
NACSW – National Association of Canine Scent Work
How NACSW Got Started In the early 2000s, three professional detection-dog trainers, Jill Marie O’Brien, Amy Herot and Ron Gaunt, were looking for a low-impact activity that kept their retired police and military dogs mentally sharp. During downtime between client appointments they set up a row of cardboard moving boxes inside a dusty Los Angeles warehouse, tucked a cotton swab scented with birch essential oil in one of the boxes and released a Labrador named Hagen. The dog hit the target in seconds, tail helicoptering, eyes bright. Soon they invited friends to bring their own dogs for what they called “scent





