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We caught up with our Bruce’ Expert Dog Coaches to learn about some exciting scent work games!
Doggy noses are packed with super powers. Scent games can help build confidence and prevent overstimulation by engaging those brilliant brains.
Sniffing: good fun you and your dog!
Preparing your scent games
There are lots of dog friendly scents that get those curious noses excited!
Try putting some Lavender, Chamomile or even Salmon oil into a spray bottle that you can use around the garden.
Next, gather items for the game like plants, logs or cardboard boxes.
Select a quiet spot and spray the scent around your items. Be strategic. Make it fun and interesting but not too difficult. You don’t want your dog to get frustrated before the games began.
Show your dog to the scented area and with their powerful nose they should pick up the smell straight away. Of course you can always give your dog a helping paw by pointing them in the right direction.
Hide the scent!
One of our favourite games at Bruce’s is a good old fashioned game of hide and seek.
Create a trail of scents that lead to the prize, get creative with your scent spots and really give that nose a workout.
Be led by your dog and if they finish quicker than you thought, make it a little more challenging for them on the next round.
What’s in the box?
Just like us, dogs love nothing more than opening a box filled with goodies!
You can use food or toys. Take an empty cardboard box and stuff it with doggy towels hiding the treats inside. You can roll treats inside the towels but be sure to not stuff the box too full.
Loosely close the box lid and let your dog use their natural sense of smell to solve the puzzle.
The sniffing science
Scent games tap into 5 core enrichments for our dogs:
- Social Enrichment – engaging in an activity with other dogs and humans
- Cognitive Enrichment – it’s all about problem solving and exercising the brain
- Physical Enrichment – Dogs have the opportunity to satisfy their natural instincts
- Sensory Enrichment – scent games unlocks the five senses
- Food Enrichment – as natural foragers, scent games encourages dogs to use these natural behaviours
Read more dog enrichment ideas.
