Your dog’s nose is amazing! Help them to use it.
Scentwork is a great activity for dogs. They are natural hunters, but over time humans have discouraged them from enjoying their sense of smell because of human feelings about behaviour such as dog-to-dog bottom sniffing, lamp post sniffing, etc.
It can be hard to remember that allowing your dog to sniff around on walks is part of the enjoyment of the walk itself. How many times have you pulled your dog away from some seemingly juicy smell they encounter on the walk because you are in a hurry, need to get to work on time and finish the dog walk? I know I have been guilty of doing this.
‘FIDO Find It’ classes will really please your dog and are for fun! The dogs are guided to search rather than being told what to do as we want them to become independent problem solvers and to think for themselves. That’s one reason why it’s so good for them and it creates a great bond between dog and owner when they are encouraged to do what they do best.
Using their noses in this way is one of the few activities that your dog can enjoy that is not directly controlled by us. We do not understand the extraordinary extent of a dog’s ability to smell and your dog will learn to depend on themselves to discover the reward rather than to check in for direction from you.
What the sessions do for your dog…
The sessions encourage your dog to build up their skills in discovering scent in increasingly challenging hiding places. They form a solid basis for scentwork fun at home that you and your dog can expand on in the future. We encourage them first to search for high-value treats and in later sessions we transfer the search to a scented item. You can even use this principle at home to train your dog to find items you have lost!
Scentwork is very tiring for dogs and resting time is as important as sniffing time, so they can absorb what has happened and learn how to do it well. Therefore, in the classes each dog is given two sessions during the hour and has an opportunity to relax in between. The classes run for six weekly sessions and each dog is admitted to the training hall individually for two sessions during the hour. This individual approach lets each dog have the ideal amount of time to learn and opens up the course to dogs that struggle in the company of others.
Why offer your dog FIDO scentwork? Here are 10 proven benefits.
Mental stimulation
Self confidence
Psychologically enabling as the games are under their own control
Improves bond with guardian
Calming influence, helping dogs to learn to relax
Physically tiring
Increases optimism (C.Duranton and A, Horowitz, 2018)
Fulfils primal seeking instincts
Great for all ages, from young puppies to elderly dogs
Balanced exercise