll be running Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Sniffer Dog Trials — perfect for dogs just starting out or those ready for something a little more challenging.
Here's how the levels and search areas work:
🔹 Level 1 – Perfect for Beginners If you’re new to scent detection trials, Level 1 is the place to start! Your dog will complete three searches:
🏠 Indoor Search – one scent hidden somewhere inside (at dog height and easy to access)
🌳 Outdoor Search – one hide in an outside area 🧴 Line-Up Search – a row of objects (like buckets or pots) with one target scent to find
⏱️ 5 mins for indoor/outdoor, 3 mins for the line-up
This is a confidence-builder — simple, supportive, and lots of fun!
🔹 Level 2 – Ready to Level Up For those who’ve got the basics and want more of a challenge. In Level 2, your dog will search:
🏠 Indoor Area – 2 hides
🌳 Outdoor Area – 2 hides
🚗 Vehicle Search – one hide placed somewhere on a parked vehicle
⏱️ 5 mins for each, 3–5 mins for the vehicle depending on size
All hides will still be within 1 metre off the floor.
🔹 Level 3 – For the Sniffing Pros This is where it gets serious! Dogs must use their nose and independence, and handlers need to trust their dog’s indication.
🏠 Indoor Search – 1–3 hides
🌳 Outdoor Search – 1–3 hides
🕵️♀️ Clear the Area Search – two areas, but you won’t be told how many hides in each. There are four in total across the two.
You’ll need to decide when to call it “clear” — testing your confidence and your dog’s commitment!
Hides will still be placed within 2 metres of the ground, with at least one more challenging placement.
🐶 Scoring Dogs and handlers are scored on:
✅ Indication – did the dog recognise the scent and did the handler read it?
✅ Area Coverage – was the whole space searched systematically?
✅ Teamwork – is the handler supporting without micromanaging? At Level 3, there are bonus points for calling the clear correctly.
Entry: £35 (£25 for ClickStart Sniffer Club Members)
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