Prep and Excel at Trial

You are interested in competing or are already competing in Scent Work trials, how exciting! The resources offered in this program are designed to ensure you, your dog and your team are prepared to tackle the challenges posed at trial.

These training resources will be helpful across a variety of competition venues, but there are several thar are venue-specific.

Are you looking for one-on-one coaching or support for your team? Contact us and we will provide you with some customized suggestions!

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Odor Theory

The Difference Between Theory and Reality Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you looking for a down-to-earth explanation of odor theory with tips on how to design specific odor puzzles? This seminar is for you!

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

You Can Do It Pup: Building Endurance and Stamina Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos To ensure our dogs can indeed be successful in their searches, we should take steps to build their endurance and stamina. We will discuss ways to do so in this webinar.

Trial Prep

Variable Reward and Nose Work Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie You've likely heard the power of using a variable reward system when it comes to general dog training. Is it possible to use this approach in Nose Work? Learn how to add variable rewards in a multitude of ways to your Nose Work training in this webinar.

Trial Prep

Train the Drive Webinar Instructor Jill Kovacevich Let's refresh our training skills for proficient odor drive search work. It is important to reconnect with an solid odor drive progression from basic hides in simplistic search areas to complex odor problems in environmental gotcha zones. Learn how in this information packed webinar!

Trial Prep

Train the Hide Webinar Instructor Jill Kovacevich Hide placement for each trial level matters. Learning how to set hides is a go to skill for all trial teams whether you feel confident in doing so or not. Learn to understand the differences and the importance of progressive hides for effective and efficient search work.

Odor Theory

Odor Chemistry Basics for Civilian and Sport Canine Detection Handlers Webinar Instructor Lauryn E. DeGreeff, PhD Gain an understanding of factors that affect or change odor particularly in regards to Nosework odors (Birch, Anise and Clove) and how they may compare to other detection target odors, such as human remains and live human scent.

Common Issues

Conquering Converging Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you and your dog struggling with solving converging odor puzzles? Gain an understanding of what converging is, the various types of converging and learn Tony's step-by-step training plan designed to give your dog the skills they need to conquer converging odor!

Trial Prep

Conquering Crack Hides Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Crack hides can be challenging. Learn tips and tricks on how to train for and tackle these hides in this webinar.

Trial Prep Program

Conquering Competition Stress Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Does your dog perform great at home and at class, but under-perform at trial? Do you struggle to reproduce the problems you have at trial in training? Perhaps the real issues is your inability to cope and deal with competition stress. In this webinar, Michael will walk you through how you can turn competition stress from a negative to a positive.

NACSW Program

Tackling NW3 Head-On: Conquering the Mind Game Webinar Instructor Kayla Dever and Samantha Winslow NW3 is notoriously challenging for dog and handler teams. In this webinar, Kayla and Samantha will discuss ways to improve your mental game so that you and your dog can rise to the challenge.

Trial Prep Program

Inaccessible Hides Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Inaccessible hides can be tricky for many dog and handler teams. In this webinar, learn how to train for these hides, avoid common pitfalls and how handlers can better read their dogs.

Trial Prep Program

Corner Hides Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Corner hides can be exceedingly challenging for dog and handler teams. In this webinar, Tony will breakdown how to help your dog understand and tackle corner hides.

Trial Prep Program

You Can Crush Pooling Odor! Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley The dreaded pooling odor has been the cause of many painful “NO”s ! Learn how to crush this odor puzzle in this webinar!

Trial Prep Program

Elevated Hides Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Elevated hides commonly trip up many dog and handler teams. In this webinar, Tony will highlight how to help dogs better understand and tackle elevated hides.

Trial Prep

Are You Getting Any Better? Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do you know if you and your dog are progressing in your skills and abilities as expected? Learn to assess if you are on track, stagnanting or backsliding in this webinar!

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.

Trial Prep Program

The Power of Pairing: Search Monster Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Learn the power of pairing and Tony's unique system that has afforded his clients to enjoy epic results where dogs consistently drive to source, avoid fringing and are not tripped up by distractors.

Trial Prep

Hunt Drive Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley What is actual hunt drive? Does your dog have adequate hunt drive and how can you get the most out of your dogs hunt drive? Learn all of this and more in this informative webinar.

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 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

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.

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!

Trial Prep

Train a Freeze Indication Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson In this webinar, Michele will talk about all the steps involved in how to create the behavior of a nose freeze, how to proof it and perhaps most importantly, why and how it could go wrong!

Trial Prep Program

Call Finish: Clearing Your Nosework Search Areas Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Clearing a search area at trial can be unnerving to say the least. Learn the clues our dogs provide at the very start of the search that can help us more confidently call "Finish" with this webinar.

Odor Puzzle

Threshold Hides: From Terrible to Terrific Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Threshold hides can be tricky for dog and handler alike! Learn why these hides can be so challenging and ways to better prepare in training with this webinar.

Trial Prep Program

All About Brackets Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson In this webinar, Michele will discuss the differences between all brackets styles including how bracketing looks when a dog is working an inaccessible and elevated hide!

Learn About Odor

Hide Placement and Odor Movement Seminar Instructor Laurel Scarioni Understanding how odor moves can improve your skills as a handler and trainer and is something all trial officials must understand and use to their advantage when designing searches.

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 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

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

It's What’s Inside that Counts: A Study of Interior Searches Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn Interior searches can be tricky for many teams. Learn all the ins and outs, from hide placement to training and trialing Interiors with this webinar!

Trial Prep

Learning, and Moving On, From Trial Mishaps Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn Let’s face it, most of us have had things not go perfectly in competition. Many times, the challenge is figuring out which were preventable, and which were anomalies. Learn common issues teams experience at trial and how to learn from them.

Trial Prep Program

Patterns: CSI to Novice Detection Webinar Instructor Bill Gaskins Search patterns will vary, but they share a common goal: organization and structure to ensure no items or productive areas are missed. Learn how hide placement, search area context, and reward history matters in building a dog who is organized and thorough as they search.

Trial Prep Program

Trial and Error Webinar Instructor Bill Gaskins When it comes to Scent Work trials, the Judge has a special perspective. In this webinar, Bill Gaskins will provide his perspective based on what he has witnessed at trials and provide ways teams can better prepare to trial.

Trial Prep Program

Training With The End in Mind; Focus on the Dog Webinar Instructor Bill Gaskins The first in a three-part webinar series, this webinar will focus on hide placements for the dog that drive search behaviors of the handler.

Trial Prep Program

Training With The End in Mind; Focus on the Handler Webinar Instructor Bill Gaskins The second webinar in a three-part series, we'll focus on how situational awareness of the handler supports the dogs ability to search.

Trial Prep Program

Training With The End in Mind; Focus on the Overall Team Webinar Instructor Bill Gaskins The third and final webinar in a three-part series, we'll focus on how to ensure that from imprinting to trial we build mutually supporting teams.

Trial Prep

Start Line to Finish: Assessing Your Trial Team Webinar Instructor Jill Kovacevich Learn how to assess the effectiveness of you, your dog and your team as you tackle NW1 all the way through Summit.

Trial Prep

Trial Readiness in Training: How to Build Happy Hunters for Trial Webinar Instructor Jill Kovacevich Training and trialing differs. How will you best utilize training for optimized trial results? Delve into how we can build happy hunters which will allow our teams to be more prepared for trial.