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, and I haven't seen a search the same way since.

From clear interstates straight to source, to faint hiking trails that disappear into the overgrowth, Jill explains how dogs collect information long before they reach source — and why searching is a process, not a moment. She also talks about tendrils: the smaller threads of odor that branch off the main pathway, sometimes connecting back, sometimes breaking off entirely.

We also dig into how NACSW judging and certifying official roles differ from AKC, how judges determine a yes versus a no in a search — and what happens when a judge realizes mid-trial they got it wrong. Plus the challenge of wearing multiple hats at a trial without letting those roles bleed into your own searches.

What we talk about:

• Pathways to odor — why this framing changed how Scot reads his dog in a search
• The difference between an interstate to source and a hiking trail that disappears into the brush
• Odor tendrils — the smaller threads that branch off the main pathway and how they help explain pooling and trapping
• Ron Gaunt's influence on Jill — collection of information, the conversation the dog is having, and why Ron hides were set the way they were
• Why scent work made sense to Jill when other dog sports didn't — and what it means to be on even ground with every other dog trainer when a sport is new
• The difference between a certifying official and a judge in NACSW — and why AKC combines both roles
• How NACSW works toward consistency across regions so that an NW3 on the East Coast feels similar to one in Colorado
• What judges are actually evaluating — and what happens when a judge realizes mid-trial they got it wrong
• The challenge of hosting a trial and competing in it — and why Jill's results are showing her a different story than the one she tells herself
• Why miles matter more than a pre-search routine — and the ritual Jill doesn't realize she has
• Seven questions with Jill — including what she loves to see when she's judging, her dog's favorite reward, the best piece of advice that stuck with her, and what her dogs would say about her as a handler

Find Jill: MountainDogs.org

Scent Work University: ScentWorkU.com — search Jill Kovacevich

K9 Scent Fix podcast — with Aleks Woodroffe

Alert! Scent Work is a podcast for competitors — the parking lot conversations you'd never get to have at a trial, with the judges and community members you wish you had more time with.

Listen to the podcast and find everything here: https://www.AlertScentWork.com

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