Helping dogs calm down with Scent Games

I work with a lot of dogs that need help calming down, and one tool that is always useful is scent games. Dogs are designed to sniff & smell...deep sniffing can reduce their heart rate, help them regulate their nervous system, and reduce the emotional load they may be feeling. Scent games are easy to do and require basically no expertise to implement. 

Start by saving boxes of all shapes and sizes, along with brown packing paper & cardboard tubes from your toilet paper. If you have other toys, like a food-dispensing toy, a puzzle toy or a snuffle mat, use them too!

Put the boxes, tubes and packing paper inside of each other to make it really hard (don't hesitate to make it easier if your dog needs) and sprinkle smelly food & treats inside, the smellier the better. Sharp cheddar cheese is one of my faves to use, along with freeze dried beef tripe treats. For the snuffle mat I love using Saint Rocco's sprinkles (use code DAY15 at checkout). 

Once it's set up, let the dog at it! There's no right or wrong way for them to sniff out the treats. Some dogs will be dainty, others will bulldoze their way through everything and may even tear or chew the cardboard. It's their time to play, so let them play as they wish! Some dogs do this independently and others want some support from their person. 

Once they are done, refill everything and repeat it 2, 3, even 5 more times. Reconfigure the items a little each time to make it different. For example, put the snuffle mat under a table or put a smaller box into a bigger box.

Is your dog tired after a few rounds? I know mine is! Happy sniffing!

Watch Brown (available for adoption at the Montco SPCA)  play scent games in my car on a rainy day!