Alert! Scent Work
by Alert! Scent Work
Alert! Scent Work is a podcast for everyone who's fallen down the scent work rabbit hole — and loves it there. Scot sits down with judges, competitors, and community builders from AKC, NACSW, ASCA, UKC, and beyond for the conversations you've always wanted to have but never had time for on trial day. We talk nose work and scent work training philosophy, competition mindset, and the perspectives that shape how we think about this dog sport. We celebrate the wins, laugh at the disasters, and dig into origin stories — because how did any of us end up here, completely obsessed with watching our dogs use their noses? Whether you're trialing every weekend or just discovering K9 nose work and scent work for the first time, this show is about the whole scent work life — the sport, the dogs, and the community that makes it all worth it.
Episodes
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Dylan Kyle - The Making of a Judge
What does it actually take to become an AKC Scent Work judge? Dylan Kyle from Marysville, Ohio and I both got our provisional approvals on the same day. Him for excellent, master, and detective. Me for novice and advanced. We had the conversation so you don’t have to wonder anymore. Dylan also...
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Penny Scott-Fox & Jeff McMahon | Penny Scott-Fox and Jeff McMahon | Getting the Most Out of a Scent Work Camp
When you go to a scent work camp or an all-day seminar, how do you get the most out of it? What stops people from fully committing to new ideas? And when you leave with a notebook full of things to try, what do you actually do with all of it? This episode was recorded live on the last day of the...
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Caroline Oldham | Make the Journey the Priority
If the journey with your dog in this sport is the priority, success can fall into place for any team. And Caroline Oldham puts a lot of effort into focusing on the journey. And doing so helps both the dog and handler achieve their goals. She also talks about her crate-to-crate ritual and why she...
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Joanne Soyke | Becoming a Better Listener
Joanne Soyke had a Border Collie named Flip who finally found a sport that let him use his powers for good rather than evil. From that moment, from competing to training to judging, she's made it her mission to bring the gift of scent work to every dog since. That mission is rooted in something…
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Melissa Sowa | Take Your Time
Melissa Sowa has been judging since buried hides had to be placed using a drill. She's competed through Summit in NACSW and detective in AKC, and judges for AKC, C-WAGS, and USCSS. When she talks about what works and what doesn't in this sport, she has seen it from just about every angle there…
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Dianna Santos | Odor Will Humble You
Dianna Santos came to scent work through a dog-aggressive Doberman who needed a reason to be a dog. Zeus couldn't go for walks. He couldn't be around other dogs. His world was shrinking, and so was hers. What happened when he started searching changed him. It also changed how she thinks about…
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Kristi Murdock | The Smellevangelist Behind WeSmellBetter.com
Kristi Murdock might be the most appreciated person in AKC Scent Work. She built wesmellbetter.com, a free site that tracks every qualifying score, title, placement, and fastest-in-trial result in the sport. I talk to Kristi about the site's origin, what she thinks is the coolest feature more...
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Karen Allen | How Much We Impact Our Dogs Without Realizing It
I ran under Karen Allen at a detective trial and didn't Q. What stayed with me wasn't the result, it was the feeling walking away. She was rooting for us. That's who she is as a judge, and it's a big part of why I wanted to have this conversation. One of the threads running through this whole...
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Judith Guthrie | The Judging Framework That Makes You a Better Competitor
When I started out in scent work, I thought it was simple: place a hide, dog finds the hide, call alert. Judith Guthrie started pulling that apart the first time I sat down near her at a trial. What she was saying about odor behavior and how handlers were impacting their dogs blew my mind. Judith...
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Penny Scott-Fox | Pressure in Scent Work — How It's Affecting Everyone and What We Can Do
In scent work, we talk a lot about odor theory, training, and handling technique. But there's something else affecting your performance, your dog's performance, and your experience of the sport that doesn't get nearly enough attention — pressure. Penny Scott-Fox has been watching what it does to...
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Ana Cilursu | Seeing Searches the Way Your Dog Does
Many competitors have seen Ana's AKC trial debrief videos — breaking down hide placement, odor movement, and what teams were experiencing in the search area. In this episode, the judge, trainer, and competitor talks about the lessons she has learned from years of watching teams search. Before…
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Sandra Tung | Be a Hot Date for Your Dog
One of the first AKC Scent Work judges and an AKC Scent Work Expert Judge, Sandra Tung is also a trainer and high-level competitor who has been in the sport since before AKC even had a scent work program. Much of our conversation revolves around the job of the handler in scent work — which Sandra...
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Vicky Lovejoy | Productive Parking Lot Chatter, Fun Searches, and Inclusivity in Scent Work
Vicky Lovejoy was there at the very beginning — before formal trials existed, before organizations formed, when a group of enthusiasts in the Los Angeles area were just figuring out what this sport could be alongside founders Ron Gaunt, Amy Herot, and Jill Marie O'Brien. She has been competing…
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Lisa Quibell | When Scent Work Changes Both Dog and Handler
For some, scent work is more than a sport and ribbons. It's a shared process that can change both dog and handler in ways you never saw coming. Lisa Quibell is a competitor, trainer, and judge with CWAGS and UKC. She shares how scent work challenged her not just as a handler and trainer, but as a...
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Jill Kovacevich | Pathways to Odor
I almost skipped the Box Mania. Containers sounded boring. But during the session, Jill started narrating the searches and the behavior she was observing. And she talked about pathways to odor. That was one of the moments that split my scent work journey into before-and-after. I almost skipped…
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Patrice Dodd | The Power of Presence and Attention in Scent Work
AKC scent work judge and competitor Patrice Dodd talks about why scent work is one of the few places in life where she can be fully present, and why handler attention may be the most important skill in the sport. She also reflects on the challenges and pressure she feels as a judge, balancing...
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Mary Quinn | Judging AKC Master Nationals
From the moment she got the phone call inviting her to judge AKC Master Nationals, to arriving at the Roberts Center, Mary talks about what was running through her mind, how the event was structured, and what it feels like to carry that kind of responsibility, judging the top AKC Scent Work teams...
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Penny Scott-Fox | Lessons from the First Master National
At AKC Master National, Penny Scott-Fox brought every part of her scent work experience with her. She talks about the AKC Master National through three lenses: what it was like to compete, how she viewed the hide sets and scoring system as a judge, and what she thinks could be improved for future...
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Leigh and Rhubarb | From Day One Setback To Master National Champions
One mistake most of us have made happened in her very first run, and it dropped her to 118th place for that element. But by day three, Leigh Gelotte and Rhubarb were the first-ever AKC Master National Scent Work Champions. Leigh takes us inside the event, describing the search areas, the…
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Lena and Neo | Proving Them Wrong at Master Nationals
Lena went to the first AKC Scent Work Master Nationals mostly to support the event, but she also had a couple of goals. She wanted to make it into the top 100 and have the highest-placing Australian Shepherd. A few years earlier, a trainer told her Neo didn’t have the drive to be competitive, so...
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Tracy Hill | Setbacks, Sick Dogs, and Showing Up Anyway
Scent work isn’t just about ribbons. It’s about setbacks, resilience, and the bond that makes every trip to the start line a gift. In this episode, Tracy Hill offers practical takeaways for competitors while also opening up about the challenges that rarely make it to social media. From learning…
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Penny Scott-Fox | Have the Balls to Call It
The first time I ran under Penny Scott Fox, she gave me a piece of feedback I still think about every time I step into a search area. We unpack what she meant by that comment — and how handlers can feel more confident calling finish when the run is actually done. A founding instructor with NACSW...
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Donna Morgan Murray | Scent Work Beyond AKC, Reading Your Dog, and When to Excuse Yourself from a Search
Beyond her role as a judge and competitor, Donna opens the door to other ways the game is played that many handlers may not have seen before. She talks about why placing hides in training isn’t always about whether your dog can find them, a reward strategy in trial that could change how you earn…
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Jennifer Hamilton | From First Trial Struggles to All-In on Scent Work
Excused from the crate area and rattled through her novice searches, Jennifer's first scent work trial was anything but smooth. Instead of quitting, that moment lit the fire. Jennifer talks about the overlooked skill that becomes critical in higher-level searches — especially buried; the hidden...
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Ellen Parr | Learning Rules the Hard Way, Reading Beyond the Final Responce, and Still Getting Goosebumps
The distractor rule I learned the hard way from Ellen, and it can make the difference between qualifying or not. It was awkward in the moment, but unforgettable. We came back to that story, along with something I’ve noticed in Ellen's runs: when it looks like an alert to me, but she moves on.…
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Aleks Woodrofe | The Most Critical Handler Skill, The Value of Volunteering, and Setting Hides with Purpose
Scent work wasn’t part of the plan. It started with Sam, anxious in agility but able to find his place in nose work. Then Rosie, her flat coat, lit up the moment she started searching, and her joy made the game contagious. Finally, Tana, the dog who was supposed to do agility but didn’t love it,...
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Hallie McMullen | Fun and Fair Searches, Funky Odor Behavior, and “My Handler’s Never Done That
From first Qs to Detective titles, Hallie McMullen has been part of the journey for countless teams. Now she shares her judging philosophy and training insights. Hallie has judged for NACSW and AKC, while also competing with her own dogs and coaching teams through every stage of the sport. With...
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Laurie Schlossnagle | One of AKC’s First Judges, C-WAGS Pioneer
Episode Summary Laurie Schlossnagle helped build C-WAGS scent work and went on to judge the very first AKC Scent Work trial. In this conversation, she shares how she thinks through level-appropriate searches, why stable odor matters more than difficulty, and what handlers often overlook when...
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What is Alert! Scent Work All About?
This is the trailer for Alert! Scent Work.
About this show
Alert! Scent Work is a podcast for everyone who's fallen down the scent work rabbit hole — and loves it there. Scot sits down with judges, competitors, and community builders from AKC, NACSW, ASCA, UKC, and beyond for the conversations you've always wanted to have but never had time for on trial day. We talk nose work and scent work training philosophy, competition mindset, and the perspectives that shape how we think about this dog sport. We celebrate the wins, laugh at the disasters, and dig into origin stories — because how did any of us end up here, completely obsessed with watching our dogs use their noses? Whether you're trialing every weekend or just discovering K9 nose work and scent work for the first time, this show is about the whole scent work life — the sport, the dogs, and the community that makes it all worth it.
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Alert! Scent Work