All About Scent Work Podcast

One Thing At a Time

In dog training, we know it is advantageous to break things down, work one "D" (duration, distraction and distance) at a time. Doing so avoids confusion on behalf of the dog and prevents a multitude of issues and pitfalls from cropping up. Yet, when it comes to Scent Work training, these principles are either forgotten, pushed aside or flat out ignored!
In this episode, we discuss why identifying all the various individual factors or elements of a given search area and/or exercise is a good idea. We delve into the importance of balancing the difficulty level of the hide against those factors and how this will ensure forward progression in our training, as opposed to going backwards. Basically, being mindful and thoughtful in how we train, even in Scent Work, is the way to go!
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Scent Work is for All Dogs. Period.

Strap in, our speaker is worked up.
Every single dog on the planet should be doing Scent Work. Full stop. This should NOT be some exclusive club that is only open to top tier of dog and handler teams. People should not be rushing out to get dogs with professional detection dog breeding or background to do this activity. Every. Single. Dog. Can. Do. Scent. Work.
As a community, we need to be more mindful about how we discuss this activity, the training options or approaches available and how we frame what the activity, and sport is. Because we can take this wonderful gift that we are FINALLY giving to our dogs, which celebrates them being a dog, and ruin it.
We hope you give this episode a listen. It is blunt. There is raw emotion in it. But we owe it to our dogs to keep this activity fun and something that celebrates them being dogs...not just another way we as handlers can stroke our ego.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Confessions of a Terrible Student

In our latest blog post, Trials and Tribulations of a Terrible Student, we discuss just how challenging it is to be a dog handler. Having to LEARN a skill yourself and then TEACH your dog a skill at the very same time is HARD!
We build off of this topic in this episode by sharing the experiences of a terrible student and how her mental baggage derailed her more often than not. But it not all doom and gloom. We also offer some creative ways people can avoid these same pitfalls and better partner with their trainer and instructor.
These types of open and honest discussions are important for our community to have. We hope you find this episode helpful.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Training On Your Own

Many of us will train on our own at some point when doing Scent Work with our dogs. You may even be doing all of your training one your own, preparing your hides, designing your searches and running your dog.
In this podcast episode, we discuss the various factors we should keep in mind when training on our own so as to avoid leading our dog astray unintentionally. Some of the pointers covered in this podcast were also discussed in our latest blog, Where We See a Tree, Our Dog Sees a Forest, so be sure to check that out here.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Clarity of Cues in Scent Work

When it comes to dog training, we are constantly giving our dogs cues to indicate what we would like for them to do in any given moment. "Sit", "Down", "Come" and so on. The same can hold true in Scent Work. But what if the cue you may be using in your everyday life would have an unintended consequence if you used it in Scent Work? Is that even possible?! Yes, yes it is.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of being as clear and mindful as we can when using cues, knowing what the true meaning of those cues are (to the dog), and whether using a certain cue could undermine the very thing we are trying to build in our Scent Work training.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Training for Fun v. Training to Compete

This episode is designed more as a discussion-piece rather than a "listen as we declare answers on a given subject". 
The question is rather simple: should there be an observable difference between a team playing Scent Work simply for "fun" and a team solely interested in competing? My gut tells me the answer should be "No". If that is the case, are we as a community, myself included, shooting ourselves in the foot with how we describe the delineation of the type of teams participating in Scent Work?
Who knows?! Let's discuss!
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Hard Hide...Now What?!

At some point in your Scent Work training journey, you will set a super challenging hide for your dog, oftentimes inadvertently. You then have to choose...what do you do? Do you just allow them the time and space to solve the problem, no matter how long that may take? Do you put them up, make an adjustment to the hide and let them immediately run it again? Or, do you put them up, essentially leaving the hide behind and unfound, so that you can tackle that specific problem in a completely different training session later?
In this episode, we talk about these three options, the need to make split-second decisions and also owning up who are as a handler and trainer, not to mention how fluid all of this can truly be.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Properly Training v. Overtraining

A common human trait is to drill, practice and run repetitions ad nauseam. This is counterproductive, especially when we are talking about Scent Work. Doing so can undercut the very skills you are trying to build for yourself and your dog!
In this episode, we delve into the difference between properly preparing training in Scent Work and overtraining, highlighting why we should avoid doing the latter. We also discuss why this not only important when building our dog's skills, but our own handler skills as well.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Silence! Or Not So Much

A common myth you hear about Scent Work is that instructors will demand absolute silence...as if this were some sort of military operation where there shall be NO noise and NO fun and NO joy!
In this episode, we work to bust this myth and explain the reasoning behind why instructors may ask for handlers to be quiet as the dog is actively searching early in their career, but the major issues of trying to bake in absolute silence into your training and how this can come back to bite you later.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Being Smart About Equipment

When it comes to Scent Work, there are certain types of equipment for both dogs and handlers that are common and trendy. But does this mean that these would be a good choice for you and your dog?
In this episode, we discuss the importance of making smart equipment choices, how they may shift and change over time and the reasons why we should introduce certain types of equipment outside the context of Scent Work first.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Thoughtful Trialing

When we are trialing with our dogs in Scent Work, there is no reason you should abandon the very same principles you have come to relay upon on in training simply because your trialing! Yet, time and time again, you will see competitors doing this very thing!
For instance, if you know a certain routine will set your dog up for success in training, you should absolutely try to use that same routine when you are trialing!
At the very least, this episode will get you thinking and consider how you can approach your trialing experiences more thoughtfully.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Supporting, Crowding and Hindering

When we are doing Scent Work with our dogs, what WE do as handlers can have a large impact on whether our dogs can be successful or not.
In this episode, we discuss the topics of supporting, crowding and hindering with Michael McManus, in an attempt to better nail down what these concepts truly mean and how we can all be better handlers and teammates to our dogs.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Time for Empathy

The state of the world at the time of this podcast is tumultuous, painful and filled with heartbreak. So we are taking the time to challenge everyone in the Scent Work-training community, and the dog training, owning and loving community as a whole, to be better. Leverage your amazing ability to empathize and strive to better understand an alien species, meaning your dog, and apply those very same skills to your fellow human beings.
Now is the time for introspection. For self-improvement. To sit with this discomfort, to learn from it and try to propel our species forward in the right direction.
We hope that you give this episode a listen. All of us in this community have a skill set that can greatly help the populace as a whole if we choose to apply it, share it and practice it ourselves. If we all do our part, things can get better. Bit by bit. 
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

What is Failure?

When it comes to training and trialing in Scent Work...what is failure? Is there such a thing a complete and total failure? Or, is how we react to how something went while we were training or trialing affect our emotional state and that, in turn, feeds into the possibility of a total failure? Meaning, if we react horribly to how something went, does that reaction then lead to failure as opposed to what we are reacting to? Should we be shying away from failure or should we be including it in our training, to inoculate ourselves from that negative emotional response? If so, how do we go about doing this? Are there pitfalls doing this? Could we be souring a relationship between the handler and their dog? And if it is an instructor doing this, could they be potentially pushing their clients too far and souring that relationship?
These are some of the questions we discuss with Michael McManus of Ready, Sit, Go in this podcast episode. At the very least, it will get everyone thinking about what their perceptions of "failure" may be, whether they need to be adjusted or not and how it is important to be mindful of our approaches with long-term consequences in-mind.
Speakers:
Dianna L. Santos
Michael McManus

How Smart Dogs Hunt

In Scent Work, we oftentimes harp on our desire for our dog to focus on one thing and one thing alone: the target odor they have been trained to find. But do dogs actually do this? Are they truly discounting the immense amount of information the environment at their disposal? Is doing so not only possible, is it preferable?!
We discuss this and more with Michael McManus of Ready, Sit, Go in hopes of painting a more honest picture of how smart dogs hunt (and all of our dogs are smart), why that matters and how we may need to adjust our expectations and how we train in response to these realities.
Speakers:
Dianna L. Santos
Michael McManus

Ethology v. Interpretation

"My dog is distracted by the grass" or "My dog is not focused". These are common things we may hear others, or even ourselves, say when we are doing Scent Work. But what information does this really give us? Are we able to maximize on actionable plans on these statements alone, or are we missing a bigger piece of the puzzle?
In this episode, we discuss the differences between ethology and interpretation with Michael McManus of Ready, Sit, Go, delving into the advantages of using ethology to help in developing better training plans and approaches in Scent Work.
Speakers:
Dianna L. Santos
Michael McManus

Trials Cancelled...Now What?!

Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the purpose of this discussion with Michael McManus of Ready, Sit, Go is to delve into why people compete in the first place, how those people will cope with trials being cancelled nationwide while also highlighting ways handlers can use this time to further improve their skills during an otherwise unsettling and uncertain time.
The main takeaway should be that we will all get through to the other side of this. Use this opportunity to reignite your joy for the game of Scent Work and spending valuable time with our dogs.
Speakers:
Dianna L. Santos
Michael McManus

Demystifying Pooling Odor

Pooling odor: a thing that competitors fret about in competition. But what IS pooling odor REALLY?
We sit down with Michael McManus of Ready, Sit, Go in this podcast episode to discuss this topic, how training approaches may affect a dog's ability to work through a pooling odor problem, how inaccessible hides may worsen the issue and much more!
Speakers:
Dianna L. Santos
Michael McManus

Idols Need Not Apply

When it comes to teaching Scent Work, a great deal of harm can occur when idolization enters the mix.
We direct this episode to our fellow professional instructors and trainers, urging them to remember that they do NOT need to be perfect, that doing so distances them from their clients, and to reject any attempts of idolization since this can cause serious harm to the human and canine client. A thought-provoking episode for certain, but all topics every professional instructor and trainer should take to heart. We hope you enjoy it and welcome any discussions that may come from it.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Scent Work is Not an Exclusive Club

With more and more people being introduced to the activity of Scent Work, it is important for all of us to remember that EVERY dog can do this activity and that this is NOT meant to be a special invitation-only type of exclusive club. Rather, Scent Work should be incredibly INCLUSIVE. We discuss why this is and how we as a community need to do better in this podcast episode. Strap in for blunt real-talk.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Definition and Key Rules of Scent Work

With the explosion of the popularity of Scent Work, it is important that we all understand what Scent Work actually IS, the difference between the competition element and the activity as well as some key rules for playing the game, especially when you are using target odors. There is a TON of misinformation out there, so in this podcast we attempt to set the record straight.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Why Humility Matters

Humility. Something everyone from instructors, trainers, trial officials and dog owners should be practicing. Otherwise, you're limiting your own potential! If you close yourself off from learning, you will stifle your own development that will eventually backfire on both yourself and your dog.
In this podcast episode, we discuss the importance of practicing humility in all things dog-training, but especially Scent Work. Hopefully, this will elicit some criticial thinking and discussions at the very least.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Does Your Dog Really Know How to Hunt?

A disturbing trend trial officials are noticing coast-to-coast is that dogs do not seem to know how to hunt when they are going to trial. Instead of knowing what they are doing as they step to the start line, dogs are instead being lead...or dragged...around search areas and tripping over hides.
In this episode, we discuss this problematic trend, how an overabundance of trialing opportunities are opening up the possibility for more and more dog and handlers teams to rush to trial and a quick test you can do at home to tell whether your dog knows how to hunt or not.
We are not trying to disparage any training approach or school of thought. There are lots of ways to get to the same end goal. But that goal should be the dog tapping into their amazing sense of smell and be allowed to be a dog, not the handler taking over the search. 
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

Are You Having Fun...You Should Be

A disheartening trend happening at the moment is handlers and their dogs are NOT having fun when they are doing Scent Work. Instead, their training and practice sessions are riddled with stress, angst and frustration and this bleeds over to painful-to-watch trialing experiences. This activity is SUPPOSED to enjoyable for both YOU and YOUR DOG...if it isn't, you need to find out why. 
We discuss this troubling trend, and spark some discussion about it, in this podcast episode. Ask yourself honestly: am I and my dog having fun playing Scent Work...and if not, why not?
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos

What Does All of This Mean?!

Nose Work. Scent Work. Detection. SAR. Tracking. Trialing. ... What the heck do all of these terms mean?! It is enough to cause someone to rip their hair out!
In this episode, we try to break down what each of these terms mean, where they come from and how they relate to one another. Is Nose Work and Scent Work really interchangeable? How does Detection and SAR relate to Nose Work or Scent Work...or do they at all? Where does tracking fit in? What about trialing?! For anyone who is more experienced, we also stress the important of remembering just how confusing all of this CAN be and the daunting amount of lingo associated with this activity.
Speaker:
Dianna L. Santos