I'm nuts about scent work. I've done most of mine at home with no instructor. Before you buy scents decide if you are going to do AKC or NACSW - basically the same but different. In the sports forums there is Nose Work or Scent work and you can read through those, but basically start with food - a favorite smelly treat like cheese or hot dog tidbit. This trains HUNT drive. Put Remy in another room, hide a couple of treats where he can easily find and eat them, like behind a chair leg, or next to a wall. Bring him out of the room and hold him facing the area with the hides and then let him go and say search or find it. Do not help him or point them out, but do keep encouraging him if he looses interest by simple moving toward the hide so he follows your movement. Once he picks up on this game, I like to use a certain piece of equipment (I use a harness, which I never use for walking or any other work at all. The harness goes on, she KNOWS it's nose work) and pair a word at the "start line" - whatever room you have hides in. Pair with the scent you will be searching - Birch is the starter scent. The dog begins (quickly) to associate Birch smell with food, so when they smell Birch they think there should be food there. When you just put Birch out with no treat next to it they will find it and look at you like "where's the food???" and when they give you this look "alert", you praise and pour the treats on. That's a really really short description of how it works in the beginning, and I'm so enthusiastic about this sport I'm happy to help with more detail. You can start with the food hunt right now, but when you order your scent kits, be sure that they are approved by AKC or NACSW, whichever venue you will be trialing. Do not get the essential oils at Walmart or other local sources, they are not the same.
I do very little (not enough) practice because I've had so much else on my training plate and thought I'd save nose work for later. But it truly is one of Ashas very favorite things to do and I just entered another trial for August (I do AKC) so now I'm upping my training again. She has completed her Novice in all four elements: Containers, Interiors, Exteriors and Buried and is part way through Advanced with 3 elements and completed Advanced in Exteriors with one Q in Exteriors Excellent. We did it all with one online coaching when Asha was 6 months old and practicing with my best friend/house mate who also had in person lessons at first and attended several training seminars. So yes! you can do this at home!
