Understanding How These Highly Trained Pups Find What Humans Can’t See

By Staci Sutton, Founder of Mold Pups

People usually call me when they are tired of guessing. They are tired of feeling bad in their own home. Tired of doctors not having answers. Tired of contractors saying, “I don’t see anything.” Tired of being told it’s stress, allergies, or just life. They usually say something like, “Our house smells weird,” or “My kid keeps getting sick,” or “We just bought this house, and something doesn’t feel right.” Then, somewhere along the way of looking into mold testing or inspections, someone says, “Have you heard about mold dogs?”

That’s where I come in, along with my Australian Shepherd, Gus. Together, we run Mold Pups, a canine mold detection and assessment service. Our job is to help people find hidden mold problems that are often missed by traditional inspections. Not with fear. Not with guesswork. But with a highly trained nose and a clear, honest assessment of what may be happening in a building.

What Is a Mold Dog?

A mold dog is a professionally trained detection dog that uses scent to locate mold-related odor in buildings. Dogs have up to three hundred million scent receptors. Humans have about five million. That difference alone explains why dogs can detect things we cannot even imagine smelling.

Mold emits a distinct odor profile, even when hidden behind walls, under floors, inside cabinets, within insulation, or deep within HVAC systems. You might not see it. You might not smell it. But a properly trained dog can.

At Mold Pups, Gus is trained to detect multiple mold species. When he finds that odor, he alerts by sitting or pointing. He does not scratch, paw, dig, or damage anything. He simply tells me, “There is something here worth looking into.”

Not Magic, But a Powerful Tool

A mold dog is not magic. The process of having a mold dog inspect your home is not a shortcut or a quick fix. Instead, it is a valuable tool that, when combined with proper training and an experienced handler, can make a significant difference in identifying hidden mold issues. The effectiveness of mold detection by a dog depends on the handler’s skill and the specific training the dog has received. This partnership enables targeted, reliable assessments, helping homeowners address concerns that might otherwise go overlooked.

How Are Mold Dogs Trained?

Gus was trained at Florida Canine Academy by Bill Whitstine, who has a very specialized way of training detection dogs. His program focuses on teaching dogs to recognize the distinct odors associated with mold growth commonly found in homes and buildings. Gus is trained on the scent profiles of 16 different types of toxic and problematic molds commonly found in residential and commercial environments.

Training isn’t about memorizing one smell: it’s about teaching dogs to recognize a category of odor created by active mold growth and to ignore everything else. That means dogs learn to work around food, people, pets, cleaning products, perfumes, and everyday household smells without distraction. This training takes months of daily scent work, obedience, environmental exposure, and proofing. Dogs must learn to work in real spaces: homes, attics, crawlspaces, schools, dorms, offices, boats, RVs, and construction zones.

Equally important as the dog is the handler. The handler must understand scent movement, airflow, humidity, building materials, and how a dog communicates. The dog may lead the way, but the handler needs to interpret what that information truly means inside a real building.

What Are Mold Dogs Actually Smelling?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about mold dogs. Mold dogs do not smell or inhale spores. They are not smelling mycotoxins. They smell MVOCs, which stand for microbial volatile organic compounds.

MVOCs are gases released as mold grows and metabolizes. Think of them as mold off-gassing. Even when mold is hidden inside walls or materials, it is still alive. It is still growing. And it is still releasing these compounds into the air. That musty, earthy, “something isn’t right” smell people talk about? That is MVOCs.

Dogs are trained on that odor profile. Not on spores. Not on toxins. They are trained to detect the smell mold produces as it grows. That odor is consistent enough that dogs can learn it, remember it, and recognize it even in tiny amounts.

When Gus alerts, he is not telling me, “There is visible mold right here.” He is telling me, “The air in this area smells like mold is actively present somewhere nearby.” That could mean behind drywall, under flooring, inside cabinets, in insulation, or inside ductwork. MVOCs move through the air. They travel through wall cavities, ceiling spaces, vents, and materials. Dogs can follow those invisible scent patterns back toward where the source is strongest. That is why airflow, humidity, pressure, and layout matter so much. Gus is reading invisible scent trails. My job is to understand how buildings work so I can interpret what he is telling me in real-world conditions.

It’s important to note that mold dogs do not diagnose illness. They are not measuring danger levels inside a home. They are identifying mold-related odor, so we know where to look more closely to find and fix the source.

What Does an Inspection Look Like?

Every Mold Pups inspection starts with a conversation. I want to know what the family is experiencing. Are there symptoms, smells, a history of leaks, roof issues, plumbing problems, flooding, humidity, or a past remediation? Every detail matters.

When Gus arrives, he is calm and focused. He is not a pet during work time. He is working. We walk through the home, room by room. Gus moves slowly, sampling the air. When he detects mold odor, he alerts. I document that location, take photos, and begin a visual and moisture assessment.

After alerts, I use tools like moisture meters, thermal imaging, and sometimes a borescope to look for signs of water intrusion or hidden damage. In some cases, we also collect air or surface samples for lab analysis to provide additional context.

My role is detection and assessment. I do not perform remediation. I do not design cleanup protocols. I help people understand what may be happening in their building so they can make informed decisions moving forward.

What Should You Look For When Hiring a Mold Dog?

Not all mold dogs are equal. Training matters. Experience matters. Integrity matters. Here is what I always tell people to ask when interviewing to find a mold dog:

Where was the dog trained and by whom?
How many mold species is the dog trained to detect?
How does the dog alert?
What happens after the dog alerts?
Does the handler stay in a detection and assessment lane?
Do they provide documentation and explanation?

Remember, you are not just hiring a dog. You are hiring a team.

Red Flags:

Be cautious if someone guarantees one hundred percent accuracy. Dogs are incredible, but they work in real environments with airflow, humidity, and building materials that affect scent.
Be cautious if training cannot be clearly explained.
Be cautious of fear-based sales tactics.
Be cautious when the same company both finds the mold and sells the cleanup. That can create a conflict of interest.

What Should You Expect from a Mold Dog Inspection?

Clarity – When the inspection concludes, you should have clearly written and actionable information to move forward.
Documentation – Pictures, possibly lab testing, a full report of what Gus found, and where he found it, and expert guidance on how to move forward with remediation and testing.
Honest language – Sometimes the news is heavy. Sometimes it is reassuring. Either way, you deserve real information so you can decide what to do next.

Benefits of a Mold Dog

Mold dogs can locate problems that are invisible.
They can reduce unnecessary demolition by narrowing down suspect areas.
They help guide further investigation.
They bring peace of mind to people who feel like they have been guessing. For families who are sick, scared, or overwhelmed, watching a calm dog quietly point to the problem can feel like finally turning on a light in a dark room.

My Story and Mold Pups

Mold Pups is not just a business to me. It is personal. Like many families, I walked through seasons where answers were hard to find. Health struggles and hidden home issues change you. They show you how deeply environment and health are connected. When I learned about mold dogs, I knew this was what I was meant to do. I trained with Bill Whitstine and Florida Canine Academy because I wanted the best training available. I wanted to do this right.

Gus and I work in homes, schools, dorms, businesses, and travel wherever families need us. Every inspection is different. Every story is different. But the heart of it is always the same: helping people find answers when they feel stuck. Mold Pups exists to serve families, especially children. We work with parents, realtors, doctors, and building professionals to help connect the dots between buildings and health.

Products and Tools That Support the Process

While mold dogs help identify where mold-related odor may be present, people often ask what tools or products can help support healthier environments after they understand what is happening. There are many products on the market designed to address odors, airborne particles, and microbial byproducts. Some people choose to use air purification, fogging systems, or botanical-based products as part of their overall approach, depending on guidance from their health or building professionals.

People often ask which products I personally like for mold-related odors. Micro Balance Health Products’ mold spray, enzyme cleaner, and EC3 laundry additive, are products I’ve genuinely liked using. They’re plant-based and focused on addressing mold-related odors rather than just covering it up. The products are not a replacement for proper assessment or professional remediation but should be used as supportive tools alongside a bigger plan. They’re products I feel comfortable sharing with others dealing with mold or healing from it.

Finding the Mold Others Miss

To summarize, mold dogs are not magic. They are not a cure. They are not fear-based tools. They are simply incredibly good at smelling what we cannot.
They help people stop guessing.
They help people start understanding.
They help families move forward with clearer information.
Our business, Mold Pups, exists for that reason. To help people find the mold others miss.

And Gus? He just loves his job.

About the Author:

Staci Sutton is the founder of Mold Pups, a canine mold-detection and assessment service based in Tennessee that travels nationwide. Alongside her Australian Shepherd, Gus, Staci helps families, homeowners, buyers, and businesses identify hidden mold problems that traditional inspections often miss. Gus was professionally trained at Florida Canine Academy under Bill Whitstine and is trained to detect odor profiles associated with 16 types of toxic and problematic molds commonly found in buildings.

Staci’s work is deeply personal. During her husband’s professional baseball career, he began experiencing persistent brain fog, exhaustion, and unexplained aches and pains. At the same time, their children struggled with frequent strep throat, ear infections, nosebleeds, and ongoing allergy-like symptoms with no clear cause. Despite many appointments, answers were hard to find. That season changed how Staci viewed homes and health. It led her to look more closely at the environments her family lived in and to understand how strongly buildings can influence how people feel. Those experiences are what led her to mold dogs. She wanted a way to help families find clarity when nothing else made sense. Her approach combines canine detection, visual assessment, moisture evaluation, and lab testing when appropriate, always staying in a detection and assessment lane, not remediation. Through Mold Pups, education, and community outreach, Staci is on a mission to help people “Find the mold others miss.” With Gus by her side, she encourages families everywhere to Stay Nosey.

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