As we have commented on more than one occasion, the sense of smell It is the most important sense in dogs, because through it they analyze their environment, orient themselves and recognize everything that is around them. Its olfactory capacity is extraordinary, being able to identify people or other animals approximately 2 km away. However, experts recommend that we help our dogs to enhance this ability.
The way to do it is simple, although it requires perseverance and patience. Is about a series of games that encourage the dog to use the smell in different ways, while stimulating your mind and helping you balance your energy. There are countless activities of this type, but in this post we focus on a few simple games that we can play from our own home. These are some examples:
1. The hiding place. It is one of the easiest and most recurring. It consists of hiding one or more objects of your interest in corners of the house; They can be toys, food, etc. All this without the dog seeing us, since he will have to find out where these "treats" are exclusively through his nose. Once we have all hidden, we will give the order to “search” the animal.
It is best to start with places that are easy for him, such as corners or under chairs and tables. With the passage of time we will add difficulty to the task, progressively, hiding the prizes each time in less visible places. If we have a garden, we can include this area in the game, although it is better to avoid parks, since the dog could eat something harmful that other people have hidden there.
2. Shell. At first the dog may be overwhelmed with this game, but once he discovers how it works he will love it. This is the classic game of trilero. We will need three small open containers; They will serve us any as long as they are not transparent or heavy.
We put them down and hide a treat in one of them, moving them all next and changing their position. The dog will have to find out, through his nose, which of them is the prize. We can do something similar by keeping a candy in one of our hands and giving it a choice.
3. Wrapped Awards. It is similar to the first game, but more difficult. We will hide several prizes inside towels or cloths, well rolled, and we will place them in different corners of the house. The dog will have to use his nose to find them and, once located, use his skills to unroll the cloth and get his prize.