Have you ever been on a walk and feel like you're getting nowhere because your Dog is sniffing literally EVERYTHING?!
This is because Dog's have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses where as we only have about 6 million in ours.
A while ago I heard a trainer on the radio say that if a person could smell 1 teaspoon of sugar in a cup of water a Dog can detect the same amount of sugar in 2 olympic swimming pools worth of water.
Amazing right?!
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Sniffing is how Dog's keep up to date with what's been going on around town. Similar to us checking facebook, Dog's like to check their daily PEE-mails to see who's been around, how long ago they were there and also leave their own replies!
Sniffing also releases dopamine (the feel good chemical) and provides an excellent mental workout.
Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise.
Have you ever been throwing a ball round for them for ages yet they're still bouncing off the walls when you get home?
Take a break, leave them to do their own thing and explore for a while, it's so simple but will make such a difference. Your pooch will be snoozing before you know it!
What is scent work?
Scent work is a sport that encourages a Dog to use their amazing sense of smell to detect odours and even specific objects such as working Dog's who are trained to find drugs and explosives.
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I'm now introducing scent work based activities into my services as a bit of extra enrichment.
I will mostly be incorporating these activities into solo walks and house visits.
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Don't worry those on group walks won't be missing out!
Due to there being multiple Dog's who will pick up things at different speeds and have different interests the activities will be slightly more basic and done as and when is suitable.
Scent work is also great as it can be done anywhere and in any weather.
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During the summer when the weather becomes too hot to walk I will be using these activities to keep the Dog's occupied and give them some fun so they don't feel like they are being cooped up for too long!