For some, scent work is more than a sport and winning ribbons. It’s a shared process that can change both dog and human.

Lisa Quibell is a competitor, trainer, and judge with UKC and C-WAGS. Lisa shares how scent work challenged her not just as a handler and a trainer, but as a human, and how working with very different dogs has shaped the way she competes and judges.

We talk about scent work as a confidence builder for dogs who struggle in the world and for handlers who are still finding their footing. Lisa explores what it really means to let the dog lead, how to recognize when not to interrupt, and why giving dogs real decision-making power changes the search for both dog and handler.

We also dig into something most competitors wrestle with: how to celebrate and reward after a search that didn’t go your way, and why the reward is still about the relationship, even when the search doesn’t end with a Q.