If you have a trap that you are certain k9s are smelling, how do you clean it during the season and get it back to where you would run it again?

Soak it in a crick maybe?

My first thought would be it would be hard to say for certain that the odor of the trap is causing the problem unless it was real obvious like skunk or blood. Second would be what kind of odor are you trying to remove? Something like skunk can be more difficult to remove than than other stuff. There's more than just a just a stinky trap that can cause k9s to dig a trap if that's your problem.

I give them a bath and a scrubbing first and then I pop the springs loose and give it a baking soda and peroxide bath and then a good rinse.
Reattach the springs and dye and wax.
The springs are the place I find most diggers dig to from my observation
My springs always get extra attention

I feel pretty confident in my bedding process. I haven’t had true dig ups, just fox literally crapping on the traps. Some were remake but others were traps that hadn’t had any catches do far this year.
This happened to me last year also. Had 7 traps at a spot trying to catch a large male and he crapped on every one of them.

Stop waxing them.

In my opinion he associated your scent with the taking of his mate and he remembers your scent is danger.
I believe this because I have a male coyote that I took his mate 2 seasons ago, fortunately there was snow on the ground so I could see his reaction. He did kick backs all the way around the female in the trap. When I walked over the hill where I could see my other sets I was surprised to see he had done kick backs around all 3 sets that were just added the day before. And he scratched the pan clean on one and left me a sign of how he felt.
If you have snow on the ground, a blind set in a trail would be my first suggestion, second would be too have a friend set two traps in the area.

I truthfully believe k9s can smell good enough to find the cleanest trap IF they r looking for them. Sometimes the fact they are looking for can be more of a problem than an odor on them.

Great example is Wetdogs story above

Your lure/bait is causing that.

Use a different lure and bait.

If the trap is not being scratched at....the critter has no idea a trap is there.

I’ve taken traps that have caught critters at one location stop at a car wash pressure washed and set at new location and caught more critters with them. Unless your getting baits and lures on traps from dirty gloves or what not the whole trap scent thing is something I spend little concern on. When bedded solid set construction based on wind direction combined with a good bait and urine down the hole there foot more then likely ends up on a pan while sticking there nose in the hole long before there sniffer goes looking for something else at the set such as a trap. Not one type of trap treatment makes a trap scent less to the power of a k9s nose for everything has its own scent markers and a dog can be taught to pin point that rather it be wax, dip, paint, or whatever long story short it all has a scent you or I could never smell but a k9 can and can separate each individual scent compound.

An interesting subject that I’ve never had a problem with BUT I will ask a question. What contamination do you think the trap has that is stronger and more compelling than the bait & lure in the hole, if it is the trap??? Does the coyote still work the hole from the side or from the back or just exits stage left??

In all my years I had an one time instance that happened in a new area 20 miles from my normal trapping territory and it happened the 1st night but I don’t know if it’s the same as your’s.. I was using the Miranda walk-thru (2 mouse holes) and I had 4 traps/sets spread out 2 miles apart. I found scratching at and close to each set , maybe 2-3 areas of scratching at each set. At first glance I thought it was kickbacks in front of my set. Looking closer I saw where the scratching would work it’s way to the trap bed and expose my pan cover and dig into the holes from the side. I was obvious to me that the coyote was searching for the trap that many use at a regular dirt hole sets but I saw no evidence the coyote smelled the trap.

I tracked this coyote across a nice soft winter wheat field to one of my Disco dirt hole sets and he was in that trap but it was obvious that he had scratched at least once outside the catch circle so I figured it was the same coyote that screwed me over on the other 4 sets. IMHO, I believe that the coyote had had some kind of experience with dirt hole sets and didn’t understand that the trap is on the side of the hole in my Disco set which caught him.

Our wolves around here are savvy to logwood dye. They know logwood means danger. I was told this, but I saw it firsthand on a friend's trail cam a few days ago. He had a wolf come investigate a gulo set, and his eyes were on the prize (bait) at first, but as soon as his nose passed over the first trap, he nearly backflipped and ran for the next borough

Glad I deal with stupid critters, lol. It ain’t the trap, but if you think it is, make a set with no lure, bait, or pee and see if he still takes a dump on it.

So I dip everything twice in FMJ and then keep it in a 5 gallon bucket with dirt through the season until it’s in the ground.

I would be surprised if it’s lure odors on the traps.
I make my set then put on latex gloves and apply lure. Discard gloves after I stop touching the lure. Not saying some contamination isn’t possible it just seems odd if it’s happening at multiple sets.

I also swap between about 9 different lures and 2 baits.

Have tried flat, dirt hole, hay, post etc.

Trail cam photos typically show k9s at sets less than a minute and they seem to be avoiding the trap.

I will try the set without a trap.

Well if traps aren’t working cables are!
This is the bigger male I had been seeing marking some of them.

Just need to change it up when they are on to you I'm learning. Blind sets are another good option. The down side to blind sets and snares is you got to find the right micro location.

Are you using on site materials to bed and cover your traps?
Or are you bringing in dried dirt, peat moss or waxed dirt?

If you are bring in your bedding material, I’m thinking there could be a problem with that. Perhaps your covering could have a mold problem??

I am using waxed dirt and last year had similar issues and used peat.
I then top off with soil there or snow.

Would love to just use what’s there but this time of year is rough for that with these conditions.

… every now and then one will do John force burnouts on a trap

… it happens lol …. A second trap at the set will get them a lot of times

Would like to help not sure where to start . Have you caught any fox or coyote yet this year ?