Owner and Lead Instructor
Dianna L. Santos
The President of Online Dog Training, Inc. and Cyber Scent Work, Inc., Dianna is the Owner and Lead Instructor for Scent Work University. She is passionate about Scent Work and loves the benefits it awards dogs and handlers alike.
ACCOLADES:
- CPDT-KA
KPA-CTP
CNWI
AKC Scent Work Judge
USCSS Judge and CSD
AKC CGC Evaluator
C.L.A.S.S. Evaluator and Instructor
President, Online Dog Training University, Inc.
President, Cyber Scent Work, Inc.

BIO:
Dianna is first and foremost an animal lover. Her first career was working with horses and she earned a B.S. in Animal Science. Always intrigued by animal behavior, Dianna loves to watch and learn from the animals themselves. Over the years, she has learned that by combining positive reinforcement and reward-based training with patience and good humor, you can get some pretty outstanding results!
Professionally training dogs since 2011, Dianna has been incredibly fortunate to work with and learn from some of the top names in the dog training world. Two of her mentors whom she owes so much are Leslie Nelson of Tails-U-Win! Canine Center, LLC in Manchester, CT and Emma Parsons, the author of Click to Calm and Teaching the Reactive Dog Class.
However, the best teachers anyone can ever have are the dogs themselves. Dianna will be forever grateful for the countless shelter and behavior unit dogs she worked with over the years who helped her hone her craft.
Dianna's forray into Scent Work began when she was trying to find an activity for her aggressive dog, Zeus, who is the reasn why she became a dog trainer in the first place! Once she began diving into the details of Scent Work, and witnessed the benefits it was awarding her own dog, she was hooked!
Dianna jumped in with both feet to learn all she could about Scent Work. She enrolled in and graduated from the NACSW CNWI program and attended as many Scent Work-specific workshops, symposiums, webinars and seminars as she possiblt could. Dianna was also privileged to work under several instructors, assisting in their classes and eventually inheriting those Scent Work classes as her own.
Upon moving to Southern CA, Dianna had the honor and privilege of becoming a part of United States Canine Scent Sports when it was first formed. An approved Judge and CSD, Dianna officiated some of the first USCSS trials and traveled the United States helping to approve trial officials and spread the popularity of USCSS. Dianna is also thrilled to be a fully-approved AKC Scent Work Judge and rejoices at there being more opportunities for dogs to play the sniffing game!
By early 2016, Dianna had a thriving private dog training business, where she was contracted out to teach group classes with several training facilities in Southern CA, as well as teaching her own private and day training clients. Additionally, Dianna was honored to be a staff member for Camp Gone to the Dogs which hosts two dog training camps twice a year in picturesque VT. At Camp, Dianna would teach a variety of dog training classes, including CGC/TDI Prep, Loose Leash Walking and Scent Fun.
All of this came to a swift end when Dianna suffered a serious neck and back injury which forced her to retire from offering in-person dog training services.
Not one to quit, Dianna decided instead of abandoning her passion, she would rework it. She would create a virtual online learning experience where she could help her clients, who were now on both coasts of United States. With that decision, Scent Work University was born.
It took over a year for Dianna to perfect the necessary technology to ensure the online services offered were up to her standards, but SWU was officially launched in 2017. Since then, an amazing group of instructors have joined the team, clients from the around the globe have enrolled and more dogs are sniffing worldwide!
Seeing how successful Scent Work University had become, Dianna ventured into creating two additional online dog training platforms:
Dog Sport University is focused on providing online courses, seminars and webinars covering all sorts of dog sports such as agility, barn hunt, competition obedience, disc dog, rally, scent hurdles, treibball, tricks and more!
Pet Dog U provides online dog training services designed to help dogs become the best family canine companions they could possibly be.
In 2021, Dianna partnered with her mentor, colleague and friend Sean McMurray to create Cyber Scent Work, Inc., a virtual Scent Work competition organization that bridges the gap between training and trialing. Participants may submit videos of searches that follow the Rules and Regulations, choosing the level, search element and odor track they wish to tackle. Our experienced Review Officials will then review, score and provide helpful training feedback within 7-business days. That's right, this 100% virtual solution allows you to have the opportunity to earn Qs, titles and ribbons AND receive helpful training advice to ensure you and your dog continue to improve. Be sure to check out Cyber Scent Work, Inc. today!
Dianna is forever grateful for everything her dogs have taught her over the years, especially her sweet Sir Valor who showed her the value of keeping everything FUN. While Valor may be gone, his lessons live on and have helped make Dianna that much better of trainer. Thank you Little Dog, the mama loves you and misses you very much.
COURSES
No courses offered yet.
Introduction to Scent Work
Interiors and Field Trips with Primary
Exteriors and Vehicles with Primary
Exteriors and Field Trips with Primary
Advanced Skills with Primary
Introducing Birch
Interiors and Field Trips with Birch
Exteriors and Vehicles with Birch
Exteriors and Field Trips with Birch
Introducing Anise
Introducing Clove
Introducing Cypress
Combo Odors
Varying Odor Concentrations
AKC: Handler Discrimination
Puppy Scent Work
Puppy Sniffing Indoor Adventures
Puppy Sniffing Outdoor Adventures
Puppy Sniffing Games
Reading Your Dog
Only Odor Proofing Course
Building Endurance in Scent Work
Building Speed in Scent Work
Building Distance in Scent Work
Building Independence in Scent Work
No seminars offered yet.
Teaching Scent Work
WEBINARS
No webinars offered yet.
Best Practices for Securing a Trial Site Webinar
Box Smashers Webinar
Common Pitfalls When Training Scent Work Webinar
Conquer the Boogeyman in Your Searches Webinar
Creative Searches at Home Webinar
Cyber Scent Work, Inc: Whys and Hows Webinar
Fading Pairing Yay or Nay Webinar
Field Trip Training On Your Own Webinar
It's About More Than Just Stuff Webinar
Canine Body Behavior and Scent Work for Handlers Webinar
Canine Body Behavior and Scent Work for Instructors Webinar
Canine Body Behavior and Scent Work for Trial Officials Webinar
Keeping Scent Work FUN Webinar
Lacking Problem Solving - Problem Solved Webinar
Maintaining Criteria v. Snazzy Searches Webinar
Making Scent Work Fun for the Handler Webinar
Mindful Goal Setting Webinar
Multi-Hide Searches Webinar
Pairing: Why and How Webinar
Power of Semi-Blind Searches Webinars
Prepping and Storing Odor Webinar
Scent Work Trial Realities Webinar
Scent Work for Reactive Dogs Webinar
Scent Work for Sensitive Dogs Webinar
Single Hide Searches Webinar
So, You Want to be a Trial Official Webinar
Starting with Food: The Whys and Hows Webinar
Stopping the Potty: Tips for Exterior Searches Webinar
Stretching Your Dog's Learning Webinar
Teaching Scent Work Webinar
The Mindful Scent Work Instructor Webinar
The Scent Work Way of Life Webinar
Tools to Help Design Your Scent Work Searches Webinar
Trial Hosts: Top Ten Must-Do Things Webinar
Trial Prep for Reactive Dogs Webinar
Trial Prep for Sensitive Dogs Webinar
Using Play in Scent Work Webinar
Video It! Webinar
What is Scent Work Webinar
When Dog Odor Trumps Target Odor: Sexy Time Webinar
When Dog Odor Trumps Target Odors: Dogs are Scary Webinar
When Proofing Goes Wrong Webinar
Why Independence Matters Webinar