“Scent work will change your and your dog's world!   .” - Sam Hughes

A Guide to the Benefits of Scent Work for Your Pet Dogs

The Wonderful World of Your Dog's Nose

Introduction

I am passionate about scent work for pet dogs. But have you ever wondered how your pup's extraordinary sense of smell could be utilised for training? Did you know that your dog's olfactory bulb is 40% larger than ours? That they have 220 million scent receptors in their nose that detect the scent, and we have a mere five million? Or that their nose can detect different scents simultaneously through each nostril? And when you cook, we smell a meal, bolognese, (for instance) but your dog can smell each individual ingredient!!

This is why after studying scent work, I stopped using plug-ins in my home, it must have stunk for them!

 Read on andf discover why scent work is likely just the answer for you and your canine pal!

What is Scent Work?

Scent work is a fantastic activity that taps into your furry friend's natural hunting instincts and provides them with mental and physical stimulation. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun for both you and your dog Studies show that the benefits of partaking in scent work with your dog benefit them, but also has many benefits for you!

Let's dive into the world of scent work and explore its amazing benefits.

1. Keeps Your Dog Mentally Stimulated, Enriching Their Lives!

Dogs are intelligent creatures that need mental stimulation to thrive. Scent work offers an exciting and challenging activity that engages their mind and body.

 By encouraging your pup to search for specific scents, you'll keep their brain working and prevent boredom. This mental exercise not only helps to tire them out but also strengthens their problem-solving skills. So, why not let your pooch put their sniffer to the test and watch them become a master of detection?

Mental stimulation is an energy burner, so it will tire your dog out more than any amount of walking can in a shorter space of time!

The dog's (repiration per minute) RPM when at rest is around 15, when walking it raises to around 30 and when running it further increases to around 60 RPM.

But when engaging in high frequency sniffing, the RPM increases respiration rates to around 140-200 RPM. This occurs is when you can hear the dog continuously sniffing heavily. This is more than double the RPM for running! So you can see why scent work is the ultimate energy zapper!

Excessive arousal and energy increase poor thinking skills and ultimately leads to poor behaviour choices, so you can see how scent work will enhance your dogs behaviour!

2. Boost Your Dog's Confidence

Engaging in scent work can do wonders for your dog's self-assurance. As they successfully locate scents and receive rewards for their efforts, their confidence levels soar. This newfound confidence can have a positive impact on other aspects of their life, making them more comfortable in new environments or around unfamiliar people and animals. As you celebrate their achievements during scent work, you'll witness your canine companion transform into a more confident and self-assured pooch.

A study in 2018 by C Durant and A Horowitz (Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs) found that a group of dogs trained in scent work compared with those trained in obedience, after being trained in scent work methods, found that dogs more readily explored ambiguous items in their environment and the dogs trained in obedience showed no improvement after their training. What this tells us is that scent work increases optimism and a willingness to explore novelty in the environment, something that an animals survival instinct can often prevent.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159118304325

3. Strengthen Your Bond

Scent work is not only a fantastic activity for your dog but also a wonderful opportunity for you to strengthen your bond. During training sessions, you'll be working closely together, establishing trust and communication. Your dog relies on your guidance and encouragement to navigate through challenging scent trails. This mutual reliance will deepen your connection and create a stronger and more harmonious partnership between you and your furry friend.

This strengthens further with a targeted scent set-up, with your dog searching for a trained target scent compared to searching for food. 

When searching for a target scent they work with you through the journey of learning the target and understanding and comminicating the target, encouraging the hunt and rewarding finding the target scent.

Searching for food, still utilising the great power of the nose, because they are sniffing, but you set the search up, set the dog off and independently search, without your input. And you lose the companiship of scent training.

You are not utilising the power of working together with scenting for a target scent, they can sniff, detect and communicate the find and receive a prize at the end!

A Study in 2016 by Rooney and Gaines, found that owners that engaged in scent work reported feeling a stronger bond with their dogs. 

5. Reduce Anxiety And Stress

For many dogs, anxiety and stress can lead to daily challenges. Fortunately, scent work can help alleviate these anxieties.

Sniffing increases serotonin, which regulates their mood. Dogs that do not have a regualr opptunity to engage in sniffing can suffer from depression.

The focused and structured nature of scent work and setting up finds can offer a sense of calm to your dog, diverting their attention from triggers that induce stress. Engaging in this activity also channels their energy into something positive, reducing destructive behaviours that may arise from anxiety or boredom. Give scent work a try, and you'll notice a happier and more relaxed pup in no time.

The part of the brain that is responsible for emotions recieves scent neurons directly, this tells us that scent has a direct impact on your dog. Scents that have emotional meaningul experiences are stored in neurons and reproduced when they regenrate. Often smells can make us drift into memorable experiences. A perfume a loved one wears can remind you of them and bring back fond memories.

6. It Is Suitable For All Dogs!

Due to scent being their primary sense, scent work benefits all dogs, regardless of their age, breed, size, ability or health.  All they need is a nose! It is low impact, doesn't involve running around and can be used anywhere. On walks in the home, on holiday. It is super easy!

7. There Are Benefits For Us Humans Too!

Studies show that it reduces stress and anxiety, not only in dogs but humans also. (Barker et al 2012). 

Partaking in scentwork with your dog has been found to increase your coordination and problem-solving skills!

Along with increasing physical skills and growing a bond with your dog, it is an all-around great experience to have together.

Coming to one of my classess will be fun, you get to meet others and socialise increasing your mental well being.

Conclusion

In conclusion, scent work is an essential, rewarding and beneficial activity for both you and your dog. 

By engaging their incredible sense of smell, you can provide mental stimulation, boost their confidence, strengthen the bond, provide physical exercise, and reduce anxiety and stress. So, grab some fun scent work materials and get ready to embark on an exciting adventure with your furry friend.

Get sniffing and start enjoying the incredible benefits of scent work today!

My passion for knowledge of scent work has led me to study with The School of canine science https://www.caninescience.online/

Scent work UK https://scentworkuk.com/

And UK Sniffer Dogs https://www.uksnifferdogs.com/

We regularly offer workshops for pet dogs and working dogs, teaching scent discrimination, clear communication of an indication and how to set up fun and simple scent work exercises at home. 

Scientific study on canine olfaction https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8388720/

Find out more here https://www.dogtrainingleicestershire.co.uk/scentwork