Thoughts on Manipulating Odor Availability

Robin Greubel
1 day ago
2 min read

Updated: 16 minutes ago

What to listen for:

“Dogs can literally smell time.”

Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, break down how time, airflow, and placement reshape detection dog work!

They kick things off by describing a week of hides left up to 96 hours, the longest-out scenario that reveals how odor pools migrate and change. Drawing from this experience, our hosts brainstorm creative ways to design hides that can better help your dog read scents.

Central is the concept of "odor availability", which explains why surface area, sealing, and enclosure control whether a source itself (and not merely source size) ever presents to a dog.

Using a paint-flow metaphor, they explain how multiple sources age and send "tendrils" of scent through a structure, forcing dogs to sort overlapping plumes to find dominant streams.

The Dames of Detection also share practical hacks such as reducing source exposure (wrap in tinfoil and open a corner), using Q-tips or diluted soaks to tune intensity, and recycling aged hides to simulate longer set times when logistics prevent it.

They stress that short-set hides (minutes) produce different search behaviors than long-set hides (days), and may not reflect operational realities or trials where many teams run.

Robin, Stacy, and Crystal urge handlers to read odor-pool cues, practice sourcing through mixed plumes, and intentionally vary hide age and intensity so dogs learn robust, transferable detection skills across environments.

Key Topics:

● Why Replicate Longer Set Times and How to Mimic Aging (00:47)

● Defining “Odor Availability” (Surface Area, Sealing, Enclosure) (03:21)

● Paint-Flow and Tendrils Metaphor for Overlapping Sources (07:20)

● Odor Pools, Building “Breathing” and the Effects of Doors and Venting (11:46)

● Q-Tip Preparation, Dropper Size and Concentration Variability (19:51)

● Practical Hacks to Mimic Long Sets (Cent-Transfer, Freezing, Mixing) (36:14)

● Short-Set (Minutes) vs Long-Set (Days) and Sport vs Operational Hides (42:46)

● Upcoming Events, Activities, and Workshops (50:01)

Resources:

· Sniffer dogs tested in real-world scenarios reveal need for wider access to explosives, study finds (article)

· K9Nosework Source