Nosework Game

Hey pups! I'm here to tell you about an awesome new game Mom and I played today. Mom says she found it while searching around on the internet for things to do with me. It was a whole article about fun nosework games to do with your best buddy. I'm told I don't use my nose to solve puzzles/problems so Mom wants to work on that. We played a nice and simple game to start off with:

1. Practise some sit-stays and down-stays while the hoomom goes into another room. I've twigged that staying without moving gets a release word and a treat (in my case cheese pieces).
2. This will continue will Mom does some dead easy stuff increases the criteria until I sit-stay outside a dark room with the door closed while Mom is inside. As if I couldn't do that before!
3. Your hoomom will then do the same thing as before: leave you in a sit-stay and release you but (!!!) this time instead of being rewarded you'll be asked to "find it". (If you don't know that cue, encourage your hoomoms to play the 'Which hand?' game and introduce the cue then. I've been playing that game since I was a lil' pup so I'm cool with it).
4. For complete beginners to the game you can do the activity but with the lights on, (we did this...since when am I a BEGINNER?).
5. To increase difficulty, tell your hoomoms to place the treats on low shelves or under light objects. (I'm sure we'll be doing this is no time!).

I performed the sit-stays beautifully, succeeding every time but one when Mom went to scatter the treats for the first time and I just had to see what was going on. I loved sniffing them out (very loudly sniffing them out I might add). Mom had to wave in the generaly direction a few times but I found the treats without them being directly pointed out to me. Mom tried placing some on a low box but I was still a bit stuck on ground level ('scuse the pun :D). I hear rumours about Mom starting to put the treats on the bare floorboard as I do tend to focus on the rug. As I have said before I loved this game and carried on sniffing around long after Mom finished the game. We will definitly do this again....I'll make sure of it!

I'm a smart cookie...with a speck of mud on her forehead but never mind that!

Licks and Wags,

Dina

Scent Games article