Scent work

It was a 4 week course with 2 video lessons per week and one Zoom session per week.

Our VB had mentioned scent work can be a valuable tool for building confidence in fearful dogs so I had been on the lookout for opportunities. In person would be difficult given George's reactivity. Online seemed like a great option.

I knew that sniffing is a calming activity and had read that fearful dogs sometimes 'forget' to sniff when they are overstimulated. This means that their natural calming mechanism is not being used. Sniffing is also how dogs make sense of the world and can burn more calories than a regular walk.

Encouraging sniffing can therefore be very helpful. This is similar to the methodology used by Spirit Dog Training in their Tackling Reactivity course (I'll write another post about that).

George is quite a sniffy dog. I thought scent work would be something he would enjoy but I was unsure how to get started.

In the first week, we looked at using treat markers to start playing the games. The treat markers should be something colourful, obvious, and not make a noise which might startle your dog when moved. I ordered some purple silicon muffin cups to use. Silicon is great as it's so easy to keep clean.

When starting out, you place the treat markers in a really obvious place, in full view and close together. You use high value, smelly treats. I use Possyum which George loves.

You start in the place where they are most comfortable before progressing to slightly more challenging environments.

We started in the downstairs open plan space where George spends most of his time.

George picked it up really quickly. By the second try, he was really excited to get going. The treat markers quickly became a strong visual cue. The challenge was getting him to wait behind the baby gate while I set it up!

Next we progressed to partially covered treats and/or elevated treats then fully hidden treats. When increasing the difficulty level, you always leave a couple of easy wins in plain sight so that it is still a fun activity for your dog.

If your dog was comfortable and enjoying these steps, you could progress to other areas in the house. This is called generalisation. The treat markers act as a strong positive trigger for generalising the activity in more challenging areas.

When starting in a new area, you always go back to the beginning with obvious treat markers in a small area before progressing to more difficult challenges.

The second area we tried was the garden. George is pretty comfortable there now. Which is lovely to write given it's not that long ago he was afraid to go in the garden and was having toileting accidents inside.

He nailed it in the garden. He gets so excited to get started, scratching at the ranch slider door.

We also tried it in the spare room/office. George did very well here too although setting up is slightly more challenging as he has to be behind the solid door and can't see me which he's not thrilled about.

I have a small house so we didn't have anywhere else to try at home. Immediately outside the house is busy with neighbours walking past and is a high stress area for George. That would be too difficult an environment at this stage.

So we tried at a local Sniffspot. George had absolutely smashed the games at home but it was like watching a different dog outside of the home environment. He was hesitant, lifting a front paw, tail tucked, scanning the environment, and not really engaged in the game.

Throughout the course we were encouraged to post videos on the course discussion group. The trainer would provide feedback on George's body language, level of difficulty and advice on progressing to the next step (or not).

When the trainer watched the videos of the Sniffspot she said he seemed conflicted. He would be trying to engage and find the treats but was very alert to the environment.

I couldn't think how I could make it easier for him as the Sniffspot has no visual triggers.

The trainer pointed out that the Sniffspot is a large, open space (a large area for George to keep an eye on) and I could consider making a smaller area if possible. As George is comfortable in the car, she suggested initially playing it in or around the car (when parked inside the Sniffspot).

I could also try playing the game later in the walk (I had tried not long after we arrived).

I haven't had a chance to try any of this yet but it has given me options. I was also discussing with a friend how to make transitioning the game to the outside world easier and she kindly offered her garden which George is familiar with. It's bigger than my garden but smaller than the Sniffspot so could be a sensible in-between step.

Getting video feedback was really helpful as it's important (as with all things with fearful dogs) to take it slowly. If your dog is struggling, the trainer would provide advice on how to adjust the game. Even small adjustments can make a difference. If your dog was ready for the next step, the trainer advised how to progress.

The weekly Zooms were also helpful (the trainer is based in the US but thankfully the time difference worked OK for me to attend). The trainer provided live feedback but due to the time of the class, George was often a bit sleepy! As it's taken me a long time to get George to relax during the day, I didn't want to disturb him if he was choosing to rest. The trainer would then go over the videos I had submitted and provided advice.

It was also great to connect with people experiencing similar challenges. Some of the dogs were very similar to George but some were extremely fearful, finding it difficult to be in the same room as their caregivers and too fearful to take treats. It was wonderful to see (and hear about) the progress they were making throughout the course. I thought George was extremely fearful but hearing others' experiences helped put it in perspective. I am in awe of the patience and dedication of their owners.

One of the lessons I found the most helpful was watching videos of dogs in various training scenarios, learning about their level of comfort through observing their behaviour and body language, and getting advice on how the scenarios might be made easier or more challenging.

I don't know whether we'll ever get to the stage where George feels comfortable enough to do scent work beyond the home or Sniffspot. But the course has been really helpful regardless. George absolutely loves doing scent work at home. I can continue to increase the challenge in his safe spaces. He clearly enjoys it and it tires him out. It's another useful tool for when he is over-stimulated and/or it's difficult to leave the house.

I'm thankful we did the course. We have a fun new activity to keep playing at home and also know how to keep (slowly) progressing scent work as a potentially useful tool in the real world.