Scentventure Compass Point: Scent
Solving puzzles develops the ‘thinking, logical’ part of your dog’s brain. This is the part of the brain responsible for making good decisions, instead of reacting instinctively. The better developed the thinking part of the brain is, the better your dog will become at thinking before they react – opposed to reacting to a trigger emotionally and instinctively, e.g. by barking or lunging.
Kit
- A small piece of fabric e.g. blanket, scarf or tea towel (something you don’t mind getting slobbery or ripped!)
- Toilet or kitchen roll tubes
- Small treats
Method
1. Thread the fabric through the tubes
2. Push treats into the tubes and fabric folds
3. Let your dog snuffle for the treats
00K9
If your dog is confident ripping the tubes and pulling out the fabric, increase the challenge:
- Lay the fabric flat first and place the treats on top. Then roll the fabric up before threading it through the tubes.
- Add extra tubes so more of the fabric is covered
- Turn Time Warp Tunnel into an exciting search task. Hide the Tunnel and cue your dog to ‘Find it’. Start with one small area and progress to an entire room or garden. If you haven’t yet introduced your dog to search games, check out the Cache lesson.
Prepare Time Warp Tunnel in advance and keep it in the cupboard for whenever you need to occupy your dog while you’re busy with something else. If you’re lucky you will be able to reuse it!