Is your dog confused — or are you confusing your dog?

In this episode of K9's Talking Scents, Cameron Ford sits down with Ilse Duineveld, a working dog trainer, researcher, and behavioral expert who’s shaking up how we think about detection training.

Together, they dive into:

Why "odor load" might be sabotaging your dog’s ability to stay focused

The importance of clarity and consistency in scent work

How her research is reframing the way we approach K9 learning

Whether training multiple odors at once is helping… or hurting

How to build better focus and reduce noise in your training sessions

The line between operational readiness and overcomplication

Ilse is a blend of academic rigor and practical expertise — and this conversation is a must-listen for any handler who wants to go beyond reps and get to the why behind behavior.

📍 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Meet Ilse Duineveld: Her background in research & working dogs  
02:45 - What’s “odor load” and why does it matter?  
06:10 - Can you train too many odors at once?  
09:55 - Odor clarity vs. odor confusion  
14:32 - Ilse’s research on behavior, detection, and learning  
18:47 - Building operational reliability in working dogs  
22:18 - Is focus more important than reps?  
26:10 - Science vs. handler instinct: where they meet  
29:45 - Final thoughts and where to find Ilse’s work

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