Fun Beginners Scentwork Game.
It is no secret that we love our scentwork at Skellywags and the benefits it can have for our dogs and us. Scentwork does not have to be all about the indication or making it harder, lots of different levels/grades it is most importantly about the dog sniffing and having fun.
The relationship with our dogs when they are having fun in training has an amazing impact for them and creates a real bond and trust with us.
When dogs are sniffing and searching it releases lots of feel good chemicals for them, Dopamine “The feel good factor” , Oxytocin “The love Hormone”, Serotonin “The Calm and Content feeling” and Endorphins “Natures pain killer and increaser of pleasure” that is why it helps them with so many things.
Scentwork is such an amazing activity to use with our dogs and can really help with things like reactivity, anxiety, building confidence, resilience and so much more.
It also helps us relax watching our dogs search and have fun, the bond between you and your dog gets stronger.
Here is a nice Beginners guide to scentwork for your dog. This game can be changed in so many ways once your dog gets the idea, you can add more cones and novel items to search, new environments, use natural things like tree bark to hide food in etc. Switch food out for a favourite toy for them to find and then play tug etc when they find the toy, adapt it to suit your dog and have fun with it.
We have 2 Beginners scent workshops coming up with 1 being held on the 21st June at our venue on the Romney Marsh, Kent and 1 on the 26th July at our East Studdal, Dover, Kent venue. For more details or to book check out our What’s on page.
For some dogs, a class environment may not always be ideal and can be stressful. Our 1-2-1 dog training sessions Read more
Our 6 week puppy course covers all the basics to get you and your pup off to a flying start. Read more
Life Skills course is a great follow on course from our puppy classes as well as a great starting point Read more
