AKC Scent Work mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate that the scent has been found. It’s a positive, challenging activity that gives your dog the opportunity to use his strongest natural sense. AKC Scent Work is open to all dogs, including mixed breeds enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners program. Here you can meet several All American Dogs who have achieved the highest title in the sport: Scent Work Detective (SWD).
Klyckit Aikin SWD SWM SEME CGC TKN FTI owned by Rebecca Aikin of El Cajon, CA
Klyckit, pictured at top, is a rescue who joined Rebecca’s family in January 2023. General obedience training started immediately and the pair jumped into Scent Work training shortly after. They first competed in October of 2023 and qualified in 24 of their 25 Novice and Advanced Searches. In August of 2025, they competed in their first Detective trial and in June of 2026, Klyckit earned the Detective title and their first first place at the Greater San Diego Bassett Hound Club trial.
Besides Scent Work, Klyckit loves to compete in Flyball and has dabbled in dock diving and lure coursing. She also enjoys hiking with her brother and looks forward to the family’s Tahoe vacation every year. At home, she is a snuggler and happily hangs out on the couch.
Fozzie VII RE SWD SWM THD CGCA CGCU TKP owned by Betty Wilson of Salem, VA
Fozzie is an exuberant, social 11-year-old Labrador Retriever mix. As a puppy, he started service dog training but was “career-changed” in the final stage. He has earned titles in agility, rally obedience and trick dog along with Scent Work. Fozzie is also a certified therapy dog and serves as a reading dog at a local school and public library. He has earned elite titles in another scent venue and he completed a research project which trained pet dogs to find the eggs of the spotted lanternfly (an invasive agricultural pest). Fozzie earned his AKC Detective title on May 2, 2026, at the Star City Canine Training Club Scent Work trial near Blacksburg, VA.
The Bernoulli Paw-Rinciple RN SWD SWM CGC TKA owned by Tina and James of Los Angeles, CA
Bernoulli was adopted from the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society in 2017 at 1 year old. He soon started obedience and rally classes, earning his Rally Novice title. He learned many tricks, like retrieving a tissue from a tissue box and walking like a penguin, and receiving his Advanced Tricks title. Scent Work training began in 2018 and he achieved his Scent Work Detective title at the Scent Work Club of the San Gabriel Foothills’ Woodbury University trial in Burbank, CA in May 2026. His name is inspired by the Bernoulli family of mathematicians, famous for mathematical concepts like the Bernoulli Principle. It’s quite a fitting name, as he is known by his friends as “Bernoulli the genius dog” and now has his detective title to go along with it.
Blue Czar Of Scenery OA AXJ NF FCAT4 ACT1 SWD SWME FTN owned by Rosemary Evans of Harrisburg, PA
Czar came to Rosemary at 6 weeks old, three days before COVID closed the world. Rosemary started teaching him tricks at home and found out just how much he loves to work. After participating in Fast Cat, they moved on to agility and then Scent Work. That was when they found his true love: hunting for odor. He moved from novice to excellent level in just 9 months. Master was an education for Rosemary in reading Czar’s cues in challenging hides, and what she learned helped greatly in their pursuit of the detective title. Czar’s first Q was in March 2025 and he earned the title 16 months later on July 3, 2026, at the Delaware Valley Bullmastiff Club scent trial at Bella Vista Training Cener. “We had lots of fun searches with great challenges; of course most of the NQs were my errors,” Rosemary said. “I’m very grateful to our wonderful instructors, judges, and friends who kept encouraging us. I look forward to doing this again with my new dog.”
Johannes’ Lucy RN SWD SWM CGCA CGCU TKN owned by Lindsay Johannes of Pittsburgh, PA
“Scentwork has had an amazing impact on Lucy’s life,” Lindsay said. When she started training in 2022, Lindsay was looking for a way to boost Lucy’s confidence and had never tried dog sports before. Lucy was so timid she would barely search in front of the class. The sport has built her confidence so much over the past few years, and she is having so much success. It has truly improved her overall quality of life as she is more adventurous and confident in everything she does. She is my first dog and has taught me so much. I’m so proud of her for getting her Detective title and look forward to many more!
Hondo Thompson SWD SWM SHDE owned by Vanessa Thompson of Austin, TX
Hondo was nearly 2 years old, needing love and security, when officially joined Vanessa’s two older dogs. He had a high level of anxiety, and Vanessa began to work with him on several sports to build his confidence. While he enjoyed agility and rally, scent work really clicked for them.
For a few years, they searched only in classes and at home. As his confidence grew, they began entering trials. Now 11, Hondo loves to search and the pair continues to work together to build a strong team. Through scent work, Hondo has found his enthusiasm and drive and opened himself up to new friendships. “It continues to be an amazing journey and I am immensely grateful for the joy we have found together,” Vanessa said.
Watson’s Gypsy SWD SWM owned by Freda Watson of Nordland, WA
Gypsy is a Texas rescue whose adventurous spirit found the perfect outlets in agility and scent work. Adopted by Freda as an energetic young dog in 2011, she first learned to channel her enthusiasm through agility, where she loved running, obstacles, and treats. After moving to Washington in 2018, Freda discovered scent work at The Lucky Dog Training Center and Gypsy took to it immediately, thriving at what came naturally: sniffing. They began competing in 2021, earned Gypsy’s Novice title that May, and progressed with dedication and joy. At 15 years old, Gypsy earned her Detective Title (SWD) on July 4, 2026, at the Puyallup Valley Dog Fanciers trial in Puyallup Washington, proving that partnership, trust, and heart make every search meaningful. Their moto: “Trust your dog.”