Scent games to play with your dog
How a dog experiences scent is mind-boggling. 41% of a dog’s brain volume is dedicated to scent, approximately 40 times greater than a human’s, and dogs have around 220 million scent receptors in their nose compared to a mere 5 million in humans. This means that dogs can smell 100,000 times better than us and they are able to detect a single drop of blood in an Olympic size swimming pool. Just incredible, and surely amounts to a super-power!!
When a dog is out sniffing on a walk they are picking up on the sex, age and health of other dogs that have passed by. Also, an individual smell can hold a whole array of meaning and emotional ties linked to memories. For example, research has shown that a two-year-old dog is able to recognise their litter mates that they were separated from at 12 weeks through remembering their smell. Like I said, INCREDIBLE!!
“Scent work allows a dog
to use their amazing sense of smell.
Think of it like gymnastics for the brain.”
Benefits of Scent Work
Sniffing makes a dog feel happy by triggering the release of dopamine in the dog’s brain. Dopamine is a happy and feel-good hormone which reduces stress and anxiety levels.
The act of sniffing also helps to relax a dog and provides focus, making it the perfect activity to calm overly excited puppies.
Scent work helps a dog to build confidence in the environment around them and builds optimism through problem solving. Both confidence and optimism are important qualities that will lead to a well-adjusted dog and satisfied companion animal.
The mental stimulation caused by scent work is believed to be five times more tiring than physical exercise. This means that 10 minutes of sniffing equates to 50 minutes of walking. So a combination of scent games and exercise will lead to a tired and satisfied dog at the end of the day.
Scent work is perfect for young puppies as it allows them to develop a new skill and is also gentle on the puppy’s delicate joints.
Scent games
Have a go at these fun and mentally stimulating scent games. Perfect for developing new skills, building confidence and burning off excess energy.
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Chuck a treat indoors and say ‘find-it’. Allow your dog to explore and locate the treat.
Variation: chuck a treat in long grass in the garden or out on a walk – the dog will really have to get sniffing to locate it!
Try this: Scatter the dog’s dinner outside and ask them to ‘find-it’. This turns meal times into a stimulating activity.
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Hide your hands behind your back and put a treat in one hand. Hold your closed fists gently out to the dog and ask them to ‘find-it’.
Allow them to sniff out the treat and reward them by opening your hand and giving them the treat when they guess correctly.
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Place some treats in the indents of a muffin tin and cover with tennis balls or small toys. Ask the dog to ‘find-it’ and sniff out the hidden treats.
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The classic three cups game with a hidden treat under one of the cups. Allow your dog to sniff out the cup with the treats and reap the rewards.
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Put some treats on a tea towel and roll the towel into a sausage shape. Allow the dog to unravel the towel and locate the treats.
Make it harder: roll the towel into a sausage then tie into a loose knot. The dog will really have to work hard to access the treats.
Variation: loosely wrap treats in discarded wrapping paper or paper packaging for your dog to explore and unwrap.
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Save old boxes and paper packaging and make a snuffle box for your dog. Place the dog’s treats or meal inside the box and under the packaging and allow them to dig and locate the treats. This is essentially a DIY snuffle mat!
Take a look at this video to see the muffin-tin game in action….
