Healing Through Scent: A Dog’s Nose Work Journey

Happy Ever Alerts on the Nose Work Hide - photo credit: Leanne Whynot Photography

Everest’s and my nosework journey really began with a terrible loss. In March 2021, my husband Kevin was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Kevin was both Ever’s and my soulmate. When Kevin died 60 days later, we were both earth-shatteringly devastated.

Ever grieved with his heart and soul. He wouldn’t leave the spot where Kevin’s hospital bed had been. I had to leash him to go outside to the bathroom because he wouldn’t leave this spot. He refused to eat kibble, chicken, and even steak. When he did eat, he vomited. He lost significant weight. He was lethargic and despondent. I spent so much time and money on vet visits trying to sort out what to do.

I tried to return him to the dog sports he loved before we lost Kevin - agility, tracking, obedience. He didn’t want to train with me. He was a completely different dog.

I was so overwhelmed and had no idea how to fix this. I even called his breeder, asking if she thought I should return him to her because he was so unhappy and so unwell. She gave me what I now know was sage advice telling me that we were both grieving and needed to give ourselves both kindness and time.

One of my friends recommended that I try something that Ever didn’t associate with Kevin, as Kevin had been such a key figure in so many dog sports we had participated in. Ever loved tracking, so I decided to try nosework, not truly knowing what it involved. 

I put our names on Ocean Park Dog Training’s wait-list for an intro to nosework class, and we got into a class 3 months after we lost Kevin. 

The first class, Ever didn’t even want to get out of the car. I got him in the training centre, but he didn’t look like he wanted to be there. He was so shut down. He ventured around the search area a bit more in the 2nd class but wasn’t my “Ever-beast”. 

But by the 4th class, he got out of the car without coaxing and found all of the treats!! I remember the next day was the first day he finished his full bowl of food that he didn’t dawdle over and walk away from without finishing it all.  I can’t tell you the relief I felt! 

By the 6th class, he was working independently and started to get his Ever-silliness and enthusiasm back. He continued to progress throughout the intro to odour classes. 

By the time we were in continuing nosework classes, he was almost pulling me over to get into the class and searching with great independence and enthusiasm to the point I was always begging Bonnie to let me do the searches off-leash.

I do believe that nosework saved Ever and ultimately saved me. It is his absolutely favourite dog sport, and he’s turned into a pretty good scent detection dog.  I am just so grateful for Bonnie and her team at Ocean Park Dog Training.

I can see why nosework was found to be so beneficial for shelter dogs. Nosework brought my grieving and shut-down dog back to me. I see such joy, such goofiness, and such love for the search. I can’t say enough about this dog sport and all the wonderful dogs and people who have come into our lives because of it. 

I think I can hear Kevin cheering on his heart-dog, Ever! 

Peggy T.