Fascinating Smell

Your dog’s sense of smell is a fascinating thing. You probably know they have a much greater sense of smell than we do but you may not know just how much. Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors in their nose, whereas we only have around 6 million. The part of their brain that deals with analysing smells is about 40 times greater than our own too. Seeing as smell is so important for a dog, it makes sense that we use it to enhance our bond with them and to have fun with them too. Most dogs love scent games and it is great mental stimulation for them. There are a huge amount of games you can play with your dogs involving their nose. You could try hiding food or treats for them to find, in the house, garden or on a walk. You could also progress this onto teaching the dog to find items for you, like a toy or your keys or slippers. You could also hold food in one of your hands and present both (fists closed) to your dog and ask them to choose a hand. When they select the hand with the food in reward them with the treat and lots of praise. Similarly you could try hiding food under one of several cups and getting your dog to find which cup the food is under using their sense of smell. Make sure with all games you start with it being very easy for your dog so that they don’t get bored and lose interest.