All About Scent Work Podcast

Let’s Talk Odor with Amy Herot and Jill Marie O’Brien

For our 100th episode, we have the distinct privilege of speaking with the Co-Founders of NACSW, Amy Herot and Jill Marie O'Brien about all things odor, K9 Nose Work, training, trialing and more.

Run on All Cylinders...Or Maybe Not

Are you going a million miles a minute when it comes to Scent Work? Doing all the training, learning, trialing possible, essentially all the things all the time? Or, do you feel as though MUST do all the things all the time to be a "good" Scent Work handler, instructor, trainer or trial official?
In this episode, we discuss the potential issues of doing too much for too long, lacking balance in your life and how it is NOT necessary to meet some arbitrary metric when it comes to playing Scent Work.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Instructors: Clients Cannot Live Inside Bubbles

As Scent Work Instructors, given our learning, background and expertise, we oftentimes have a fairly solid grasp for how a sniffy journey may go, common pitfalls teams may fall into and ways to avoid those pitfalls. Our desire is to help guide our clients to have the smoothest and most successful journey possible. However, some learning can only be obtained by doing.
In this episode, Dianna discusses how challenging it can be for instructors to thread this needle. While we want to guide our clients along their journey, we must simultaenously recognize it may be necessary for our client to experience something firsthand to truly absorb the information or obtain the requisite skills. Essentially, while instructors may have the best of intentions, placing clients into bubbles is oftentimes not the best option and could actually hinder their progression and growth.
Speaker: Dianna L. Santos

It Depends: Missed a Hide in Training

"It depends", one of the most common responses Scent Work instructors will give regarding what to do when a dog misses a hide in training. While this may be met with frustration and consternation from our clients, there is good reason for it. Solutions are NOT one-size-fits all. There are a multitude of factors which may result in drastically different approaches being implemented for the best outcome.
In this episode, we discuss a few scenarios where a dog missed a hide in training in an attempt to illustrate why "It depends" actually makes sense and how handlers can reframe how they think, and emotionally react to, their dog missing a hide.

Sniffing Puppies are Still Puppies

Watching baby puppies tackle a Scent Work search is endearing to say the very least. We can easily get swept away by how amazing these tiny little babies are at solving their searches. Before we know it, we are offering more and more challenging searches for them to tackle. However, we must remember that they are indeed babies, not simply small adult dogs. 
In this episode, we discuss how it is fantastic to play Scent Work with our puppies. However, doing so requires that we set appropriate challenges for them. Thus, we must take our time and avoid the allure the rush. We also discus how crucial it is to take into account their age and stage of development.
The key message with this episode is to relish the time with our puppies and ensure whatever we are doing with them is FUN!
Are you looking to get your puppy started in Scent Work? Check out our Puppy Sniffing Program today!
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Instructor Talk: Train Dirty

In this episode, we speak with Lori Timberlake of Do Over Dog Training regarding one of her favorite topics: training dirty in Scent Work. This discussion highlights the power of this training approach, how and when teams should incorporate these concepts and clearing up any misconceptions regarding how this may differ from the proper handling of our odor training aids.
This is an excellent discussion which will benefit all dog and handlers teams, especially those who are competing and are perhaps concerned of how they will deal with both the planned and unplanned distractors they may encounter at a trial.
You can also work directly with Lori, incorporating the training dirty concept into your routine by enrolling in her All-Level NACSW™ Trial Prep Course. Additionally, you may schedule a private Zoom consultation with Lori or submit either a training or trialing video for her to review. Clients have raved about the personalized feedback they receive from Lori.

All-Level Trial Prep...SAY WHAT?!

A common approach teams take when they are prepping for a Scent Work trial is to focus on the requirements for a given level. However, that oftentimes means teams are solely obsessing about tackling super difficult searches in the upper levels whereas newer teams are holding off on introducing key concepts until much later in their training journey. This can be problematic. Enter all-level trial prep as an alternative approach!
 
In this episode, we speak with Lori Timberlake of Do Over Dog Training about the more holistic approach she takes in her in-person training classes and how she is translating this into a new webinar and online course she is offering through Scent Work University.
 
The beauty of this approach is that it can help EVERYONE! Obviously, teams of all levels of expertise can benefit, but even those teams who are NOT interested in competing can find value in this webinar and course, learning how to design more thoughtful practice sessions. Furthermore, instructors may glean some ideas and inspiration which can then bolster their own programs. Thus, this webinar and course are both fantastic learning opportunities for everyone!
 
Learn more about the All-Level Trial Prep Webinar and the All Level NACSW™ Trial Prep Course, you and your dog will be happy you did! Additionally, look into scheduling either a Zoom consultation or submitting a training to trialing video to Lori to review and provide her feedback on.

AKC Buried...AHHHH!

The AKC Scent Work Buried Class can be a BEAR for dogs and handlers alike!
In this episode, AKC Scent Work Judge, professional instructor and accomplished competitor, Natalie McManus, will outline some of the reasons for this and ways handlers can better approach the Buried class. Doing so will help this class make more sense to the dogs and thus allow teams to more successful.
Want to learn more from Natalie specifically on how to succeed in the AKC Buried Class? Check out her AKC: Working Water Hides Course!
Have a more specific need to something you or your dog are struggling with? Natalie offers her Handler's Choice Course, where you may partner with her to address what YOUR team needs. Additionally, her Scent Study Buddy Program will offer monthly themes for your team to tackle, such a field trip searches, focusing on containers and more. You may also submit training or trialing videos for Natalie to review and provide her feedback on or schedule a virtual Zoom consultation with her.

Do All the Sniffy Things

We are incredibly fortunate in that there is a slew of dog sport activities that all focus on our dogs tapping into their wonderful sense of smell.
In this episode, Dianna discusses how we should be leveraging all of these sniffy possibilities, since doing so can actually improve our dog's Scent Work game as well. 

Find Mine: Handler Discrimination

When it comes to handler discrimination, it common for handlers to become frustrated and for dogs to be confused of what game they are supposed to be playing. Why does this happen? We discuss some of the common reasons in this podcast episode.
Interested in getting started in Handler Discrimination? Check out the online Handler Discrimination course we offer through Scent Work University.