The important of getting your dog engaged in scent games

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THE IMPORTANT OF GETTING YOUR DOG ENGAGED IN SCENT GAMES

by friendsofthedog.co.za

We all know how important it is to supply our dogs with chew toys to provide entertainment and stimulation, however, not all owners realize that mental stimulations is as important for a dog as is physical exercise, especially when it involves working with scent - why?

Dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses (humans about 6 million) and the area that analyzes odours is about 45 times stronger than us humans. Dogs smell independently with each nostril which allows them to determine exacly where objects and smelly things can be found. To put this in human terms - you come into the house on a cold day and immediately get a whiff of a lovely pot of stew that is being coooked for supper - delicious - however we can smell that it is stew, but your dog would be able to smell each and every ingredient that has been added to the stew!

Think of your dog when out for a lovely slow scenting walk and he comes across a patch of grass where another dog has marked - he can take absolutely ages scenting it - but do you realize that his is picking up a lot of information about the other dog? He can determine the gender of the dog, who else has eliminated there as well, if the dog is in heat, and also the stress levels and the dogs social status! It is not a luxury for a dog to be taken for a slow scenting walk - it is a necessity and vital to an overall balanced dog. It is said that approximately 15 minutes of mental stimulation is the equilavent of an hour's exercise.

If we think about it our dogs are preprogrammed to scent, so why dont we stimulate this innate need? Simple, many of us have just not thought about it!

Here are some of the things that scenting can achieve:-

Supplies stimulation based on the dogs innate scenting abilities, and can be undertaken by pups, older dogs, and also inside and outside the home.
Wonderful to start with young pups and will teach them to engage in quiet self play, lower stress levels and helps to build a heatlhy brain.
It can greatly alleviate boredom, especially for the dog that spends time alone at home during the day. Boredom and frustration are often major components in behaviour problems developing and leaving scent games for your dog to get stuck into when you are out, can go a long way to avoiding behaviour problems.
Get's brains thinking -if your dog gets no physical exercise, the muscles will become weak and atrophy without enough exercise - exactly the same with brain health. Will keep a dog mentally stimulated and helps to avoid premature aging.
For a dog that tends to be a bit hyper, the scenting really helps them to settle down - this can be said for many behaviour concerns, even aggression - the dog is engaged in thinking about something else and this assists to lower stress levles.

In addition to lovely scenting walks, and toys that hold treats which can keep a dog occupied and entertained, and of course behaviour games/puzzles, here are some more you can bring in, but do bear in mind that if more than one dog, you must ensure that any of the scenting games that involve food, will not result in resource guarding between the dogs.

Findies - start off leaving a few treats on the floor a short distance apart, and tell your dog to 'Find It'. As the dog finds each one, get really excited and praise. As your dog gets the hang of this, you start to increase the distance between the treats and put them in more difficult locations. You can do the same thing inside the house and as the dog gets the idea, start to hide them behind curtains, around corners etc. Dogs absolutely love this game, and a good one to use when you are going out. Simply put a trail of kibble in the garden just before you leave and ask your dog to Find It.

You can even reinforce this when on a walk and to encourage your dog to scent by tossing a treat on the ground and ask your dog to Find It - gradually make this harder by tossing in longer grass, just under the brances of low hanging trees - if your dog is doing this on lead, just use a longer lead than normal.

Muffin Tins. Very easy one - take an empty muffin tin and put a treat at the bottom of each one and cover with a tennis ball. As your dog starts to figure this out, you can then just put treats in some of them and not others. This can also be left for your dog to play with when you are out.

You can even play this game but taking empty toilet rolls and placing them in an empty ice cream container standing up - then drop treats into the empty toilet rolls and watch the fun!

Another option here is to use empty egg boxes and place the treats in these.
Cardboard Boxes. Very similar to the one above, but this time have your dog in another room. You put up several different sized boxes in another room with treats in each one. Bring your dog into the room and as him to Find It. As soon as he is finished, lure or call him out of the room. As above, you can then put treats in some, but not others.
Cup Game. take 3 paper cups for smaller breed dogs, or small empty flower pots for bigger dogs. Place a treat under each one, and praise as your dog knocks over the cup or pot and finds the treat. As with the Muffin Tin above, as your dog understands you can alternate which cup you put the treat under, and even put up more cups for the dog to scent.
Hide and Seek. Also one that can be played inside and outside and also on walks when you are in an area where the dog cant run away. Have somebody hold your dog (or in a Sit/stay) and hide somewhere easy for the dog to find and stand very still. As your dog finds you, give lavish praise. As he becomes more skilled in this game, make your hiding place a lot harder to find. You will often find that initially the dog just runs to find you, but slowly and surely, he will start to put his nose to the floor to actually track where you are.
Tracking a person. This is a great one to play once your dog has the idea of finding things, and is often used at the beginning of treaching a dog to track.
* Have somebody hold your dog and mark where you start so you can lead your dog to this spot - a stick stuck into the ground works perfectly, of if the ground is hard, just drop an object next to the scenting trail so you know where it is.
* Now walk in a straight line, scuffing your feet on the groud all the time, and dropping a treat about a metre apart. When teaching this, we like to use high scenting treats such as cheese or liver bread. Walk about ten metres, continueing to scuff your feet and drop treats. As you come to the end of the track, drop a favourite toy, such as a ball or Busy Buddy, or even an old sock with some treats in it - a jackpot for the dog.
*Lead your dog to the beginning of the tracking trail and with your dog on lead and walking in front of you, tell your dog to 'find it'. If they do go off the track, dont interfere, let the dog find the track by itself. Often dogs will go slightly off track, as the wind may blow your scent off to the side and that is what the dog is smelling.
*As the dog finds the Jackpot, praise lavishly, and even throw the toy for the dog to chase.

If the dog is battling, make the track shorter to start with. As the dog gets the understanding of this, you can both - make the track longer - have a bigger distance between the treats, with the aim of the dog only finding the jackpot at the end.

We could go on and on - the ways your can entrain and stimulate your dog mentally is only limited by your imagination. One thing for sure, you will have one very happy dog - enjoy yourselves!