Scent Work

A successful scent work journey starts with Beginner Obedience classes. Sign up information can be found here:

Classes

AKC Scent Work is a dog sport that mimics professional detection-dog work. Your dog uses their natural sniffing abilities to find hidden target odors in different search areas. It’s designed to be fun, confidence-building, and suitable for all dogs—purebred or mixed breed.

How It Works

  • Dogs search for specific essential-oil scents: Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress.
  • Odor is hidden on a cotton swab and placed somewhere in the search area.
  • The dog must locate the odor and indicate the find to their handler.
  • Handlers can encourage their dogs but cannot touch containers or point directly at the hide.

The Four Search Elements

Dogs search in:

  • Containers – boxes, luggage, bags
  • Interior – inside a building
  • Exterior – outdoor areas
  • Buried – odor hidden under sand or water

Goals of the Sport

  • Build teamwork between dog and handler
  • Encourage problem-solving and independence
  • Let dogs use their most powerful sense—their nose
  • Have fun in a low-impact activity that any dog can enjoy

Titles

Dogs earn titles by qualifying in searches at increasing levels: Novice, Advanced, Excellent, Master, and Elite/Detective.

Novice
  • One hide per search
  • Birch odor only (Odor Division)
  • No intentional distractors
  • Hide is accessible
  • Search time is set by the judge based on the size and complexity of the search area
  • Handler must call “Alert!” when the dog has found the hide
  • A qualifying score requires finding the hide within the time limit without a non-qualifying fault.

Container Search

  • Identical containers (typically cardboard boxes)
  • Containers are arranged with space between them
  • No food or toy distractions
  • Hide is accessible to the dog

Interior Search

  • Search may include furniture, walls, shelving, or other objects
  • Hide is placed where the dog can access odor
  • Indoor air movement is generally more predictable than outdoors

Exterior Search

  • Search may take place on grass, pavement, gravel, or other outdoor surfaces
  • Wind and weather can move odor away from the hide
  • Search boundaries are clearly marked

Buried Search

  • Hide is buried in a container of sand or submerged in water
  • Odor is still accessible as it escapes through the surface

Novice Titles

  • SCN – Containers Novice
  • SIN – Interior Novice
  • SEN – Exterior Novice
  • SBN – Buried Novice

Earn all four novice titles → SWN (Scent Work Novice)

Advanced

  • Two hides in each search.
  • Birch and Anise are the target odors.
  • One or more distractions may be included.
  • Hides remain accessible to the dog.
  • Search areas are larger and require more thorough coverage.
  • The handler calls “Alert!” after each hide is located.
  • After both hides have been found, the handler calls “Finish.”
  • A qualifying score requires finding all hides within the judge’s time limit without a non-qualifying fault.

Container Search

  • Containers may vary in size, shape, and material
  • One or more distractor containers may be present (such as food or toys)
  • Both hides are accessible

Interior Search

  • Hides may be placed in different areas of the room
  • One or more distractions may be present
  • Search area is larger and more complex than Novice

Exterior Search

  • One or more distractions may be present
  • Larger search areas with more challenging scent conditions
  • Wind may carry odor well away from the source

Buried Search

  • Odor is buried beneath the surface of sand or water
  • Buried searches may be held indoors or outdoors
Advanced Titles
  • SCA – Containers Advanced
  • SIA – Interior Advanced
  • SEA – Exterior Advanced
  • SBA – Buried Advanced
    Earn all four advanced titles → SWA (Scent Work Advanced)

Excellent

Excellent Scent Work increases the difficulty by adding more hides, introducing a third target odor, and creating more complex search environments. Dogs at this level are expected to work independently while handlers read subtle changes in behavior. Search areas become larger, odor movement becomes more challenging, and distractions may be more difficult.

Container Search

  • Three hides
  • Birch, Anise, and Clove odors
  • Containers may vary in size, shape, and material
  • One or more food or toy distractions may be present

Interior Search

  • Larger and more complex search areas
  • Multiple rooms or connected spaces may be used

Exterior Search

  • Larger search boundaries
  • More difficult scent movement due to wind, sun, terrain, and vegetation
  • One or more distractions may be present

Buried Search

  • Hides buried beneath the sand or water
  • Search area is larger than in Advanced
Excellent Titles (SX)
  • SCE – Containers Excellent
  • SIE – Interior Excellent
  • SEE – Exterior Excellent
  • SBE – Buried Excellent
    Earn all four → SWE

Master

Master Scent Work is the highest regular level of AKC Scent Work. Dogs and handlers must solve complex scent puzzles that include inaccessible hides, converging odor, challenging environmental conditions, and unknown numbers of hides in some search elements. Success at this level depends on teamwork, patience, and the handler’s ability to trust the dog’s nose.

Container Search

  • Three to four hides
  • Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress odors
  • Containers vary in size, shape, and material
  • Food and toy distractions may be present
  • Some hides may be inaccessible
  • The number of hides is known to the handler before the search begins

Interior Search

  • Three to four hides
  • Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress odors
  • Multiple rooms or connected search areas
  • Accessible and inaccessible hides may be used
  • Multiple distractions may be present

Exterior Search

  • Three to four hides
  • Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress odors
  • Accessible and inaccessible hides
  • Larger search areas than previous levels
  • Multiple distractions may be present

Buried Search

  • Three to four hides
  • Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress odors
  • Larger search areas with more containers than previous levels
Master Titles (SM)
  • SCM – Container Master
  • SIM – Interior Master
  • SEM – Exterior Master
  • SBM – Buried Master
    Earn all four → SWM

Detective Class

Detective is the highest level of AKC Scent Work and is designed to simulate real-world detection work. Unlike the regular search elements, Detective combines multiple search environments into one large search. Dogs and handlers must work together to locate an unknown number of hides spread throughout a challenging search area. The search may include interior, exterior, container, and buried elements all in a single run.

What to Expect

  • One large search that may include indoor and outdoor areas
  • Unknown number of hides (minimum of five hides)
  • Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress odors may all be used
  • Accessible and inaccessible hides
  • Multiple distractions, including food, toys, people, sounds, or environmental distractions
  • Large search areas requiring careful planning and teamwork
  • Longer search times than Master classes
  • No element boundaries—the search flows naturally from one area to another.

What Makes Detective Different?

Unlike every other AKC Scent Work class:

  • The handler does not know how many hides are present.
  • The search combines multiple search elements into one continuous search.
  • Teams must determine when every hide has been found before calling “Finish.”
  • Missing even one hide or falsely calling an alert results in a non-qualifying score.

Handler Discrimination (Optional Division)

Handler Discrimination is a separate division from the Odor Division. Instead of searching for Birch, the dog searches for an article carrying the handler’s scent, such as a glove or sock, while ignoring other human scents.