What can you do to utilise the powerful nose? Here are my top three tips! If you have any others, send them through :)
1) Let them sniff.
2) Encourage them to sniff e.g. "What's that?" and point if you find a pinecone or interesting looking object. Drop food on the ground both at home and while out walking.
3) Teach them to find a certain scent. Thinking along the lines of truffle dogs, AFB detector dogs, Kauri Dieback and even airport security, they all have a job to do which puts their strongest sense to good use.
3) Competitive scent work - new to NZ. Contact your local dog club to join in on the action.
3) Play hide and seek and instead of calling them they will need to use other senses to locate you. This is an awesome relationship building game because YOU are the reward.
3) Lay a trail. Have your dog out of sight while you drag a bone/meat/pancake on a bit of rope around the section moving in a variety of shapes and stash it somewhere. Let them go use their nose to find the pot of gold at the end!
3) Instead of breakfast and dinner, consider these moments an opportunity for enrichment activities. e.g. lolly scrambles, snufflemats, hide it, muffin tins with something different in each cup.
3) Interactive feeding - hold some food in a closed fist and offer your dog both fists. They will need to use their nose to find it. If there are a few people in your household - get everyone involved!
3) Save up all your takeaway coffee cups and place them upside down in a room with food under only some.
3) LET THEM SNIFF.
Thanks for reading!
