SuperK9 Search Blogs

Welcome to the SuperK9 Search Blog, where Science, Systems, and Scent converge to unlock your dog’s full scentwork potential. Explore in-depth articles on Scentwork Fundamentals, the Science of Scentwork, Competition Strategy, and At-Home Training. Our unique, dog-centric approach helps you ‘train the dog in front of you’ for a joyful and successful partnership.

Scentwork Life

The Secret Weapon: Why Volunteering is the Best (Free) Scentwork Training You Can Get

I wish I knew where my dog was in the running order. I sure wish I knew what the judge was thinking when they placed those hides. I wonder how other scentwork teams would handle this search. Scentwork trials are becoming so expensive, I wish there was a way it could be cheaper! Do any of those thoughts sound familiar? Here is the truth: Scentwork and nosework trials simply couldn’t happen without volunteers. Whether it’s acting as a timekeeper, gate steward, parking assistant, or assisting with setup, successful trials rely on volunteers. Perhaps you are new and worried you won’t know what to do, or you’re afraid you’ll mess something up. Or, perhaps you’re intimidated because the volunteers you see

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. October 27, 2025 1 Comment

Iliza cartoon confident and confused handler

Scentwork Competition & Strategy

The Unspoken Secret to ScentWork Success: It’s All About Your Self-Confidence

Introduction: The Confidence Killers You’ve spent hours training with your dog, honing their nose and building their drive. You’ve taught them to find the most difficult hides, and they’ve shown you they can do the work. But on trial day, a little voice in your head starts to whisper, “What if you mess up?” This insecurity can feel like a heavy weight and can travel right down the leash to your dog, who is an expert at reading your energy. They can sense your anxiety, and it can affect their focus and their search. As a scent work handler, your confidence is just as crucial to your success as your dog’s nose. So, what exactly shakes that confidence? As a

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. September 15, 2025 No Comments

Black German Shepherd flying like superhero

Scentwork Life

Become Your Own Canine Superhero and Save the Day

You are a superhero for your dog every day, but are you prepared to save the day for both of you when the unexpected happens at a scentwork trial or on the road? Imagine you’re at a scentwork trial with your very large, but generally calm dog. Suddenly a happy-go-lucky Golden Retriever comes dashing by, and your generally big calm dog decides he wants to go play and yanks you to the ground. The next thing you know your mouth is bleeding, you’ve got some nice cuts on your pretty face, and you have a cracked tooth. You now also have a slight concussion because your skull made friends with the concrete. Perhaps you are walking back from a nicely

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. August 14, 2025 No Comments

Scentwork Fundamentals

Mastering Arousal for Brilliant Scentwork

Imagine unlocking a hidden key to your dog’s most brilliant moments – a key that explains why they’re sometimes laser-focused and other times easily distracted or frantic. Every dog has an incredible capacity for engagement, but the secret to consistent excellence lies in understanding and managing an invisible force: arousal. In the world of scentwork, this translates to transforming casual sniffs into thrilling, precise detections that build confidence and deepen your bond like never before. You know the magic moments in a scentwork trial: that exhilarating exterior search where your dog is perfectly “on,” nose glued to the ground, a blur of focused intention. But then, minutes later, you walk to the container line, and that same dog is casually

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. August 1, 2025 No Comments

Black german sheperd sniffing over a water filled tote

AKC Scentwork

Cracking the Code: Why Buried Searches Are So Hard (and How to Master Them)

If your dog seems to hit a wall when it comes to buried searches in AKC Scent Work, you’re not alone! This element often has the lowest qualification rate – but why? Does your dog struggle with AKC buried searches more than any other scentwork/nosework elements? Even if your dog doesn’t personally struggle, do you ever wonder why the majority of teams find this element so uniquely challenging? I believe there are four primary reasons why most teams struggle more with buried searches than any other element. Three of these reasons are deeply rooted in Scentwork Science. Understanding Odor Molecules Before diving into the specifics of buried search dynamics, let’s establish a foundational understanding: What exactly is odor? Simply put,

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. July 29, 2025 2 Comments

Scentwork Science

The “Stink” Factor: Why Your Handler Discrimination Scent Matters (and How to Maximize It)

Don’t Train HD Until Your Dog Is Solid On Foundational Odors, Right? Handler Discrimination (HD) in AKC Scentwork and UKC Nosework is often considered an advanced, highly challenging discipline. Dogs can struggle with the nuances of human scent, leading to inconsistent alerts and handler frustration. What if I told you that by focusing on one simple, often overlooked factor – the “stink” – you can unlock your dog’s HD potential from a surprisingly young age, even when others find it incredibly challenging? Conventional wisdom suggests Handler Discrimination (HD) is an advanced discipline, often introduced later in a dog’s training due to the complexity of human scent. But with my young pup, Iliza, I started HD at just 8 weeks old.

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. July 20, 2025 No Comments

Scentwork Science

Train the Dog in Front of You: Neurological Development and Mental Maturity in Scentwork

Does your scentwork journey feel like a constant battle against distractions, inconsistent focus, or inexplicable meltdowns in trials? You’re not alone. Many handlers find themselves frustrated when their otherwise brilliant dog seems to ‘turn off’ in complex search environments or struggles to push through a tough search. What if unlocking your dog’s true scentwork potential isn’t just about more practice, but about understanding how their brain actually develops and processes the world? Discover why “training the dog in front of you” is the ultimate key to a frustration-free, successful partnership in scentwork, regardless of your dog’s age or background. Let me provide some background. Kaja didn’t begin training for scentwork until she was 4 years old. Iliza, is still a

Larry Mayran, Ph.D. July 17, 2025 No Comments

SuperK9 Search Blogs

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