Think Your Dog Is Past Paired Hides? Think Again

Author: Lori Timberlake

A question I hear often is: what exactly is a paired hide…and why would I do that???

A paired hide is when you place your target odor and the reward together, with the reward accessible to the dog. When the dog finds the odor, they can immediately reward themselves—typically with food (which is what we’ll focus on here), though toys can also be used.

As a Certified Nose Work Instructor, I follow the K9 Nose Work® training method. In this system, dogs begin by searching for their reward. Then, odor is introduced alongside the food (paired hides). Eventually, the food is removed from the hide, and the dog receives their reward from the handler instead. How long a team spends at each stage depends entirely on the individual dog and handler.

I’ll be honest—once my students transition to searching for odor only, I don’t incorporate paired hides as often as I probably should. For certain exercises, absolutely—but not consistently. And I know I’m not alone in this. Many students resist going back to paired hides because they see it as “remedial,” something their dog has already outgrown.

I’ve felt that way myself.

My current dog is a 15-month-old tripod Belgian Malinois I adopted this fall. She’s a rock star—high drive, enthusiastic, and incredibly fun to work. But recently, we’ve hit a few bumps in our training. Of course, this happened right as we entered our first trial—perfect timing, right?

One of my main goals with her is developing a methodical search style. She’s young and energetic now, but as a three-legged dog, I want to be mindful of long-term physical demands. A thoughtful, efficient search will help her conserve energy as we move up the levels. And when I say methodical, I mean on her terms—not through constant handler direction.

Earlier this week, I ran her in an ORT Prep class I was teaching. We worked on Michele Ellertson’s Dog-Driven Container Search exercise (if you’re not familiar with her work, it’s well worth exploring!!) The setup involved a line of six boxes, with odor placed in alternating boxes—1, 3, 5, then 2, 4, 6, and so on.

The goal is simple but powerful: the dog should investigate each box and indicate on odor in the order encountered.

Elsa… did not get that memo.

She found the hides, but not in any consistent or methodical way. I was disappointed—especially because we had worked on this skill previously (you know, before our ORT…and not since.)  Trainer fail!

The next morning, I set up the same exercise—but this time, I made a deliberate change: I paired the hides.

On the first run, each hide was paired, and I reinforced her heavily at each find. The result? A noticeable improvement. So we ran it again—still paired, still reinforcing—and it looked even better.

On the third round, I removed the pairing.

And that’s when it clicked.

She systematically checked each box and immediately indicated on the ones containing odor. We ran another round—same result. To finish the session, I went back to a paired hide and ended on a high note.

That evening, we participated in a C-WAGS Scent Detection League. Elsa was entered in two runs (Dasher 3), which involves three groups of three containers, each group containing one hide, all within a 35-second time limit. No pressure, right?

For context, many of the teams competing are working at Elite or Summit levels in NACSW.

Elsa rose to the occasion.

While C-WAGS doesn’t recognize placements in Scent, she placed 2nd in one run and 3rd in the other. 

I’d say that morning training session paid off.

The following day, we did a similar exercise using objects placed around a room perimeter. I followed the same approach—pairing the first couple of rounds, then removing the pairing—and again, she performed beautifully.

So, what does this mean?

It doesn’t mean I’ll start pairing every hide.

It doesn’t mean every training session needs to include paired hides.

But it does mean I’m going to be far more intentional about when and how I use them.

Paired hides aren’t just for beginners—they’re a powerful tool for building clarity, confidence, and precision at any level.

Will my advanced students suddenly embrace pairing after reading this? Maybe.

But if nothing else, I hope it gets you thinking.

There are many ways to train scent work, and different approaches work for different teams. If this story makes you consider revisiting paired hides in your own training, give it a try.

And if you’ve never paired hides before and you’re unsure how to implement pairing effectively, reach out to a Certified Nose Work Instructor—they’ll be happy to help guide you.

Lori Timberlake has been amazingly generous offering several online courses, seminars and webinars through Scent Work University and our Pet Dog U program. Check out her entire catalog here.

Lori Timberlake is passionate about strengthening the bond between dogs and their owners. She loves helping handlers and their dogs grow together through K9 Nose Work® and Dog Parkour, offering classes both in person and virtually.

Dedicated to expanding these sports in Western New York, Lori is actively involved with the National Association of Canine Scent Work™ (NACSW) and the International Dog Parkour Association (IDPKA), striving to make Dog Parkour as popular and accessible in the community as Nose Work.

Lori’s expertise is backed by extensive certifications and leadership roles, including:

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
• Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI)
• Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM)
• Certified International Dog Parkour Instructor
• Certified Drink With Your Dog™ Instructor
• NACSW Certifying Official & Judge
• USCSS Trial Official
• AKC Judge
• C-WAGS Obedience, Rally, Games & Scent Judge
• Scent Work University Instructor and Presenter
• Cyber Scent Work In-person Evaluator
• IDPKA In-person Evaluator
• Trial & Seminar Host, Workshop Presenter
• Staff Member, NACSW Trial Division
• Owner of Do Over Dog Training

Through her classes, workshops, and events, Lori combines her knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to help dogs and handlers succeed with confidence while deepening their connection.