Episodes

Kristi Murdock might be the most appreciated person in AKC Scent Work. She built wesmellbetter.com, a free site that tracks every qualifying score, title, placement, and fastest-in-trial result in the sport. I talk to Kristi ...

I ran under Karen Allen at a detective trial and didn't Q. What stayed with me wasn't the result, it was the feeling walking away. She was rooting for us. That's who she is as a judge, and it's a big part of why I wanted to h...

When I started out in scent work, I thought it was simple: place a hide, dog finds the hide, call alert. Judith Guthrie started pulling that apart the first time I sat down near her at a trial. What she was saying about odor ...

In scent work, we talk a lot about odor theory, training, and handling technique. But there's something else affecting your performance, your dog's performance, and your experience of the sport that doesn't get nearly enough ...

Many competitors have seen Ana's AKC trial debrief videos — breaking down hide placement, odor movement, and what teams were experiencing in the search area. In this episode, the judge, trainer, and competitor talks about the...

One of the first AKC Scent Work judges and an AKC Scent Work Expert Judge, Sandra Tung is also a trainer and high-level competitor who has been in the sport since before AKC even had a scent work program. Much of our conversa...

Vicky Lovejoy was there at the very beginning — before formal trials existed, before organizations formed, when a group of enthusiasts in the Los Angeles area were just figuring out what this sport could be alongside founders...

For some, scent work is more than a sport and ribbons. It's a shared process that can change both dog and handler in ways you never saw coming. Lisa Quibell is a competitor, trainer, and judge with CWAGS and UKC. She shares h...

I almost skipped the Box Mania. Containers sounded boring. But during the session, Jill started narrating the searches and the behavior she was observing. And she talked about pathways to odor. That was one of the moments tha...

AKC scent work judge and competitor Patrice Dodd talks about why scent work is one of the few places in life where she can be fully present, and why handler attention may be the most important skill in the sport. She also ref...

From the moment she got the phone call inviting her to judge AKC Master Nationals, to arriving at the Roberts Center, Mary talks about what was running through her mind, how the event was structured, and what it feels like to...

At AKC Master National, Penny Scott-Fox brought every part of her scent work experience with her. She talks about the AKC Master National through three lenses: what it was like to compete, how she viewed the hide sets and sco...

One mistake most of us have made happened in her very first run, and it dropped her to 118th place for that element. But by day three, Leigh Gelotte and Rhubarb were the first-ever AKC Master National Scent Work Champions. Le...

Lena went to the first AKC Scent Work Master Nationals mostly to support the event, but she also had a couple of goals. She wanted to make it into the top 100 and have the highest-placing Australian Shepherd. A few years earl...

Scent work isn’t just about ribbons. It’s about setbacks, resilience, and the bond that makes every trip to the start line a gift. In this episode, Tracy Hill offers practical takeaways for competitors while also opening up a...

The first time I ran under Penny Scott Fox, she gave me a piece of feedback I still think about every time I step into a search area. We unpack what she meant by that comment — and how handlers can feel more confident calling...

Beyond her role as a judge and competitor, Donna opens the door to other ways the game is played that many handlers may not have seen before. She talks about why placing hides in training isn’t always about whether your dog c...

Excused from the crate area and rattled through her novice searches, Jennifer's first scent work trial was anything but smooth. Instead of quitting, that moment lit the fire. Jennifer talks about the overlooked skill that bec...

The distractor rule I learned the hard way from Ellen, and it can make the difference between qualifying or not. It was awkward in the moment, but unforgettable. We came back to that story, along with something I’ve noticed i...

Scent work wasn’t part of the plan. It started with Sam, anxious in agility but able to find his place in nose work. Then Rosie, her flat coat, lit up the moment she started searching, and her joy made the game contagious. Fi...

From first Qs to Detective titles, Hallie McMullen has been part of the journey for countless teams. Now she shares her judging philosophy and training insights. Hallie has judged for NACSW and AKC, while also competing with ...

Episode Summary Laurie Schlossnagle helped build C-WAGS scent work and went on to judge the very first AKC Scent Work trial. In this conversation, she shares how she thinks through level-appropriate searches, why stable odor ...

This is the trailer for Alert! Scent Work.