K9 Nose Work® Intro to Anise

Class & Course Details

Prerequisite: Completion of K9 Nose Work® Foundations and Intro to Birch, with time spent consolidating searching skills in Continuing. Intro to Anise is designed for dog and handler teams who are ready to introduce a second trained odour in a calm, dog-driven way. This course focuses on adding new information, not increasing pressure or difficulty. What this course is about - In Intro to Anise, dogs are introduced to Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum — not Star Anise) as an additional trained odour. Rather than asking dogs to prioritise or choose between odours, we support them to: - recognise Anise as meaningful information - alert to any trained odour that is present - and decide relevance without handler guidance If trained odour is present, we want an alert. If it isn’t, the dog is supported to decide that too. Dogs are never asked to ignore one trained odour in favour of another. In this course, dogs will: - Be introduced to Anise as a new trained odour - Learn to search confidently with more than one piece of information available - Practise deciding relevance in the presence of environmental background odour - Maintain independent, dog-driven search behaviour - Build confidence without rushing or comparison The emphasis remains on process over outcome, with exercises adapted to support each individual team. What handlers learn: - How to support the introduction of a new odour without prompting - How to observe subtle changes in behaviour - How to trust the dog’s decisions — including when the answer is “nothing here” - How to maintain clarity and neutrality as complexity increases What’s included - This course includes an Anise training kit containing Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), supplied for use during class and ongoing practice. How this fits into the pathway - Intro to Anise is offered periodically and runs alongside Continuing. Most teams continue developing their skills in Continuing, where dogs practise working with multiple trained odours over time in a mixed-level, dog-driven environment. Progression is based on confidence and clarity, not timelines or titles. A gentle note on readiness - If you’re unsure whether Intro to Anise is the right step for your dog, you’re always welcome to reach out for guidance. There’s no rush — adding a new odour works best when dogs feel confident and curious.