UKC Nosework
Dogs are born with a nose for odors. They love to search and locate animals, objects, individuals and other fun smelly stuff by using their nose. Depending on the breed of dog, its sense of smell is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000,000 times more sensitive than a human’s.
Mankind has been utilizing the dog’s amazing scenting abilities in countless ways for centuries. Most are familiar with the ability of a dog to use its nose to track a person’s movement over ground or through water. Hunting dogs are used to track and locate prey, while cadaver dogs specialize in locating the remains of deceased individuals. Dogs have been trained to locate oil and gas leaks for utility companies, while mineral corporations have also used dogs to locate zinc, lead and copper underground. Exterminator companies utilize dogs to locate all sorts of critters from rats in a barn to termites and bed bugs. Dogs are used by customs officials to discover fruit located in travelers’ bags and law enforcement uses the dog to detect narcotics. Explosive detection dogs are employed by the military, police and private security companies. The dog’s heightened sense of smell is even being used to detect a growth of cancerous cells or an oncoming seizure, as well as signal low or high blood sugar levels.
Nosework sports showcasing the dog’s amazing sense of smell and their natural desire to hunt have recently been developed. To earn the UKC Elite Nosework title, a dog and handler identify each of the 5 scents (birch, anise, clove, myrrh and vetiver), then earn 2 qualifying finds in 4 separate elements (container, interior, exterior and vehicle) in EACH of the 5 scents. The higher the level, the greater the number of hides which must be found (1-4 odor hides) set at varying heights (from ground level up to 5 feet high) and multiple distractions (1-3 distractions of food or toys) must be ignored. This requires a minimum of 45 shows to earn 30 title certificates.
Our Michigan Performance Dog Club membership is honored to have 5 Nosework judges (2 being Senior Judges) licensed by the United Kennel Club.
2026 Nosework Events
Event will be held at 4215 S. Lowell Road, St. Johns, MI 48879
May 16-17, 2026 (Saturday Interiors and Exteriors and SPOT testing. Sunday HD, Containers and Vehicles)
October 10-11, 2026 (Saturday Interiors and Exteriors and SPOT testing. Sunday HD, Containers and Vehicles)
For full information on the May event visit the UKC Events Calendar
For full information on the October event, visit the UKC Events Calendar
| Novice Nosework NN | Advanced Nosework AN | Superior Nosework SN | Master Nosework MN | Elite Nosework EN |
| NC: Novice Container NI: Novice Interior NE: Novice Exterior NV: Novice Vehicle NN: Novice Nosework | AC: Advanced Container AI: Advanced Interior AE: Advanced Exterior AV: Advanced Vehicle AN: Advanced Nosework | SC: Superior Container SI: Superior Interior SE: Superior Exterior SV: Superior Vehicle SN: Superior Nosework | MC: Master Container MI: Master Interior ME: Master Exterior MV: Master Vehicle MN: Master Nosework | EC: Elite Container EI: Elite Interior EE: Elite Exterior EV: Elite Vehicle EN: Elite Nosework |
In addition, the UKC offers 4 levels of handler discrimination nosework titles (NHD-Novice Handler Discrimination, AHD-Advanced Handler Discrimination, EHD-Excellent Handler Discrimination and MHD-Master Handler Discrimination) which requires the dog to find an article containing the owner/handler’s scent in 3 separate trials at each difficulty level.
Championship and Grand Championship titles are also offered for each level (Novice through Elite) as well as Overall NOSEWORK CHAMPION and GRAND CHAMPION titles.
