The Scent Room Files — Case #002: The Hound of Hollow Hall

A ready-to-go haunted-manor scent game your clients will talk about long after Halloween.

They say Hollow Hall is haunted. Doors swing open on their own, footsteps cross empty rooms, and on the coldest nights something inside howls. Nobody will set foot inside, except your dogs. Six rooms, six scents, and a hidden message your teams piece together to discover who, or what, is really haunting the hall. You just print, hide, and host. Everything else is written for you.

What it is

A complete, ready-to-run scent-detection game for dog trainers, built as a spooky-but-friendly mystery. Teams of handlers and dogs work six themed rooms, each a different kind of search. Every room hands them a clue, and the clues combine into a final message that leads to a warm, happy reveal (no genuine scares, this one ends with a wagging tail). It plays like an event, not a lesson, so a whole class lights up.

What's new in Case #002

If you ran Signal in the Pines, this one is a genuinely different game, not a reskin:

• Six brand-new rooms, each a distinct search: a container line up the Grand Staircase, a luggage search in the Library, a food hunt in the Kitchen, a "guess the guilty one" shuffle in the Portrait Gallery, a sourcing exercise in the Conservatory, and a search in the dark down in the Cellar.
• A new solve puzzle: one marked word on each clue spells out where the hound is hiding.
• An optional Raise the Stakes mode: run the easy, generous version where everyone searches and every team keeps its clue, or switch on the high-stakes version, one dog, one shot, with lifelines and clue steals, for groups who want real jeopardy.
• A Level Dial on every room, so a green pup and a seasoned searcher play the same game side by side.

What's inside

• Instructor's Guide (host it start to finish): the story to narrate, all six rooms with timers and level options, setup notes, the optional Raise the Stakes rules, the answer key, and a run sheet.
• Printable Clue Pack: six room signs, three team cards, a scoreboard, the four marked-word clues, the two key tags, the three venue endings, and the sealed final reveal card, plus a print-and-assemble guide.
• Single-user commercial license: run it at as many of your own paid workshops as you like.
• Bonus — "How to Run It": a plain, step-by-step guide to hosting any case with confidence, ideal for your first event.

Who it's for

Dog trainers who teach scent work, nose work or enrichment and want something that makes a class an event. It's kind, force-free and beginner-friendly, with plenty for confident teams too. No scent students yet? Run the whole thing on food finds, which makes it a perfect Halloween taster to bring new people in.

What trainers say about The Scent Room Files

"A great way to build rapport and teamwork in classes, tests the dogs' abilities and stops it being 'samey', injecting fun and personality into scent work." — Steph Cork, Beyond the Basics Dog Training (on the first case, Signal in the Pines)

Format and delivery

Instant digital download (print-at-home PDFs). You keep the files and reuse them for every workshop you run.

Price

$39 (one-time), single-user commercial license included.

TDTS members: use code TDTS25 for 25% off at checkout.

FAQ

Do I need Case #001 first? No. Each case stands alone.

Do I need special odors? No. It works with whatever scents you already train, and the Kitchen room runs on food, so even a food-only group can play.

How many dogs? It shines with about 6 to 12 dogs in teams, and flexes smaller or larger.

Is it scary? It's spooky in tone but warm at heart, and the ending is a happy one. Great for a family-friendly Halloween class.

Refunds? Because it's an instant download, sales are final once you've accessed the files. If a file won't open or is faulty, email within 14 days and we'll fix or replace it. Consumers in the UK/EU waive the standard cancellation right by downloading immediately; this doesn't affect your rights if the product is faulty.

The Scent Room Files is an Animal Intuition original. Case #002: The Hound of Hollow Hall.