I've been doing quite a bit of work with Kira and scent searches. I don't put too much on here, but she's pretty amazing and I've been working on something a little different for a couple of weeks. I have small cotton pads that I am using, so they are identical, and not carrying any other scent - like a piece of leather might be, or a material item. To begin with, these cotton pads had my scent on them, and then I had a friend scent some and they are popped into a plastic bag, sealed. I also have my husband scent some and do the same with them. I can then age them as long as I want before using them as hidden articles.
Kira was 9 months old yesterday, and she amazes me with her eager work ethic and finds these cotton pads so quickly I can hardly believe it. They are completely out of sight, and vary from floor level to over her head. I don't make it easy.
These cotton pads were scented 24 hr. previously and remained in the plastic bag until I placed them. I left them 20 min. and took her outside for few minutes and back in to do a directed search on leash. I used 4 different areas to place them (7) and she just zipped around finding each one with no problem. A happy girl!