Scent work

MotherOfChickens

MotherOfChickens

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I meant to post this on the thread were we were talking about sniffathons etc but now I can't remember which thread it was.

anyway-journal article (well, abstract) on benefits of scent work for welfare and enrichment. I don't have any opinions on the rigour of the study, I dabble in behavioural stuff at work (with much help from behavioural scientists) but am not a behaviourist.


https://www.sciencedirect.com/scien...vMZ5TRfmTa4TxOhCVQc40AXt8WQMwGGQ8sgGETILX192g
 
We were doing this with the boys this week. Zak was clearly delighted. I think we have him under control which stops him expressing his natural behaviour for most of the time on walks, but there’s no reason we can’t increase the scent work. (If we allow him to express his natural behaviour, he’d bugger off, given half a chance!) He was clearly delighted with himself finding the object hidden under grass.
 
Puss cat was so chuffed with himself then went back to find Bear’s object because he was aimlessly cruising, he’s more of a hunt by sight type.
 
My whippet loves it! We did some formal training up to car searching and then my health deteriorated and we had to give it up. We still play find it a lot, and I see him looking for things with his nose, whereas the other whippet who hasnt done scent work looks with his eyes. Its a fairly striking difference and so interesting to see.
 
Tracking/trailing changed the live of my very reactive old German Shepherd. Once he had a job to do and something to think about, he forgot how scary the rest of the world was. Unfortunately it also changed my life as well and now I'm sitting here with two dogs, no money, eating Tesco bargain bin bagels for breakfast at 11am, contemplating my next ten hour round trip for the sake of about 90 minutes training :p
 
My GSDs absolutely love scentwork and tracking. I really do not enjoy laying tracks but love watching their noses at work so force myself and my thighs to lay some every week. Scentwork is great fun with less thigh burn :D so we do lots of that too, both inside and out. I am booked on a mantrailling weekend in September so very much looking forward to that too.
 
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