K9 Sniff Club Dog Training

07/25/2026

When training, I mention that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And, although Einstein is not attributed to saying this, it does work with his thinking that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.
Here is my first Master Container search (with an unknown number of hides, so you just have to feel finished) and, after only finding one hide, I used this concept to not present the containers the same way over and over and we did find one he had not noticed in our first sweep. Doing this strategy helped me call “Finish” and still got us second place.

06/24/2026

Realized I haven’t shared much here lately…
I have been trialing in multiple scent venues and [slowly] allowing 2-year old Parker to take the reins of this sport. He has gotten up to AKC Master in almost all elements (missing 1 Buried Q), finishing up Level 3 in CPE and has now completed two NW3 trials.
In his first NW3 a few weeks ago he came out second to last with us getting 4 “No” calls. He, again, was sniffing the ground and licking everything! After a week at K9 Sensus Distraction Camp we had some new strategies for our next NW3, which was just 2 days after camp finished!
My big takeaway from that week was I am now working a dog and not a puppy. Well, what I ended up with was a perfect run last Sunday, earning our first NW3 title PLUS, third place overall. Here are 5 of the searches. (Had GoPro mishap on first container search.)

03/09/2026

Looking to start scent work but a south county location would work best??? I am teaching Intro to Scent Work at R-Star Canine Enrichment Center in High Ridge. The next class starts on Thursday, March 19th at 2:30 pm. For details, contact Phyllis at 636-677-8555.

12/03/2025

Just found this funny. (Can you tell I’m waiting out my 12.5 hour window of response time to wait for a utility company?!?)

11/01/2025

Some days are meant to be savored…..
Parker and I headed to Kentucky for AKC scent trials put on by Greater Louisville Training Club. He blew me away with how well he worked, even Exterior, instead of succumbing to every other smell in the woods 😆. We did all Novice elements in trial 1 and all Advanced elements in trial 2. We qualified in ALL eight searches, earning his Advanced Exterior and Buried titles for his overall Advanced scent title. But, the cherry on top was that he ended up High In Trial in BOTH trials!

08/18/2025

Parker’s first (ever) AKC Advanced Interior search; also from August 16.

08/17/2025

Took advantage of a day off and a local AKC Scent Work trial…. Knew signing up for a trial in mid-August could have a downside, and we had it…. One of the hottest, most humid days of the year. Went ahead and played anyway. Yes, Parker was panting more and I was wilting but we made the most of the opportunity. I also entered him in his first next level (Advanced) searches - doing 4 Novice and 4 Advanced searches for the day. It was a new trial site at a scout camp with a lot of driving between search areas. Parker ended up doing very well for the long, hot day. He ended up passing 2 of his Advanced searches (Containers with 4th place and Interiors). He also added 3 more Qualifying runs towards his Novice Elite titles, taking just 2.66 seconds in his Container search. Thanks to ESSFTA for holding this event. Enjoyed the location, but think I might like it better in a milder season! It was definitely a learning experience, for both of us. Was super having students out competing, too! Here is his Advanced Container video.

06/24/2025

The AKC sent out an email to club about participating in dog sports in extreme heat:

Read on blog or Reader

http://akceventoperations.wordpress.com

Summer Heat

By guyhfisher on June 23, 2025
Dear Clubs,
We would like to advise you that this weekend there will be extreme heat in several parts of the country. As a precaution, we advise you have cooling stations available at your events for the competitive canines like ice and kiddie swimming pools to keep them cool. Additionally, please be mindful of the signs of heatstroke and seek immediately veterinary care if you believe a dog is affected.
Signs of heat stroke:
• Heavy panting
o Rapid breathing
o Excessive drooling
o Bright red gums and tongue
o Standing 4-square, posting or spreading out in an attempt to maintain balance.
• If you believe your dog is suffering from heatstroke, get them into a cool environment right away.
• Immerse your dog in cool water—do not use ice cold water, it can shock your dog’s system. Use cool water in areas where blood flows heavily, i.e. the pads of their feet, the groin area, and their jugular vein.
• Cool wet towels can be used to lower your dog’s body temperature
• Get your dog to a vet as soon as possible. Your dog may look like it is responding to the cooling techniques but could suffer internal injury. It is best to have them examined to rule out any complications.
Additional summer tips and information can be found here

QUESTIONS ON ANY POSTED MATERIAL SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO [email protected]

06/09/2025

ABTC AKC Novice Container - was fun to watch him chase the odor.

06/09/2025

Novice Buried