What does it actually take to become an AKC Scent Work judge? Dylan Kyle from Marysville, Ohio and I both got our provisional approvals on the same day. Him for excellent, master, and detective. Me for novice and advanced. We had the conversation so you don’t have to wonder anymore. Dylan also shared a framework he picked up from Tony Gravley that quieted the noise in his head at detective level. And when I asked him what he loves seeing from a team even when they don’t Q, he gave me three word

When you go to a scent work camp or an all-day seminar, how do you get the most out of it? What stops people from fully committing to new ideas? And when you leave with a notebook full of things to try, what do you actually do with all of it? This episode was recorded live on the last day of the Penny Scott-Fox Scent Work Camp at Galway Downs in California. I'm joined by Penny and fellow instructor Jeff McMahon. In addition to how to get the most out of an experience like this, we talk about th

If the journey with your dog in this sport is the priority, success can fall into place for any team. And Caroline Oldham puts a lot of effort into focusing on the journey. And doing so helps both the dog and handler achieve their goals. She also talks about her crate-to-crate ritual and why she does it, what your dog's breed group tells you about how they search, building handler grit, and a start line tip she thinks will make a difference for most teams. What We Talk About Caroline's pack,

Joanne Soyke had a Border Collie named Flip who finally found a sport that let him use his powers for good rather than evil. From that moment, from competing to training to judging, she's made it her mission to bring the gift of scent work to every dog since. That mission is rooted in something she comes back to throughout this conversation. Dogs let us into their world when they search. They share something with us that we can barely comprehend, and the more we learn to listen, the richer that

Melissa Sowa has been judging since buried hides had to be placed using a drill. She's competed through Summit in NACSW and detective in AKC, and judges for AKC, C-WAGS, and USCSS. When she talks about what works and what doesn't in this sport, she has seen it from just about every angle there is. And a lot of what she comes back to is the same idea. Take your time. At the start line. Covering your search area. Moving up the levels. Paying your dog. It shows up everywhere in this conversation a

Dianna Santos came to scent work through a dog-aggressive Doberman who needed a reason to be a dog. Zeus couldn't go for walks. He couldn't be around other dogs. His world was shrinking, and so was hers. What happened when he started searching changed him. It also changed how she thinks about this activity: who it's for, what it can do, and why she believes every dog with a nose deserves to play it. She went on to build Scent Work University and produce over 140 episodes of the All About Scent