Detective Debrief: How the Door to the Search Impacted the Search

I wanted to share a deeper look at a recent AKC Scent Work Judges Debrief video I posted. In this piece, I’m breaking down how the door, airflow, and physical layout changed the odor picture, how that affected what the dogs could access, and how I used the space to design specific challenges.

The goal is to help you better understand what your dog may be working with in environments like this, and how to read those conditions when you step into a search of your own.

▶️ Watch: Detective Debreif - The Troublesome Door

How the Door Disrupted Odor Organization

A door that opens and closes repeatedly doesn’t just move air. It interrupts how odor tries to organize.

In this search, the middle hide took the biggest hit. Plumes there struggled to settle, which meant dogs weren’t walking into a clean picture. Instead, they had to gather information from places where odor was briefly protected enough to hold.

That disruption didn’t stop at the center hide. It changed how odor behaved across the entire room.

The Podium Hide and Physical Barriers

Farther out, the podium hide in the corner showed clearer lines back to source, while also throwing more diffuse odor beyond the rolling dividers.

That created a different problem for the dog to solve. Not just where source was, but how to work around a physical barrier and whether access was even possible. That is a separate skill set the dog has to bring to the search.

Why Dog Behavior Looked the Way It Did

Across the search, some plumes held. Others tried to form and collapsed as soon as the door moved again.

When you look at the work through that lens, a lot of behavior makes more sense:

• Dogs passing hides

• Dogs working areas without committing

• Dogs adjusting strategy as information changed

Seen this way, those moments aren’t mistakes.
They’re dogs sorting through changing information under shifting conditions.

The Role of Search Design

This is also where search design matters.

The same elements that make a space interesting for the dog shape how information is presented at different levels. Doors, airflow, and barriers don’t just add challenge. They change how odor can be accessed, how long it holds, and how much problem-solving is required before source is even available.

Understanding that distinction helps searches stay level appropriate while still offering a fun, engaging, and solvable challenge for handler-dog teams.

What This Teaches Us About Watching Searches

Once you start paying attention to how spaces behave, it changes how you watch a search unfold.

What might appear as hesitation or uncertainty is often a dog doing their job carefully amid incomplete or shifting information. Balance always matters. At higher levels, that balance is tested across a wider range of situations, making it easier to see which parts of the partnership are well established and which still need support.

That foundation is built much earlier through independence, puzzle solving, and perseverance. It allows the dog to stay engaged in the problem and the handler to support the work without getting in the way.

How to Watch the Video

As you watch the video, treat it like a walkthrough rather than a run.

When I’m holding the camera and pointing to an area, pause mentally and picture what that space was doing during the search. Listen to what I’m describing about airflow, movement, or disruption. Then, when a short clip of Shrimp working appears, notice how her behavior in that same area matches what was just described.

The value is in lining those pieces up:

• The still space

• The explanation

• The dog’s response

Final Thoughts

That’s the lens I’m using as I walk back through this search on video. I’m not looking to give you answers so much as tracing what was available to the dogs and how this space shaped their work.

Learning to watch this way is a skill in its own right, and one that carries forward into every search you do.

Happy hunting.

If you would like more personalized coaching or prefer to arrange an in-person seminar at your location to help you implement these concepts, please don’t hesitate to contact me.