Welcome to the American Kennel Club Scent Work Blog, This blog is a place for information about American Kennel Club Scent Work Program. Once you follow the blog, please update your profile information with your name so that we can easily identify you when you comment. We are glad to have you as a part of the Scent Work program. … Continue reading You Made it!!
AKC Scent Work had their first trial in September of 2017, and has since enjoyed tremendous growth. With that came an increase in the number of judge’s applications. We have recently made some changes in the approval process to support and facilitate the growth. Applicants may now apprentice under and mentored by fully licensed judges. You can find the information on the Scent Work web … Continue reading SCENT WORK JUDGES APPROVAL PROCESS
By comparison the part of a dog’s brain that is used to detect and analyze scent is about 40 times larger than humans. We can all agree that it is a powerful tool the dog has. When adding anything to a HD box like fresh adhesive, glue products on a name tag, ink, or magic marker, we must think of the effects it will have … Continue reading Scent Work Handler Discrimination (HD) Class – The box!
In Scent work, we often talk about the “team” that competes, and by that we mean the combination of dog and handler. Both are essential to the success in the sport. We all know the definition of dog. In the sport of Scent work the handler is the individual who takes the dog through the search. This person is not necessarily the owner of the … Continue reading The Handler
Many handlers find the use of the clicker method to train behaviors very helpful, while others do not. What trainers do learn along the way is the principles behind this training method and then make an educated decision as to whether to include this training method, or some form of it in their training toolbox. In the scent work search most handlers mark their dog’s … Continue reading The Clicker, A Training Method, Not A Reward
Scent Work Regulations requires AKC clubs hosting a scent work trial to ensure that an accomplished demo dog is available to judges for all levels of all elements offered at a trial. Running a demo dog, as required, shows an understanding of reasons behind this AKC Scent Work rule. Chapter 3, Section 33. Demo Dog. After the hide(s) have been set, an accomplished search dog … Continue reading AKC Scent Work Demo Dog
At the start of an AKC Scent Work Trial, a club member gives a general briefing, informing participants of things such as location of restrooms, lunch hour, potty area for dogs and location of the warm-up boxes. The hides have been set, the Demo dog run. What happens next? AKC Scent Work Regulations; Chapter 3, Section 34 clearly state that before the start of each … Continue reading AKC Handler’s Briefing
Effective October 1, 2019, amendments to the SW Regulations were approved by the AKC Board. One of the changes was to the Buried element. This change was the addition of water and the utilization of play sand only for the classes using soil. The purpose of this change was to resolve contradictions and provide greater specificity of a standard for the element across the country. … Continue reading Sand Wetting
Trial sites can make or break a club’s reputation for putting on great Scent Work competitions.The perfect location – that trial site of our dreams – is possible, but elusive. It’s hard work toscout, identify, and negotiate a perfect or near-perfect space for a Scent Work trial. Let’s say aclub’s committee has done that hard work and come up with a site that is close … Continue reading Proximity of Search Areas
The role of Stewards is only touched on briefly in the regulations. Yet their role is essential to the success of a trial. Imagine a bicycle wheel. The wheel has an alloy rim with spokes and a rubber tire. Now imagine that a trial is the wheel and the stewards are the spokes. Spokes add strength to the rim and support the weight on the … Continue reading The Role of Scent Work Stewards
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