Scratch & Sniff Scentwork hosts K9 Nose Work® and truffle hunting classes and workshops in Eugene, Oregon taught by Julia Back, a NACSW™ Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) and Certifying Official, and truffle dog trainer/handler.

What is K9 Nose Work®?

Nose work is a fun and fascinating activity inspired by professional detection dogs that virtually all dogs and handlers can enjoy.  Dogs get to put their noses to work in a way that builds a strong bond between a dog and their person.

Does your dog need a job to keep them out of trouble or from bouncing off the walls? Nose work provides both mental and physical stimulation and can be done just about anywhere — including indoors during foul weather.

Is your dog timid or fearful of strangers or new places?  Nose work builds confidence and exposes dogs to new environments in a positive way. Because only one dog works at a time, reactive dogs are also welcome to come play!

Classes

New classes starting in February/March 2026!

Intro to K9 Nose Work® — please complete this interest form and/or email Julia for information

This 6-week class will introduce you and your dog to the game of nose work by building your dog’s natural drive to hunt, fostering independent and confident searching, and honing handler observation skills.  Come and see why nose work is the fastest-growing dog activity in the country!

ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN:
When: Tuesdays at 1:00pm starting February 24th; Location: South Eugene, near LCC;
Duration: 6 weeks, 1.5 hours/week (times may vary for classes with fewer than 6 dogs); Cost: $150/dog; Spaces: 6-8 dog/handler teams

DETAILS COMING SOON!:
When: Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Start date TBA; Location: South Eugene, near LCC;
Duration: 6 weeks, 1.5 hours/week (times may vary for classes with fewer than 6 dogs); Cost: $150/dog; Spaces: 6-8 dog/handler teams

 

Advanced Odor Drop-ins (Trial Prep)

One-off drop-in classes for teams looking to build skills for nose work/scentwork trials or just continue having fun with with their canine partners. Classes are at various locations around Eugene on various topics (interiors, exteriors, vehicles, containers, and more) with the goal of improving our dogs’ odor obedience, focus, and resilience to distraction in real-life search environments.

Schedule and sign-ups: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B084BABAC2CA5F49-62048779-february#/

Prerequisites: Dogs must be on all three odors; Duration: 1.5 hours for 6-8 dogs (smaller classes may vary in length); Cost: $25/dog/session; Spaces: 6-8 dog/handler teams; Dates: Mondays and Tuesdays in February 2026

 

Intro to Nose Work Elements

In this series, we will continue exploring nose work search elements by adding vehicle and exterior searches, as well as interiors and containers of increasing complexity. Dogs will search for primary (food or toys) to continue building drive, independent searching, and problem solving skills, the foundations of nose work success. Handlers will learn the leash handling, teamwork, and observation techniques essential to scent detection.

Please be prepared to work outside in mildly inclement weather.

Duration: 6 weeks per session, 1.5 hours/week (times may vary for classes with fewer than 6 dogs); When: Thursday evenings in March/April 2026; Cost: $150/dog; Spaces: 6-8 dog/handler teams; Prerequisites: Intro to K9 Nose Work or instructor approval

Intro to Odor

Intro to Odor focuses on teaching your dog to seek out the birch odor used in nose work competition in container, interior, vehicle, and exterior search areas of growing complexity. Handlers will continue working on leash handling, behavior observation, and learning how scent moves in the environment.

Duration: 6 weeks; When: Thursday evenings in April/May 2026; Cost: $—/dog; Spaces: 6-8 dog/handler teams; Prerequisites: Dogs must have completed Intro to K9 Nose Work / Intro to Nose Work Elements series *or* have other search foundations (instructor approval required).

Intro to Odor II

In this 6-week class we will continue to build your dog’s search skills and obedience to birch odor, as well as introducing anise and clove (two additional competition odors). Handlers will continue learning the skills needed to work a competition scenting dog, with the goal of preparing you and your dog to pass an Odor Recognition Test. Note: Teams area welcome to attend classes whether or not they ever intend to compete.

Duration: 6 weeks/session, 1.5 hours/week; When: TBA; Cost: TBA; Spaces: 5-8 dog/handler teams; Prerequisites: Intro to Odor (dogs must be on birch odor)

 

Continuing Odor Obedience (I and II)

This class focuses on building dog and handler skills in all four elements on birch, anise, and clove odor. Handlers continue to prepare for their Odor Recognition Title (achieved by completing all three odor recognition tests) and  for NW1/Level 1 Element trial competition. Note: Teams area welcome to attend classes whether or not they ever intend to compete.

Duration: 6 weeks/session, 1.5 hours/week; When: TBA; Cost: TBA; Spaces: 5-8 dog/handler teams; Prerequisites: Dogs must be on all three odors

Truffle Hunting Foundations

This 6-week class will introduce you and your dog to scent detection work by building your dog’s natural drive to hunt, fostering independent and confident searching, and honing handler observation skills. Note: This class will take place at a training center and will involve indoor/outdoor training with dogs hunting for primary (food/toy rewards).

Duration: 6 weeks, 1.5 hours/week; When: TBA; Cost: TBA; Spaces: 5-8 dog/handler teams

Private sessions

Private sessions may be scheduled based on training space availability; in-home sessions or classes outside of the Eugene area can also be arranged. Please send inquiries by email to julia@scentwork.net.

About

Scratch & Sniff Scentwork hosts K9 Nose Work® classes and events in Eugene, Oregon taught by Julia Back, a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) with the NACSW™

Julia is a NACSW Certifying Official, Trial Judge, CNWI, and truffle dog handler who came to K9 Nose Work in 2013 from a background in animal behavior and veterinary care. She first began volunteering with shelter dogs in the Galapagos Islands in 2006, where she developed a passion for rescue and rehabilitation. As a Fulbright scholar, Julia later obtained her Master’s degree in animal ecology and behavior from Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia). 

She competes in nose work with her own dogs, Willow, a border collie (ELT1, NW3 Elite, TL-I, UL-I); Tornado, a shepherd/pool noodle mix (ORT); and their predecessors, Brody, a shepherd-malamute mix (2011-2024; ELT-CH, NW3 Elite, L3I, L3C, L2V, L2E) and CJ, a border collie-lab cross (2001-2018; NW1, L1V). Her dogs also train and compete in barn hunt, NASDA, FastCAT, and agility when they aren’t out hunting truffles.  Seeing the remarkable changes K9 Nose Work inspired in the lives of her own dogs, Julia seeks to bring that same sense of purpose, confidence, and fun to both dogs and their handlers. 

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Events

The best way to learn about nose work competition is to volunteer at trials. For more information, go to: http://www.noseworkdetectives.com/volunteer.html

NACSW ORT Calendar: http://nacsw.net/ort-calendar-information

NACSW Trial Calendar: http://nacsw.net/trial-calendar-information

If you are a current NACSW member and wish to receive emails about upcoming events, you can send your name, email, and NACSW member ID to membership@nacsw.net with a request to be invited to the nacswmembership updates group.

Contact

julia@scentwork.net