Let’s continue with the scent games for your dog and send them on a Kong hunt!
Did your dog love finding their toy in last week’s scent game?
This week we’ve going to make it even more fun by making it a bit harder.
A great toy to use for this week’s game is a Kong
If, like me, you feed your dogs out of a Kong, they will love this game. (If you don’t yet use a Kong, try feeding your dog out of one and after a couple of days your dog will love the Kong and be ready for this game.)
You can put a treat inside the Kong to help your dog out when starting this game, or on more difficult searches.
If you haven’t got a Kong, don’t worry, it can be any toy your dog likes or any toy you can put a treat in.
You’ll also need a small number of bags, or small towels.
How to play the game: (video in the Canine Challenge Facebook group):
- Place out 5 bags or towels in a line. Spread them out about 1-2 ft apart (half a metre for my younger readers).
- Place your Kong or other toy in one of the bags or under one of the towels. If your dog is enthusiastic about searching, that’s all you need. If your dog is less sure, add some food in the Kong or other toy.
- Encourage your dog to start at one end of your line up, and tell them to “find it”
- When the dog finds the Kong or toy, reward them well with a nice tasty teat from you or from the toy.
Make the game harder by not letting your dog see you setting out the game, or by adding more bags or towels for your dog to search.
We have a new free nosework webinar
Next week will be the final scent game, but if you and your dog are enjoying these games and you’d like to know more, you might want to join me at my free webinar, “Your Dog Nose Best”, at 7pm on Wednesday 10th February. Book your place here.
You’ll find out:
- How wonderful a dog’s nose is
- How dogs smell things
- What’s a walk to a dog?
- How you can use your dog’s nose to help with walking nicely on lead
- Why scent might be behind certain doggy behaviours, and
- Why nosework is the best way to calm and tire your dog
I hope you can join me there. If that time or date doesn’t work for you, don’t worry. We’ll record it and everyone who is registered will get the link to watch the replay.
Have fun with today’s game!
Carol
