Did you know that your dog, indeed every dog, is a bonafide genuine superhero with a superpower? I know it sounds like the mad rantings of a self confessed dog lover…but it is true.
A dog’s ability to pick up scent, track it and analyse it is truly amazing.
The facts
To give some comparisons with us humans she can smell gender, health, weather and age. The average dog has 220 million olfactory receptors in her nose, compare that to the 6 million we trot around with. That is a lot of sniff power. Her physiology has evolved to allow her to take in air and split out the oxygen and scent, sending them to different body areas, and to retain the scent in her nasal cavity for long periods. She can detect scent in an area up to 3 weeks after it was left, and cover the area of a football stadium. She can and does save countless human lives everyday with this superpower. It is amazing engineering.
So what
In everyday domestic life we generally do not utilise that superpower, not really making the most of it and not recognising how fulfilling and confidence building it is for a dog to use this capability. And it’s already there and brilliant. Use of her scenting ability in everyday life will be mentally challenging & exciting for your dog, and short sessions will feel like a long walk for her in terms of ‘happy tiredness’. It will fulfil a ‘purpose’ for your dog that many do not have, and I have to say it is really fun learning with your dog to get the basics and then enhance your skills…it’s good human mental exercise too!
It is a good part of the solution to many behavioural challenges you may face with her, combine it with other behaviour techniques and you will see an overall happier & fulfilled dog.
What next
Start with some basics. If your dog eats kibble take some of her mealtime food and hide it around the house. Take it slow as she may be new to this and ‘lure’ her into wins to build her confidence. As she gets better start to make the hiding more difficult, maybe head height too. You can start to use favourite toys to find by scent, again giving her a real sense of challenge and reward. This is just a start and you will see her grow in ability and confidence and be able to concentrate for longer times. You will get a real sense of shared achievement with your dog.
If this has got your interest get in touch for some more ideas or to understand a bit more, it really is a fun way to get a happy dog.
