AKC Scent Work Program

AKC Scent Work is exploding in popularity with more and more trials being offered throughout the United states. AKC Scent Work offers several distinct classes for dog and handler teams to tackle: Container, Interior, Exterior, Buried and Handler Discrinination. Additionally, AKC Scent Work trials are broken down by level: Novice, Advanced, Excellent, Master and Detective.

Learn how you and your dog can better prepare for an AKC Scent Work trial with these online resources.

AKC Scent Work Program

Beginner Competitors

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AKC Scent Work
Getting Started: AKC Virtual Scent Work Test (VSWT) Titling Program Webinar Instructor Anita Ambani If you're starting out in the sport and was curious to learn about this program, interested in how to prepare for each of the levels, or having some struggles with the searches and looking to be successful searching for a treat, ball, or toy, this webinar is for you.
AKC Scent Work
Preparing for Your AKC Scent Work Debut Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Getting ready to make your AKC Scent Work trialing debut? How exciting! Ensure you and your dog are fully prepared by taking this webinar with Holly Bushard.
AKC Scent Work
Gettin' Ready to Trial: AKC Novice Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos You and your dog have been training in Scent Work for a bit and are loving it. The thought crosses your mind, "Maybe we can start to trial!" Learn the skills you both will need to succeed at an AKC Novice level trial with this webinar.
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Novice Trial Prep Course Instructor Dianna L. Santos You are considering entering an AKC Scent Work Novice trial - how exciting! Take this course to ensure both you and your dog are ready!
AKC Scent Work
Gettin' Ready to Trial: AKC Advanced Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Having earned your AKC Novice title, you are ready to move up to Advanced. Learn the skills you and your dog need to succeed.
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Advanced Trial Prep Course Instructor Dianna L. Santos You and your dog have earned your AKC Novice-level title and are ready to tackle the Advanced-level classes. We will help you get ready with this course.
Read Your Dog
What Did Ya Say: Learning to Read Your Dog Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Your dog is constantly communicating during the search, the real question is whether you understand what they are saying. Join Tony for this information-packed seminar as he breaks down the behaviors handlers commonly see but often struggle to interpret when both training and trialing.
Scent Work Skills
How Would You Train It: Vol 2 Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Judith Guthrie, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus Hear from our experienced panel of speakers on how they would tackle three distinct scenarios. The discussion will include potential training solutions, ways to determine if progress was being made, whether modifications were warranted, which ones and why and so much more.

Experienced Competitors

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AKC Scent Work
Gettin' Ready to Trial AKC Excellent Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos You and your dog are moving up the levels in AKC Scent Work and are getting ready to tackle an Excellent trial. Ensure you have the skills you need!
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Excellent Trial Prep Course Instructor Dianna L. Santos You've earned your Advanced-level title and are eyeing Excellent. Ensure you and your dog are ready by taking this course.
AKC Scent Work
Gettin' Ready to Trial: AKC Master Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos You've made it and are ready to tackle an AKC Master level class, how exciting! Take this webinar to ensure you, your dog and your team have all the skills necessary to succeed.
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Master Trial Prep Course Instructor Judith Guthrie Whether currently competing in Masters or ready to make the jump, this course will discuss how to tackle various search areas, the concept of patterns, detailing, mental mapping, and pre-made decisions all in service of being the best teammate for your dog.
Trial Prep
Don’t Let the Q in Detective be a Sleuth; How to Prep for Success! Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley That oh so elusive Q in Detective! “I missed it by just one” seems to be a statement that goes hand-in-hand with Detective. Learn the skills necessary for the dog and handler to master to be more successful in this challenging class.
AKC Scent Work Program
AKC Detective Class: Rising to the Challenge Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie The AKC Detective class is a challenging one! This webinar will outline what those challenges are and how teams can better prepare to tackle them head-on.
Trial Prep
Detective and Summit: Compare and Prepare Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Are you interested in competing at the upper levels of AKC Scent Work and NACSW? Learn the unique challenges posed by these two high-level classes, their similarities, their differences and gain insights for how to better prepare for each.
AKC Scent Work
Be Prepared...For Detective! Course Instructor Judith Guthrie Are you preparing for the upper levels of competition and looking for more structure on how to tackle bigger and more complicated searches? Learn how to address unknown number of hides, complex odor pictures, distractions, time pressure, transitions, coverage decisions, and final-call responsibility with this course.

Common Issues

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AKC Scent Work Program
Beat the Buried Blues! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Has the AKC Scent Work Buried element got you down? Explore solutions to common problems and break down training concepts to increase your consistent reliability in competition. Let's prove how fun Buried can be.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Buried Hides Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle in the AKC Buried Class, calling false alerts left and right!? Find out why and ways to work on it in this webinar.
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Working Water Hides Course Instructor Natalie McManus Get your dog familiar with working water hides to prepare for the upper level AKC Buried classes.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Handler Discrimination Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Are you calling false alerts when tackling the AKC Handler Discrimination class? Find out why and what to work on to avoid those false alerts in this webinar.
AKC Scent Work
AKC Scent Work: Handler Discrimination Course Instructor Dianna L. Santos Help your dog learn to find an article with your odor on it, proof them from potential distractors and prepare for trial.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Container Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle with blind Container searches? Find out why false alerts occur and possible training solutions in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Interior Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle with blind Interior searches? Find out why false alerts occur and possible training solutions in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Exterior Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle with blind Exterior searches? Find out why false alerts occur and possible training solutions in this webinar.

Handler Skills

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Trial Prep Program
Be Strategic: Breaking Down the NACSW Walk Through Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Learn how to extract critical information from the NACSW Trial Walk Through videos. The type of information that separates those teams who simply run a search at a trial from those who tackle the very same search strategically.
Read Your Dog
What Did Ya Say: Learning to Read Your Dog Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Your dog is constantly communicating during the search, the real question is whether you understand what they are saying. Join Tony for this information-packed seminar as he breaks down the behaviors handlers commonly see but often struggle to interpret when both training and trialing.
Trial Prep Program
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Trialing Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley We can quite literally derail an otherwise fantastic search at trial when we step out of our lane and, well, forget to remember our role! Learn what your role is at Scent Work trials and how to best support your canine partner in this informative webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Who’s Watching Who? Understand the Dog’s Changes of Behaviors (COBs) Webinar Instructor Khara Schuetzner Can you describe 5 out of the 10 changes of behaviors (COBs) your dog exhibits while they're in odor? No worries, you will learn how in this webinar! Join Khara to learn how to identify these COBs and better read and decipher what your dog is telling you during a search.
Handler Skills
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Training Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do we have a role when training Scent Work with our dogs? YES! If we step out of our lane, this can cause our dogs to become confused, frustrated or demotivated by the search. Learn how to better understand your role in this webinar.
Handler Skills
Language of Nose Work: Reading Your Dog Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Learning how to read our dogs is a necessary skill for every Scent Work handler to master. See how you can go about doing this in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Nerves Poisoning the Fun Webinar Instructor Silke Wittig Are you a nervous competitor? Do you find yourself dreading trialing? Is your anxiety starting to chip away at your joy for the sniffing game? This webinar will offer some approaches that are designed just for you!
Trial Prep Program
Tony's Strategic Insights: Evaluating NACSW Virtual Walkthrough Videos (July 2026) Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you ready to apply the skills covered in the Be Strategic: Breaking Down the NACSW Walk Through Webinar? Perfect! Join us for this live webinar and put your skills to the test!

Search Element Skills

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Trial Prep Program
The Dog-Driven Container: The Why and The How Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Learn how to train a dog-driven pattern as a way for the dog to find success and not frustration when tackling their container searches.
Trial Prep Program
Vehicle Search Mechanics: The Handler's Role Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Once the dog understands how to confidently execute a vehicle search, the real finesse comes from the handler. This webinar dives into the human side of the team: how to support, read, and respond to a dog who is already patterned and fluent.
Trial Prep Program
All About the Box; A Detailed Look at Container Searches Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn Containers have proven to be one of the most challenging elements in nose work for many teams. Find out why and how you may be more successful in this detailed webinar.
Trial Prep Program
The Dog-Driven Vehicle: The Why and How Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Are you finding your dog is having a lack-luster response to searching vehicles? Learn how to build your dog's eagerness and determination to tackle their vehicle searches by making them dog-driven patterns in this webinar.
AKC Scent Work Program
Beat the Buried Blues! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Has the AKC Scent Work Buried element got you down? Explore solutions to common problems and break down training concepts to increase your consistent reliability in competition. Let's prove how fun Buried can be.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Container Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle with blind Container searches? Find out why false alerts occur and possible training solutions in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
All About the Box: Part 2 Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn In this webinar, Dana returns to discuss why container searches can vex so many teams, including discussing distractors and how to take the guesswork when tackling this search element.
Trial Prep Program
Beyond Dog Driven Container Search Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson You’ve mastered the dog-driven container search and made it through NW1, NW2 and NW3 but find yourself a bit lost when it comes to large container searches in elite and upper levels? Maybe the containers were scattered in your last trial and your dog-driven pattern fell apart? This webinar is for you!

Dog Specific Skills

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Low-Drive Dogs
Games for Low-Drive Dogs Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson When it comes to low-drive dogs, we need to convince them they are strong, powerful and able to successfully play the sniffing game. Learn how to do this in this webinar!
Reactive Dogs
Click to Calm: Turning Fear and Frustration Into Focus Through Positive Reinforcement Webinar Instructor Emma Parsons Does your dog struggle with fear or reactivity? Learn how to utilize the principles from the Click to Calm methodology to reduce stress, teach alternative behaviors, and build emotional stability in dogs with this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
What Do You Need Pup Webinar Instructor Aleks Woodroffe Success in a search can be made or broken before you even step to the line. Join Aleks in this webinar to learn the types of specific needs your dog might have in training or trialing and how you can support them before, during and after the search.
Support Your Dog
Intro to Control Unleashed Webinar Instructor Adam Skandarani Do you have a sensitive, reactive, over-aroused, high-drive or low-drive dog? This webinar is for you! Learn about the Control Unleashed Program and the key concepts, exercises and pattern games.
General Trial Prep
Control Unleashed and Scent Work: Crazy Calm Start Lines Webinar Instructor Adam Skandarani Learn how you can leverage Control Unleashed to help your dog better cope with their emotions, the environment and be better able to tackle their search.
Trial Prep Program
Sighthounds and Scent Work: Does It Work Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard It takes a bit of courage to trial behind a sighthound! Holly will cover reinforcement strategies, acclimation ideas and training plans and discuss trial testing techniques to increase reliability and fun!
Common Issues
The Floor is Lava Webinar Instructor Kayla Dever and Samantha Winslow Are slippery surfaces something your dog struggles with when tackling interior searches? Get solutions in this webinar!
Trial Prep Program
Scent Work for Sensitive Dogs Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Sensitive dogs can greatly benefit from playing Scent Work. Learn how and what types of special considerations you should keep in mind when working with these dogs, in this webinar.

Proofing Skills

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Trial Prep Program
Detoxifying Distractors! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Do intentional distractors have you down? Are you stressed out trying to distinguish between snack interest and an alert? Maybe you’re just looking for a few fresh and fun “gamified” drills! If so, consider joining us for a night of exploring multifaceted ways to detoxify the distractor downers!
Common Issues
Squirrel! From Distracted to Committed: Reading, Training, and Recovering the Search Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Distractor behavior tells you what changed in the search. Learn how to how to read distractor interest, understand how distractors affect hunt, odor work, decision-making, and recovery, train stronger task commitment, and help the dog return to productive searching when competing reinforcement, environmental pressure, or handler choices change the dog’s search.
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Food and Toys Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos The most common planned distractors found within Scent Work search areas are food and toy distractors. Proofing our dogs off these distractors is a key element to any training program. Learn how to do just that in this webinar.
Common Issues
Conquer the Boogeyman in Your Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Vertical spaces. Distractors, planned and unplanned. Huge search areas. Doing searches on-leash. Regardless of the boogeyman in your Scent Work training, we will discuss how you can confront and conquer it in this webinar!
Proofing
Don't Take Me Personally: Tips for Handler Proofing Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie In this webinar, we will talk about what handler proofing is, when to use it, when you might not want to use it, and discuss some strategies for how to start teaching this vital skill.
Proofing
Intelligent Disobedience...SAY WHAT?!?!? Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Ever heard of intelligent disobedience? Want to know what it is? How to implement it? Why you may need it?
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Crittering Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Does crittering in your searches get you down? It is understandable, critters are super interesting to our dogs! Learn how you to help them value finding their target hides more than the potential critter activity within their search areas.
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Dog Odor Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you dread it when there is a possibility of dog odor in your search area? Does it seem as though your dog become obsessed and forgets about hunting for target odor? This webinar is for you!

Trial Officials

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Trial Prep Program
Judge's View Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Bill Gaskins, Judith Guthrie, Michelle Munson, Caroline Oldham, Aleks Woodroffe Wouldn't it be nice to know what the Judge sees? What works. What doesn't. Trends they notice over a course of judging several teams over a variety of events. We will discuss this and more in this exciting virtual event!
AKC Scent Work
Officiating AKC SW Trials: Excellent to Detective Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie, Laurel Scarioni Our roundtable will provide insights helpful for trial officials and competitors alike. Discussion will focus on the Excellent, Master and Detective levels of AKC Scent Work, how to design searches, set "Yes" zones, officiate runs, common pitalls to avoid and much more!
AKC Scent Work
Officiating AKC SW Trials: Novice to Advanced Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Ana Cilursu, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie, Laurel Scarioni, Khara Schuetzner This roundtable will help trial officials and competitors alike. Our speakers will share tips and insights for designing level-appropriate Noice - Advanced seraches, setting "Yes" zones, scoring a run, share tips for success, common pitfalls to avoid and much more.
Understanding Odor Theory
Odor Theory: How to Set for the Goal Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie We know we must set hides with purpose and that means having a goal. But how do you actually do that? Setting hides that consistently do what you want is a skill in itself. Learn how to do so by having a better understanding of odor theory with this webinar.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Creating Level-Appropriate Searches Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie It is essential for a Scent Work trial officials to design level-appropriate searches. Learn how in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Sniff Busters Webinar Instructor Laurel Scarioni Learn about the common myths and misunderstandings about hide placement and odor movement that can result in issues when training and trialing in Scent Work.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Assessing the Search Area Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie When designing a search area, it is essential to first assess the space and determine if meets the need for the given class, level and association. Learn how to assess search areas in this webinar.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Choosing Odor Puzzles Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Trial officials can quite literally make or break a trial. One of the most crucial choices is which odor puzzles to offer. Judith will discuss ways trial officials can better make these choices.

Trial Hosts

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Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 1 Webinar Date August 26th at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton Are you part of a new club looking for guidance in hosting an AKC Scent Work trial? Perhaps you hosted a trial recently and feel it could be improved? Great, this webinar series is for you! In part one, we will discuss what to consider before your event is even finalized. This includes your trial committee, roles to fill, demographic considerations, budgeting and much more.
Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 2 Webinar Date September 3rd at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton In this second webinar, we will delve into the process of submitting your event application to AKC, including a comprehensive discussion on selecting a venue, determining the number of judges and entries your venue can accommodate.
Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 3 Webinar Date October 1st at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton In this third webinar, we will concentrate on the execution of your trial event. This will involve integrating all the previously discussed elements and developing a plan to support both internal and external customers.
Trial Host Program
Trial Hosting for AKC Scent Work Trials Part 1: Planning and Preparation Webinar Instructor Anita Ambani Hosting an AKC Scent Work trial is not an easy feat! If you're a brand new club wanting to host a trial, a club hosting for the very first time, or even an experienced trial host but want tricks and tips to improve planning and preparation, this webinar is for you.
Trial Host Program
Trial Hosting for AKC Scent Work Trials Part 2: Trial Weekend Execution A to Z Webinar Instructor Anita Ambani Hosting an AKC Scent Work trial is not an easy feat! If you're a brand new club wanting to host a trial, a club hosting for the very first time, or even an experienced trial host but want tricks and tips to improve on everything from set up to tear down and anything in between, this webinar is for you.
Trial Program
Improving Scent Work Trials for Everyone Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Michele Ellertson, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus and Lori Timberlake In this roundtable, our panel of speakers discuss what works at Scent Work trials right now, potential pain points and issues, common pitfalls and actionable suggestions helpful for trial hosts, trial officials and competitors alike.
Trial Host Program
Hosting Scent Work Trials eBook Instructor Lori Timberlake This eBook is written to help prospective trial hosts navigate the process of trial hosting for whatever organization they choose to host for.
Trial Host Program
Trial Hosts: Top Ten Must-Do Things Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Thinking of hosting a Scent Work trial? Great! In this webinar, we go over the top 10 must-do things trial hosts need to be mindful of and do to be successful.

Instructors

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Trial Prep Program
Failure is a Growth Opportunity Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Tony Gravley, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus, Nancy Reyes, Aleks Woodroffe Failure is a necessary feature of the learning process. Yet, we in the sniffing community seemingly shy away and treat failure as a "bad" or "scary" thing! Our speakers will share how we can more leverage failure to further grow as dog trainers, handlers and dog owners.
Understanding Odor Theory
Odor Theory: How to Set for the Goal Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie We know we must set hides with purpose and that means having a goal. But how do you actually do that? Setting hides that consistently do what you want is a skill in itself. Learn how to do so by having a better understanding of odor theory with this webinar.
AKC Scent Work
Instructors: How Best to Prep AKC Scent Work Clients Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Holly Bushard, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie, Natalie McManus, Khara Schuetzner Both instructors and clients will benefit from this exciting roundtable. Our panelists will discuss ways instructors can best help their client prepare to succeed in the various levels of AKC Scent Work trials.
Trial Prep Program
Coach's View: Common Issues and How to Help a Team on Trial Day Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie and Michael McManus Learn some of the common pressing issues teams experience at trial and how instructors provide the coaching and support on trial day to get them through.
Instructor Program
Coach's View: How to be a Better Coach Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Michael McManus, Khara Schuetzner Teaching group dog training classes or providing private consultations stand in stark contrast to coaching clients who are competing at trial. This is especially true when trying to support a team on trial day. Learn from our panelists how to bolster your coaching skills with this exciting roundtable event.
Trial Prep Program
Sniff Busters Webinar Instructor Laurel Scarioni Learn about the common myths and misunderstandings about hide placement and odor movement that can result in issues when training and trialing in Scent Work.
Instructor Program
Instructors: Teaching and Training Scent Work Foundations Seminar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Are you an instructor looking to start offering Scent Work classes? Perhaps you are currently teaching and looking to further evaluate or build upon your program? This seminar is for you! We will walk through the program we offer through Scent Work University to help you develop your own!
Trial Official Program
Handbook for Scent Work Trial Officials eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos This eBook is written to provide general tips and guidelines for all Scent Work trial officials, regardless of the organization they may officiate for. Ways to avoid common pitfalls, as well as the dreaded trial official burnout, are covered as well.

See All AKC Scent Work Offerings

Below search all of the offerings available which focus on competiting in AKC Scent Work trials.

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Instructor Program
Part 2 - Instructors: Assessing the Handler Seminar Instructor Dianna L. Santos There are two ends to every leash. The human handler is a crucial part of the Scent Work team! In this seminar, learn how best to assess your human clients skillsets, what they need to continue to progress and considerations to keep in mind when creating customized training solutions.
Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 1 Webinar Date August 26th at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton Are you part of a new club looking for guidance in hosting an AKC Scent Work trial? Perhaps you hosted a trial recently and feel it could be improved? Great, this webinar series is for you! In part one, we will discuss what to consider before your event is even finalized. This includes your trial committee, roles to fill, demographic considerations, budgeting and much more.
Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 2 Webinar Date September 3rd at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton In this second webinar, we will delve into the process of submitting your event application to AKC, including a comprehensive discussion on selecting a venue, determining the number of judges and entries your venue can accommodate.
Live Webinar
Hosting an AKC Trial: Practical Guidance Beyond the Rulebook - Part 3 Webinar Date October 1st at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET (6:30PM MT / 7:30PM CT) Instructor Jenny Hamilton In this third webinar, we will concentrate on the execution of your trial event. This will involve integrating all the previously discussed elements and developing a plan to support both internal and external customers.
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