Five AKC Scent Work Rules That Actually Help You Get the Q
There is a long-standing joke in scent work that nobody reads the rulebook. And honestly, that tracks. Most of us would rather be training than reading PDFs formatted like legal documents. But here is the thing. When you’re in the search area trying to figure out what the hell odor is doing, your brain is doing so much multitasking it should count as cardio.
You’re reading your dog.
You’re reading the room.
You’re reading airflow.
You’re ignoring your heartbeat in your ears.
And you’re praying you don’t call something spectacularly stupid.
Knowing a few key rules gives you one more anchor point. One more way to sort out “this could be a hide” from “this is definitely not a hide and your dog is just vibing.”
These are the rules that have helped me the most, taught me the most, and occasionally humbled me in very memorable ways.
Rule 1: The Twelve Inch Distractor Rule
(AKA: The Day I Confidently Called a Hide That Physically Could Not Be There)
If a distractor is touching something or is within twelve inches of it, that object cannot have have a hid on it.
I learned this the classic way: by calling a buried container with a distractor sitting right on top of it. Called it with pride. Got shut down with equal speed.
The judge (Ellen Parr) sighed and said that someone (me) needed to read the rulebook.
In my defence, the 12-inch rule is not in the rule book. It's in the Judges' Guidelines. So read that too.
And here is a fun wrinkle.
Some judges will put distractors near places where there was a hide in a previous level. There should be blue tape marking that old hide as well, but the distractor gives you a second little nudge. Like the judge is quietly saying, “Hey. Not today.”
But here's the other thing, sometimes judges used distractors to bring you into an area with useful information. So odor might be on the distractor from a nearby hide. If your dog alerts on it, know it's in the area, but on the distractor.
Takeaway: Distractor within twelve inches means that exact spot is not a hide. Don't call it, but let your dog work it because there is often information there that leads somewhere real.
Rule 2: The Blank Rule
(The Rule That Saves You From Accidentally Leaving a Hide Behind)
If a defined search area ever had odor in it, it cannot be blank later.
Not the entire room. The defined search area.
This rule has actually helped me. I once ran a reused Master Interior and remembered that the day before it had odor. Murphy was clearly in odor again but the hide was tricky. That rule told me to stay in it rather than give up.
Then I heard the opposite story from another competitor. Different trial. Different day. Same rule at play. Their dog was in odor in a reused room from excellent interiors from the previous day, but it was a high hide blowing through the entire space and the dog never quite landed on source. The handler assumed the dog wasn’t finding anything and decided to call Finish.
Except there was a hide.
Because there had been a hide the day before.
Knowing that might have helped to make the decision to detail the room a bit more and use all the time if the dog wasn't finding something. Because something was there.
Takeaway: If you are in a reused search area at Master and it had odor before, there will be a hide again. If your dog is in odor, stick with them until they sort it out.
Rule 3: The 3-3-0 Scenario
(The Most Satisfying AKC Scent Work Rule)
Master Interiors in AKC Scent Work consist of three rooms with a maximum of six hides total across them.
So if Room 1 has three hides
and Room 2 has three hides
Room 3 has zero.
Always.
And this is where the magic happens.
If you already found six hides, you do not have to search Room 3.
You can walk in, cross the start line, say Finish, and walk out like a legend.
The first time this happened to me, it felt like I unlocked a cheat code. Meanwhile, in the parking lot afterward, several competitors told me they weren’t sure if they could do that. One even asked the judge, “So I just walk in and call Finish?” and the judge said, “Well, if you want to.”
Yes.
Yes, you want to.
Takeaway: If you’ve already found all six hides, Room 3 is nothing more than a doorway you stroll across before claiming your moment.
Rule 4: Hide Height
(The Rule That Saves You From Calling a Hide That Physically Cannot Exist)
Every level has a maximum hide height.
Novice two feet
Advanced three feet
Excellent four feet
Master five feet
This rule nailed me once. I called a hide that was simply too high to be legal. Murphy was working odor from a low hide that had drifted up under an electrical box. If I had remembered the height limit, I would have looked down, not up.
I see this happen to other handlers all the time. A dog works high because odor is drifting vertically, and the handler assumes the hide is high when the rules make that literally impossible. Odor will absolutely play games with you, but hide height gives you a reality check.
Detective has no height limit, but in other levels, hide height is one of the clearest pieces of objective information you get.
Pro tip: measure your body's 2,3,4, and 5 foot heights so you have a quick point of reference for a search.
Takeaway: Know your level’s height limit. If your dog is alerting above that height, give them more time to work.
Rule 5: Boundaries And What Is In Play
(The Rule Most Handlers Misunderstand At Least Once)
Here is what boundaries actually do.
The hide has to be within the boundary markers.
Walls, fences, railings, curbs, posts, bushes, tables, chairs. If the judge says these mark the edges of the search area, then hides can be on them unless the judge says differently. So go to the briefing. When in doubt on natural boundaries, ask if it's in play. Boundary cones and boundary tape, however, cannot hold odor. They only define the space.
But odor can go anywhere it wants.
And here is where I see handlers struggle. I cannot count the number of times I have seen someone pull their dog back inside the cones the second the dog steps out to catch odor. Some even tell their dog “out of bounds” like the cones hand out penalties.
Odor pays no attention to boundaries.
Your dog is following the plume.
Sometimes the best information is just outside the line.
Takeaway: Boundaries tell you where the hide is, not where your dog is allowed to sniff. Trust them. Let them step out if they need to. Odor does not respect cones.
The Advantage You Get When You Actually Know How The Game Works
(Because Rules Are Boring Until They Save Your Q)
Scent work is a game. A beautifully weird, wonderfully addictive game where your dog is doing the real solving and you are doing your best to keep up without knocking over the game board. They are collecting clues. They are building the picture. They are figuring out how odor is moving. And you are right there beside them trying not to overthink your way into trouble.
Knowing the rules gives you the structure behind the game.
It tells you what plays are even possible.
It tells you which options are off the table.
It helps you recognize when odor is behaving strangely
It keeps you from calling something that cannot physically be right.
And it keeps you from leaving a hide behind when your dog is practically spelling it out for you.
Knowing the rules does not replace trusting your dog.
It helps you trust them with more clarity.
And on some days, it helps you walk into a room, say Finish, and walk out like a legend.