AKC Scent Work

AKC Scent Work is a fast growing Sport!  It uses a dog’s keen sense of smell to find targeted odors in various environments.  Did you know a dog’s sense of smell is 100,000 greater than ours?  Scent work is a fabulous way for your dog to do what it loves to do – sniff!!

In scent work, the dog takes the lead to find the targeted odor.  The trick is for the handler to recognize they’ve detected it and convey that to the judge.  This sport was based off of professional detection dogs much like you see in law enforcement.

The AKC uses 4 different odors depending upon the level:  Birch, Anise, Clove & Cypress.  The scent is put on a Q-tip or cotton ball and placed in the search area.  The handler and dog are given a certain amount of time to find the targeted odor.  There are 4 types of searches you can do: interior, exterior, container and buried.  There are numerous levels you can compete at that get more difficult as you go by adding in more odors and distractions.

Another class you can compete in is Handler Discrimination which is when the dog finds the handler’s scent.  The handlers scent a Q-tip or cotton ball and that is placed in various environments.  It could be in a container, an interior or exterior search or a combination search depending upon the level.

This is a sport that uses a dog’s natural abilities coupled with teamwork from the handler to successfully find the hide or hides.  Dogs 6 month’s of age or older are welcome to compete that have a full AKC registration, purebred alternative listing, foundation stock service registration or all mixed breeds who have a Canine Partners registration.

Come join us for a super fun sport and watch your dog figure out these complex puzzles of odor movement!  We hold 2 trials a year in April and September.  Look at our events page and calendar for updates.