{"id":2504,"date":"2022-05-21T13:01:31","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T13:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petworks.com\/?p=2504"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:24:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T17:24:19","slug":"nose-work-games-for-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petworks.com\/articles\/nose-work-games-for-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Nose Work Games for Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Claire Robertson, CPDT-KA, AD, owner of Candid Canines<\/em><\/p>\n

When the term \u201cnose work\u201d is brought up, oftentimes we think of police dogs or search and rescue dogs, sniffing the trail of a lost person or looking for illegal substances in a car. But nose work can be applied to regular pet dogs as well. <\/p>\n

Training your dog to utilize his sniffer can be highly advantageous for both you and your dog. It\u2019s not particularly complicated to train, and the benefits are numerous.<\/p>\n

There are multiple techniques and games you can use to help teach your pup to use his nose, or to tighten up your existing nose work program. I\u2019ll share a few of the best approaches below, but first let\u2019s start with getting to know your dog\u2019s nose.<\/p>\n

Your Dog\u2019s Sniffer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The science behind your dog\u2019s incredible olfactory abilities is very cool!<\/p>\n

First of all, your dog\u2019s sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than yours. Visually speaking, that\u2019s like saying we can see a third of a mile away, and he can see 3000 miles away. But hey, at least I can enjoy more of the color spectrum<\/span><\/a>, right?<\/p>\n

Not only is his ability to smell better, but his ability to sort through and categorize what he is smelling is too! According to an article by Nova, the part of your dog\u2019s brain that is devoted to olfactory capabilities is 40 times bigger than the same part in human brains.<\/p>\n

To be fair to humans though, dogs have evolved to be incredible sniffers. A dog\u2019s nose sends one part of the air inhaled to be breathed, and the other part to exclusively be smelled. Humans just smell and breathe at the same time, making us particularly inefficient.<\/p>\n

To add salt to the wound of sniffing, dogs even have a specific area in the back of the nose called turbinates that filter odor molecules based on chemical aspects and send electrical signals to the brain to analyze and identify them.<\/p>\n

What does this all amount to? Besides making me reconsider my career as a candle scent tester, it means your dog lives his world experiencing smells in a way we can\u2019t even begin to comprehend. His nose is so intensely part of his day-to-day life that it only makes sense to utilize and enrich this aspect of his life!<\/p>\n

And this leads us back to nose work.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Nose Work for Dogs: Why Strengthen Spot\u2019s Sniffer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The benefits of nose work are numerous. They include stimulating and enriching your dog\u2019s life in a way you may have accidentally been overlooking before. Scent work also offers a unique opportunity to bond with your dog.<\/p>\n

If you suddenly start recognizing odors too, your dog will likely start seeing you as considerably more interesting. After all, you\u2019re sharing a new experience with your pooch, which will give you a new way to bond.<\/p>\n

Nose work can also really help build confidence in young or nervous dogs. There is something about using his natural instincts and really diving into the details of a smell that can lift a dog up \u2014 especially as he starts getting rewarded and praised by you for doing something he does naturally. Personally, I wouldn\u2019t mind it if I got praised and given a cookie each time I used my opposable thumb.<\/p>\n

On top of all that, nose work is really fun for you and your dog!<\/p>\n

Watching your dog decrypt a secret message you didn\u2019t even know was there? That\u2019s awesome to be a part of. And your dog will quickly show you how much he loves using his nose too. The nose work class I teach is filled with laughter and reports from owners on how much their dogs love the \u201cgame.\u201d<\/p>\n

But What Do I need to Get Started?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to get into nose work, there are some supplies you\u2019ll need. Don\u2019t worry, they are pretty simple.<\/p>\n

The most important supply you need to have is, you guessed it, an incredibly smelly treat. I\u2019ve seen people use hot dogs (if your dog requires a low-fat diet, use beef hotdogs rather than pork), cheese (assuming your dog can tolerate it), freeze dried salmon treats or even the occasional bit of barbeque.<\/p>\n

That might just be a Texas thing though.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve found the extra yummy smelly treat, really all you need is space where you can hide it and a way to provide positive reinforcement when your dog finds it. You can do that verbally, with playtime with his favorite toy, or my personal favorite \u2013 even more food or treats.<\/p>\n

With more advanced games you might need cups, a muffin tin, a big towel or blanket, or even those specialty dog puzzles you can get online<\/a><\/span>. But to start out, you just need smelly food and a sniffer — preferably your dog\u2019s sniffer since we\u2019ve already established our own sniffers aren\u2019t up to snuff.<\/p>\n

Nose Games are the Best Brain Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

As when teaching your dog many other skills, you\u2019ll often find it helpful to use games to help hone your hound\u2019s olfactory abilities. I\u2019ll explain a few of the best games to do so below, including some that are super-easy (and therefore awesome when you first start), as well as some intermediate and difficult games, which are great for keeping your dog’s nose on his toes.<\/p>\n

Simple Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

To start teaching your dog to nose his sniffer \u201con command\u201d so to speak, you should try the simplest of games first, then build up to more complex activities. Personally, I just start out with a nice easy \u201cFind it\u201d game. To play this game you toss a smelly treat out onto the floor and tell your dog to \u201cFind it\u201d. When he does, celebrate and give him another treat.<\/p>\n

Start out really easy, super close to you and if he is having some difficulty, don\u2019t be afraid to \u201cslow motion\u201d\u2019 bowl the treat away from you — this will help him find the treat and get the idea of the game. As his competency and confidence in this game grows, start tossing the treat further and further away. This is a great warm up game that I play with a lot of my young or nervous dogs.<\/p>\n

A good second game to try out is the \u201cmuffin tin game\u201d. In a nutshell, you get a muffin tin out, put treats in some of the cups, and let your dog sniff, discover, and eat said treats. Be certain to make sure your dog is not concerned by the muffin tin itself before you start adding treats to it. Remember this is supposed to be fun!<\/p>\n

Once your dog is comfortable and confident simply getting the treats out of the tins, you increase the challenge level by adding a barrier. You can do this by putting tennis balls on top of the treats in each cup. This way your pup has to manipulate the tennis ball to access the treats below.<\/p>\n

Then, to make the game more challenging, you can start filling some tins with treats, while leaving others empty. But, you\u2019ll want to make sure all of the cups are covered with the tennis ball.<\/p>\n

Your dog now has to use his nose to identify which cup has treats, and which ones are empty. I personally like to make a big deal about my dog getting it right, and I will put extra treats in the tin after he has correctly identified it for extra reinforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPick a Hand\u201d is a variant on the same game. You put several extra yummy treats in one hand, and keep the other empty. I hide my hands while I\u2019m \u201cloading up,\u201d so my dog can\u2019t see which one has the treats. Then, you hold both hands out in front of your dog. I usually add a cute cue like \u201cWhich one is it?\u201d and let my dog sniff both fists.<\/p>\n

When he chooses (this could be by sniffing, licking, looking at intently or maybe even pawing), I open the hand he picked. If it\u2019s full of treats, he gets to dig in and I give him lots of praise and compliments.<\/p>\n

If he chose the wrong hand, no big deal. I don\u2019t chastise him. I just say \u201coh well\u201d and try again. He must correctly locate the treats to earn his reward. Always be sure to keep him honest by switching up which hand is holding the treats and don\u2019t follow a regular pattern.<\/p>\n

Intermediate Games<\/strong>
\nAlong this train of thought, you can play the \u201ccups\u201d or \u201cshells\u201d game with your dog as well. This game can be a little advanced so I would try just the muffin tins or the \u201c\u2018pick a hand\u201d\u2019 first, so your dog feels confident using his sniffer.<\/p>\n

I do this with three plastic cups, so if he knocks one over it won\u2019t break. Be sure to use opaque cups –, we don\u2019t want your dog cheating!<\/p>\n

To play, hide several smelly treats under one cup, and keep the other two cups empty. You shuffle and slide them around, and then let your dog indicate where he thinks the treats are hiding. When he chooses a cup, you lift it up.<\/p>\n

If he picked the right cup, he gets a big pay day of treats. You can also play \u201cBox Games\u201d\u2019 with your pooch. These games involve a treat that is hidden inside a box, with multiple boxes to choose from.<\/p>\n

Much like \u201cpick a hand,\u201d this is just a bigger version of this game. Initially start out with boxes that have no lids, so that when your dog finds the correct one, he can immediately reinforce himself by getting to eat the treats.<\/p>\n

Later you can build up to working with the boxes having lids on. When he selects the correct one, you praise him and open the lid so he can access the contents. If you are going to play this game, you want to be certain you\u2019re not accidentally leading your dog to the correct box.<\/p>\n

You can do this either by practicing off leash, and constantly circling all the boxes at the exact same pace no matter where he goes to sniff. This way your body language is constant and not \u201chinting\u201d or \u201ccueing\u201d your dog.<\/p>\n

Another way to do this, once your dog is really good at the first steps of the box game, is by having a friend hide the food in one of the boxes without you knowing which one it is. That way both you and your dog are going in not knowing. Be sure that the friend remembers which box is correct so they can tell you if your dog got \u2018it right\u2019.<\/p>\n

Advanced Games<\/strong>
\nIf your dog has mastered the simple and intermediate nosework games described above, you may want to ramp up the difficulty and let him play really hard games.<\/p>\n

One fun and challenging game I like to play is \u201chuman hide and seek.\u201d For this you will need a friend to hold your dog\u2019s leash while you hide. Basically what you do is, go hide in another room while loaded with awesome smelly treats. When you\u2019re ready, let the other human know and have them bring your dog into the room.<\/p>\n

Initially, you\u2019ll want to hide somewhere really easy to find — like behind the sofa or half way behind a curtain. You want your dog to be really successful at finding you. When he does, celebrate it BIG TIME. I usually praise, compliment, play, and hand out yummies. Then we reset and play again. Slowly increase the difficulty of your hiding places and the size of the room you\u2019re hiding in.<\/p>\n

As your dog gets great at this game, you can even take it outside. Just remember to play in safe, fenced in areas, or to have your dog on a leash with another human to avoid dangerous situations. Not only is this really fun, but also a great bonding experience. Literally, your dog is getting a bounty of treats for finding you — talk about relationship building!<\/p>\n

Games your Dog Can Do without You (AKA Puzzles)<\/strong><\/p>\n

For games that aren\u2019t so physically demanding for the human half, you can let your pup play with\u00a0snuffle mats (felt or fabric mats with lots of crevices), bathmats, blankets, or towels.<\/span><\/p>\n

The general idea with these things is to hide treats in the blanket or snuffle mat, and then let your dog spend his time sniffing and discovering the hidden treats.<\/p>\n

I personally favor the \u201cswirl\u201d method, which is to say I scatter treats or even my dogs regular kibble over a blanket. Then I pinch a piece of the blanket and twist, making a swirl. I\u2019ll do several of these swirls in opposite directions until it\u2019s all twisted up and full of food loaded folds.<\/p>\n

A really diligent dog can spend a good twenty minutes working on one of these games.<\/p>\n

Dog Nose FAQs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dog noses certainly are interesting, and because they\u2019re so different from our human honkers, people often have questions about them. I\u2019ll try to answer a few of the most common questions below.<\/p>\n

Why do dogs sniff each others butts?<\/em><\/p>\n

The long and the short of it? They smell awesome! No really! As we now know, your dog’s sense of smell is incredible. This means he is able to discern a plethora of information by getting a good ol\u2019 whiff. The odors associated with a dog\u2019s booty provide info about where the other dog has been, what he\u2019s been doing, how he is feeling (medically, hormonally, etc.). It\u2019s like a \u201cHello! How are you?\u201d and a personal biography all in one.<\/p>\n

Which dog breeds have the best sense of smell?<\/em><\/p>\n

All dogs have the capacity to be incredible sniffers, and it\u2019s important not to discount a dog\u2019s ability to do nose work or nose work related vocations just because of his breed. After all, dogs are all individuals. That being said, some breeds have physical advantages built in.<\/p>\n

Any of the hounds especially were initially bred for scent work. Interestingly, those long droopy ears and big jowls help hounds get extra odors. The way the ears fall forward and the lips make creases and wrinkles while the hound is sniffing actually create funnels and pathways for the odor to enter their noses. And you thought they were just cute!<\/p>\n

How far can dogs smell?<\/em><\/p>\n

Though impressive, dog noses aren\u2019t magic — dogs can only detect odors when scent-bearing molecules reach their nostrils. This is all heavily influenced by environmental and atmospheric factors, so it\u2019s hard to give a concrete answer. Nevertheless, dogs can smell<\/a> scents that have been diluted one to two parts per trillion. That means a dog can smell something that has been buried up to forty feet underground. In other cases, dogs can detect odor molecules long after the person, dog, or prey in question is miles away.<\/p>\n

Are nose work games good exercise for your dog?
\n<\/em>
\nAbsolutely! Think about how exhausted you are after taking a test or reading an academic book. Mental stimulation is by far more tiring and consuming than physical stimulation. I\u2019m no Olympic athlete, and I can hike for hours. But if you sign me up for a big dog training conference, I\u2019m whooped by lunch time. Also, because we don\u2019t regularly stimulate this part of our dog, using those \u201cmuscles\u201d will be much more tiring than simply playing chase or going on a walk around the block.<\/p>\n

***
\nOverall, nose work is a great way to connect with your dog on a level he naturally enjoys. It\u2019s stimulating, enriching, confidence building, and down right fun. It\u2019s pretty easy to teach, and your dog will definitely thank you for giving it a try<\/p>\n

\n
About the Author<\/h5>\n

\"Claire<\/p>\n

Claire Robertson<\/a><\/span> is the owner and trainer of Candid Canines. She is a certified dog trainer<\/a><\/span>, recognized by the CCDPT and is certified for Pet First Aid and CPR<\/span><\/a>. Claire is a Certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, as well as a CARAT Assessor. Claire became interested in dog training the way most people do – she got a dog that was completely out of control! The more she worked with her dog, Charlotte, the better their relationship became. Claire believes training is a tool to help you and your dog become best friends, and uses relationship building, reinforcement based training, and creative problem solving as a means to create that friendship.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Claire Robertson, CPDT-KA, AD, owner of Candid Canines When the term \u201cnose work\u201d is brought up, oftentimes we think of police dogs or search and rescue dogs, sniffing the trail of a lost person or looking for illegal substances in a car. 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