Approximately 29% of U.K adults are dog owners, and we profess to be a nation of dog lovers. But do we realise the superpowers our dogs’ noses can withhold and are we really putting our beloved pooches scent skills to good practise?

The facts

Did you know that your dog’s nose could have as many as 300 million scent receptors, making their sense of smell up to 40 times better than us humans? That’s why sniffing is so important for your pup! It is even reported that just 20 minutes of sniff time can be the equivalent to 1 hours walk.

Working their nose with scent activities can be so enriching – experts even believe that sniffing creates 3D images in your dog’s mind and allows them to feel relaxed and de-stressed.

This can be especially vital for our hound or working dog breeds like Beagles, Basset Hounds, Spaniels and Collies, but scent work can benefit all breeds.

Your dog ‘nose’ best!

Getting your dog to engage in scent work can be quite simple and the benefits are evidenced in helping with;

• Calming – scenting helps to calm a dog.
• Mental Stimulation – scenting and searching for food tires a dog’s brain.
• To refocus a behaviour – if the dog is about to engage in something we don’t want to occur, the ‘Find it’ game is a great refocusing tool that teaches the dog a more positive behaviour to display.
• Recall – the dog can learn to run over to you to play the ‘Find it’ game. The game allows the dog to ‘chase’ something in a different direction which can increase the likelihood of a recall being successful.
• Confidence – an easy to learn training tool!

Sniff time

So, what can you do to get your dog’s most powerful sense engaged?

We highly recommend incorporating scent games into daily exercise – a fun and simple way to mentally tire your dogs out.

Here are some simple activities you can do at home which won’t cost you anything and can get all the family involved:

This is a simple way to engage your dogs’ brain, using a high value, ‘smellier’ treat like ham or sausages perhaps, or even a favourite toy and then hiding it for them to sniff out.

Make it simple to begin with, starting indoors and it can help to have 2 people for this if your dog is super keen! One holding the lead and one hiding the item. Let the dog see where you hide the treat, then use a verbal command such a ‘find it’ before letting the dog sniff and find their reward.

Once your dog becomes more accustomed to this, you can start to make things more difficult, venturing outdoors and hiding treats without them seeing. Your pooch will soon get the hang of it!

Using long grass or textured surfaces on your walk can also be great for the ‘Find it’ game, adding extra stimulation alongside their normal physical exercise.

This is another simple game to play with just yourself and some special, high value treats. With your hands behind your back, so your dog cannot see, hide several treats into one hand but enclose both into a fist.

Giving your dog a cue, perhaps ‘which hand’, hold your hands out in front of your dog for them to smell and sniff out the reward. Once they indicate a chosen hand (this could be sniffing, licking, staring or maybe pawing at the hand), open your fist, where if they have chosen the correct hand filled with treats, they can now enjoy!

If the wrong hand was selected, just re-try again by putting your hands behind your back and re-introducing them to your dog. It is important they select the correct hand to receive a treat or they will not understand the game!

Introduce some sniffing enrichment toys to your dog’s life, such as snuffle mats, Lickimats or puzzle feeders. These feeding tools will help to encourage some brain work by making your dog work out the best ways to get their treat using their nose.

You can even make your own at no cost, just like our destruction boxes – here is our how-to guide to making one!

Snuffle mats are a brilliant and simple way to work your dog’s senses. These are simply rubber or plastic based mats made up with attached ruffles of fabric – perfect for hiding your dog’s favourite treats in for them to sniff out and enjoy.

Not only does the sniffing engage their brain, it also helps to de-stress your dogs and can help manage low level stress. We sell a great selection of snuffle mats in our onsite charity shop- pop along and pick your pooch one up today.

If you are looking for a fun way to bond and spend time with your dog, why not come and join us for a one-to-one Scent Games session?

Hosted by our Canine Behaviour experts, our scent games session will really get your dog’s brain working by using their most important sense – smell! Incorporating find it games and enriching nose work, as well as fun activities that you and all the family can do at home, this session can help to make your dog feel more relaxed and content as a result.

Please click the link below for more details on how to book a space today and get those noses working!