College of Scent Dogs
Training & Welfare Requirements
At the College of Scent Dogs, we believe that effective dog training should be grounded in sound behavioural science, practical experience and respect for canine welfare.
Our courses are designed to develop skilled handlers and instructors who can understand behaviour, assess training effectively and work with dogs in a way that supports both learning and welfare.
These requirements apply to all participants attending College of Scent Dogs courses and practical training sessions.
1. Our approach to training
Training should be based on understanding the behaviour we are seeing and identifying the most appropriate way to help the dog succeed.
Participants are expected to:
Use training methods that prioritise learning, clarity and good welfare.
Consider the individual dog, including its behaviour, environment, motivation and emotional state.
Avoid deliberately causing pain, fear, distress or intimidation as a training strategy.
Recognise when a dog is struggling and make appropriate adjustments to the training environment, criteria or method.
Use reinforcement appropriately and understand how reinforcement can be used to develop reliable behaviour.
Work at a level appropriate to the individual dog rather than prioritising a predetermined training outcome.
Be willing to observe, assess and adapt rather than simply repeating a training technique.
We recognise that dogs and training situations are individual. There is rarely a single technique that will be appropriate for every dog or every situation. Our emphasis is therefore on developing the handler's ability to understand the principles behind training and make informed decisions.
2. Prohibited equipment
The use of aversive training equipment is not permitted during College of Scent Dogs practical sessions.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Prong or pinch collars
Electronic collars, including remote electronic training collars
Check, choke or slip collars used to apply aversive pressure
Choke chains
Any equipment used with the intention of causing pain or discomfort
Any other equipment or method used to deliberately intimidate, frighten or cause distress to a dog
The College reserves the right to ask a participant to remove or change equipment where its use is inconsistent with these requirements.
The prohibition applies to practical training undertaken as part of a College course and to interactions with dogs during College teaching and training activities.
3. Appropriate use of equipment
Equipment should be selected because it helps the handler communicate clearly, manage the environment safely or facilitate learning.
Examples may include:
Flat collars
Harnesses
Long lines
Leads
Food rewards
Toys
Scent articles and training aids
Muzzles where appropriately introduced and used
Other equipment appropriate to the individual dog and training exercise
The suitability of any equipment should be considered in relation to the individual dog, the environment and the behaviour being trained.
Equipment should not be used as a substitute for understanding or addressing the underlying training problem.
4. Canine welfare
The welfare of the dog must remain a priority throughout training.
Participants are expected to monitor dogs for signs of:
Stress or anxiety
Fear or avoidance
Frustration
Excessive arousal
Fatigue
Discomfort or pain
Loss of engagement
Behaviour indicating that the training criteria are too difficult
Where appropriate, participants should reduce the difficulty of the exercise, provide a break, change the environment or stop the session.
A dog does not need to complete an exercise simply because it has been planned or demonstrated as part of a lesson.
Training success should never take priority over the welfare of the dog.
5. Working with other people's dogs
Participants may be required to work with dogs belonging to other handlers during practical training.
Permission must always be obtained before interacting with another person's dog.
Participants must:
Follow the instructions of the course instructor.
Respect the dog's individual needs and boundaries.
Not deliberately provoke, correct or physically manipulate another person's dog without instruction and consent.
Not feed another person's dog without permission.
Not remove or introduce equipment without permission.
Report any concerns about a dog's behaviour, health or welfare to the course instructor.
Participants should not assume that a technique that is appropriate for one dog will automatically be appropriate for another.
6. Safety and professional conduct
Dog training involves inherent risks. Participants are responsible for following reasonable safety instructions provided by College instructors.
This includes appropriate consideration of:
Dog-to-dog interactions
Human-to-dog interactions
Lead management
Environmental hazards
Distance and positioning
Equipment
The individual dog's behaviour and history
Participants are expected to behave professionally and respectfully towards instructors, other handlers and their dogs.
Bullying, intimidation, harassment or deliberately unsafe behaviour will not be accepted.
7. Evidence, observation and professional judgement
The College of Scent Dogs aims to develop instructors who can think critically about training rather than simply follow a set of instructions.
Participants are therefore encouraged to:
Observe behaviour carefully.
Distinguish between what they have observed and what they believe may be causing it.
Consider alternative explanations.
Evaluate whether a training intervention is producing the intended result.
Recognise the limitations of their own knowledge and experience.
Seek additional information or professional support where appropriate.
Particularly within scentwork and medical alert work, participants must avoid presenting assumptions as established fact.
8. Medical alert training
Medical alert dogs are not infallible.
Participants must understand that a trained medical alert dog may fail to alert, may alert when an episode does not subsequently occur, or may behave inconsistently depending on the individual dog, handler, target odour, environment and circumstances.
A medical alert dog is not a diagnostic instrument or medical monitoring device and should not be treated as a replacement for appropriate medical monitoring, medication or clinical care.
Training must therefore be approached with appropriate expectations and an understanding of the limitations of canine detection.
9. If a participant does not meet these requirements
The College of Scent Dogs reserves the right to intervene where a participant's training methods, equipment or conduct are inconsistent with these requirements or where there are concerns about canine or human welfare.
Depending on the circumstances, an instructor may:
Ask the participant to change their equipment or training approach.
Modify or stop an exercise.
Ask the participant to take a break.
Provide additional guidance or instruction.
Ask the participant to stop working with a particular dog.
Require the participant to leave a practical session.
Serious or repeated breaches may result in removal from the course.
Where a participant is unable or unwilling to comply with these requirements, the College may determine that they are not suitable to continue participating in practical training.
Our expectation of participants
By attending a College of Scent Dogs course, participants agree to work within these training and welfare requirements.
We do not expect participants to arrive knowing everything. Our courses are designed to develop knowledge and practical skills, and questions and discussion are encouraged.
What we do expect is a willingness to learn, to consider the evidence, to listen to feedback and to put the welfare of the dogs we work with first.
By applying for or attending a College of Scent Dogs course, you confirm that you have read and understood these Training & Welfare Requirements and agree to comply with them during College training activities.