Ep. 130 Wearing All the Hats

Jun 21, 2025

Each of us have certain "hats" we wear pertaining to Scent Work. Dog owner. Handler. Competitor. Instructor. Trial official. Trial host. Volunteer. Each "hat" brings with it unique experiences, viewpoints and biases. We can broaden our experiences, push passed blind spots and deficiencies by attempting to experience as many viewpoints as possible.

Own a super fast moving dog? Borrowing a classmate's more methodical dog for a class or two to see what that is like, what skills you are missing and further add tools for your toolbox can be an excellent learning opportunity.

Have you only competed at a trial but never volunteered? Seeing behind the curtain can give you a whole other appreciation for what it takes to put on a trial!

Perhaps you are an instructor who has been teaching in your area for a while. Schedule a road trip to work with some respected colleagues, being a CLIENT for a bit and then offer some pop-up classes and workshops. This way you can experience working with team outside of your region, flex your training chops and develop new skills.

In this episode, we discuss how broadening our experiences will help us grow as individuals, professionals, dog owners and handlers.

MENTIONED RESOURCES

Trial Volunteer Program

Officiating AKC SW Trials: Novice to Advanced Virtual Event

Officiating AKC SW Trials: Excellent to Detective Virtual Event

How Would You Train It Virtual Event

Failure is a Growth Opportunity Virtual Event

Speaker:

Dianna L. Santos

TRANSCRIPT

Coming soon!


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