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Why scent work?
Dogs use their nose for everything, it’s the way they navigate through the world. Whereas humans use sight to navigate, so scent work for dogs is incredibly beneficial.
Why?
Its stimulating & enriching
Scent work taps into a dogs natural instincts to sniff, explore, forage and hunt. For pet dogs, allowing them to display these natural behaviours provides much-needed mental stimulation and it allows them to express themselves. Allowing pet dogs to express their natural behaviours through scent detection games it can reduces the likelihood of unwanted behaviours which can stem from lack of enrichment/being able to express themselves
Its calming
Scent work is a natural calmer for dogs and helps in redeciding anxiety and stress. The act of sniffing reduces the heart rate and increases the feel-good chemicals in the body making the whole act of scent work a positive experience for your dog. This is why scent work is highly recommended in the world of reactive, anxious, fearful, over aroused pet dogs as it helps them feel more grounded and relaxed
Its confidence boosting
Scent work is confidence boosting for every dog, especially pet dogs who live in a world controlled by us humans. There are endless games/exercises you can do with scent work and with this it allows your dog to experience new environments, unfamiliar textures and noises, and the ability to use their natural behaviours they might not have used in a fun/exciting way before. This can be especially beneficial for rescue dogs, reactive dogs, pups who are experiencing the world for the first time and fearful dogs
Its fun & builds bonds
Scent work builds on the bond you have with your dog and it ignites a deep connecting between you both. As your dog works beside you, they are experiencing a positive association to the exercises and yourself. By you reinforcing their already naturally reinforcing behaviour only enhances the bond between you both. Your pet dog is doing something they love with someone they love
TBA
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