The Modern Guide to Scentwork

Games that tire the brain and calm the body

Many families find their dog is still wound up after a long walk or an hour of ball throwing. That's because exercise is only part of what dogs need. They also need to use their brains, and the best tool they have is their nose. A few minutes of sniffing a day can leave a dog calmer, more confident and more content than an extra mile of walking.

This guide explains how your dog's nose works and why scentwork helps, then takes you step by step from simple games in the kitchen to room searches, a first target scent, outdoor searches and a first taste of trailing. It has help for puppies, older dogs, worried and reactive dogs, high-energy dogs, dogs on rest and blind or deaf dogs, plus a weekly plan to make sniffing part of everyday life.

I've been training dogs for over 30 years, and I wrote this the way I'd explain it if we were sat at your kitchen table together.

What's inside

• A "Why are you starting?" finder that points you to the right chapter

• How your dog's nose works, and what sniffing does for the brain

• Why scentwork helps: a tired brain, a calm body and a more confident dog

• Getting started safely: treats, containers, scents to avoid and keeping it calm

• First games at home: find it, the cup game, the towel game, the muffin tin and box searches

• Room searches, heights and corners, and how to help without helping

• Teaching a target scent with a safe scent tin and decoys

• Scentwork outdoors: sniffy walks, garden searches and searches on walks

• A first taste of trailing: treat trails, the runaway game and the right kit

• Help for puppies, older dogs, worried dogs, high-energy dogs, dogs on rest and blind or deaf dogs

• Reading your dog as they search, quick fixes and a weekly sniffing plan

Pages to print and keep

• A scent game tracker

• A search log

• A weekly sniffing plan with ideas to pick from

• A quick-reference page with the rules

Why this guide is different

• It needs no special kit, just treats, cups, boxes and an old towel

• It keeps the games calm, so sniffing settles your dog instead of winding them up

• It builds from easy games to proper searches, a target scent and trailing

• It adapts every game for puppies, older dogs, worried dogs and dogs on rest

• It's built on games plus structure, with reward-based training and no punishment

Who it's for

Families with a puppy, a busy young dog, a worried dog, an older dog or a dog on rest who needs more to do. It works for any breed, from small dogs to giants.

What you get

A 62-page PDF and an EPUB in one ZIP file, emailed to you straight after checkout. Read it on your phone, tablet, e-reader or computer, and print the pages at the back.