Competing in Scent Work involves receiving qualifying or non-qualifying scores, earning titles or even placements...but what does all of this really mean?! Does every Q earned mean our training is utterly perfect, unicorns and rainbows, whereas every NQ should be met with blowing up our training and starting over from scratch? If we do not earn a placement at a trial, do we have a ton of work ahead of us whereas earning a placement means all is well? If we do earn a title, does that mean that our dogs, ourselves as handlers and our team as a whole have all the requisite skills needed for this ..read more

We are living through an exciting time where there is a plethora of learning opportunities within the Scent Work training community! This includes access to countless experienced instructors and trainers who offer unique viewpoints and training approaches, creative training exercises and much more. The way we take in and utilize all this information matters. In this episode, we discuss the importance of being a critical consumer, asking questions, being mindful, looking for what will be helpful for us, our dog and our team as well as identifying what may not be so helpful or what we may simply ..read more

As we play Scent Work, we work to develop skills for the dog, handler and team in our classes and training sessions. Especially for teams who are interested in competing, testing those skills with blind hides, time limits and other potential stressors is key. Traditionally, mock trials and Sniff N' Gos were the type of events that met this need. However, we can all agree the more creative the event, the more likely we are to participate! In this episode, we speak with Lori Timberlake of Do Over Dog Training about the types of creative events she has offered for her clients and the many be ..read more

One of the many wonderful aspects of Scent Work is how it is a benefical activity for so many categories of dogs, including reactive dogs. In this episode, we have the privilege to speak with Christina Young of Positive Dog, a certified dog behavior consultant with IAABC and PPG, about playing the Scent Work game with reactive dogs. Learn more about Christina: Positive Dog Website Leash Reactivity: Make Walks Fun Again Webinar Primary, Paired and Odor Hides: Choosing the Hide for the Training Challenge Webinar offered through Scent Work University REACTIVE DOG RESOURCES THROUGH SCENT WORK UNIV ..read more

Whether it be due to old age, injuries, illness or simply not wanting to play the game anymore, we may find ourselves faced with the prospect of retiring our dogs from Nose Work. In this episode, we speak with Lori Timberlake of Do Over Dog Training about her personal journey with her senior girl Daisy who, while still full of spice and vinegar, made it clear she much preferred romps in the woods over playing Nose Work.  We are so incredibly thankful to Lori for sharing her story, the emotions she has gone through, the options she weighed and more. Doing so may help others who are in a si ..read more

Regardless of why we are playing Scent Work or what our goals are, we should take time to better understand odor, odor theory and hide placement. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of better understanding these concepts and how doing so can ensure our dogs to have more successful repetitions in their Scent Work training sessions. Looking to learn more about odor theory and hide placement? Check out these resources: Hide Placement and Odor Movement Seminar with Laurel Scarioni Sniff Busters Webinar with Laurel Scarioni Odor Concentrations Webinar with Judith Guthrie Convergence Webinar w ..read more

Dealing with absolutes is riddled with issues. Yet it is far too common for statements containing "always" and "never" to be thrown around when discussing Scent Work. Black and white type thinking can be problematic to stay the very least. In this episode, we delve into the importance of embracing the grey to take into account all the variables including the dog, handler, team, search area, environmental factors and more. Speaker: Dianna L. Santos ----more---- Scent Work University is an online dog training platform focused on all things Scent Work. Our online courses, seminars ..read more

Handlers should absolutely advocate for their dogs. They know their dogs best and will be the ones who will decide the short-term and long-term goals for themselves, their dog and their team as a unit. Handlers working with an instructor should view this professional as an integral part of the team. These professionals can ensure all these goals are met, avoid common pitfalls or course correct if necessary. However, doing so can be complicated in a group class setting depending on the circumstances, particularly when we are talking about Scent Work. In this episode, we discuss why this may be ..read more

As we are training and trialing in Scent Work, we will start accumulating successes. However, we should evaluate these successes objectively and honestly, otherwise we can start experiencing some issues. In this episode, we discuss why this type of honest assessment is crucially important to ensure the future progression of ourselves and our dogs as we continue to play the sniffing game. Speaker: Dianna L. Santos ----more---- Scent Work University is an online dog training platform focused on all things Scent Work. Our online courses, seminars, webinars and eBooks ..read more

Being a Scent Work instructor is an honor and a privilege. You devote countless hours learning and honing your craft, perfecting it with your own dogs and then transferring that knowledge to your clients. Those clients then go on to play the wonderful sniffing game, having successes and a blast doing so. However, to be an effective teacher requires one also be a student, someone open to learning new information, approaches and perspectives. The issue? There may come a point in time when this seemingly runs in conflict with your current approaches, program or curriculum! In this episode, we dis ..read more