Is your fur baby bored? | Nosework | Scent Training
Have you ever come home to find your favourite sneakers destroyed or are looking for new ways to keep your dog’s mind active?
Read on to find out how NOSEWORK can help your furry friends beat the boredom!
Nosework / Scent Training
NOSEWORK or SCENT TRAINING is an activity where objects are hidden and your dog uses it’s unique sense of smell to sniff around and locate the object.
Dogs love it! Dogs noses are not only for “booping”, they provide as a dog’s vital identification tool matching people, animals, objects to their own unique scent. In the wild their sniffing powers are naturally exercised through hunting and everyday survival. Nosework mimics hunting activities and gives our four-legged friends the opportunity to show off their sniffing skills and exercise their natural instincts.
Raises optimism and calms the mind. Nosework is not only fun for your pooch, it gives your fur-ball enhanced focus. This can be beneficial for highly active personalities as scientific evidence has proven that these type of cognitive exercises not only raises mental awareness, but is more effective in enhancing positive behaviours than traditional heel training!
Where to start…
Nosework is a great alternative exercise to traditional fetch or playtime at the park and can be rewarding for both dog and owner/handler, providing as a bonding activity and another avenue to exert that extra energy. Nosework can be both supervised and unsupervised, each having their own benefits.
SUPERVISED NOSEWORK involves both dog and handler, where the dog is given tasks that train them to find specific scents and are typically rewarded with yummy treats and encouragement. Overtime as the complexity increases, you will observe improvements in your dog’s sniffing radius and precision abilities.
UNSUPERVISED NOSEWORK is perfect for the home-alone dog or an alternative if you want a little ‘me’ time. Unsupervised nosework methods use dog toys that have been specifically designed to have treats hidden in compartments or layers of fabric. Your dog then uses its little sniffer and paws to push and pull the toy to locate, retrieve and eat the treats! This method is a fun way to keep your furry friend entertained and can also be used for those speedy eaters as slow feeders.
Get your dog sniffing around with these ideas…
ONLINE GUIDES. There is plenty of free content available online try, How to Train Your Dog in Nosework on WikiHow or How to train your dog to find ANY scent on YouTube.
BOOKS. For those who would like to delve into the detail to further develop their training and check out these books, The Nosework Handler: Foundation to Finesse (kindle/paperback) and Scent and the Scenting Dog by William G. Syrotuck (paperback).
TRAINING. If you would like face-to-face guidance to kickstart your training contact your local dog trainer, training schools or boarding kennels to query whether they provide nosework or scent training services.
TOYS. For the beginner solo sniffer, try these IQ Treat Balls or Wooly Snuffle Mats. When you’re ready to take it up a notch try dog puzzles (most come in a range of difficulty levels to suit your dog’s sniffing stage), Outward Hound — Nina Ottoson Dog Hide & Slide or TRIXIE Flip Board.
and of course…
TREATS. Essential as rewards during training and for filling toys. Here are the “Top 4 Dog Treats of 2019” (as shown on review.com):
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Originally published at dailybrownbag.com.
