A dog ‘nose’ best

·         A dog is able to wiggle each nostril independently

·         Just like a finger print, it is believed that each dog’s ‘nose print’ is identical and can be used to identify the dog it belongs to.

·         Males are better at detecting scent than females, mainly because they are more interested in the scents than females.

·         Dogs are able to detect scents which are as far as 40 feet under ground such as gas leaks.

·         Dogs are able to detect fear; if they enter a room from which a fearful dog has just left they will be more agitated and anxious. This is because they are able to detect the pheromones which are released from the anal glands of the fearful dog.

As is well known dogs use their sense of smell as their primary sense and they use it to interpret the world around them. This because their sense of smell can only be described as amazing.

In humans the surface area of the part of the nose which contains the scent receptors is approximately 1 square inch, whereas in dogs the surface area is 60 square inches. And that is not where the differences lie, the area of the dogs brain which is dedicated to interpreting smell is 40 times larger than the area of the humans brain.

A dog’s nose is also wet; this aids their ability to identify scents. The thin layer of mucus which keeps a dogs nose wet provides a good surface for dissolving chemicals and absorbing them into the skin where the cells dedicated to identifying scents are located.

Dogs may also lick their noses to taste the chemicals which are stuck there. This is so the chemicals can reach a secondary olfactory organ which is located in the roof of their mouths.

The action of sniffing, a disruption in the normal breathing pattern, takes the air into the nasal cavities where it can be trapped by the mucus and from which the chemicals are processed by the sensory cells.

Because of these differences in the olfactory system it has been estimated that dogs are able to identify scents 1000 and 10,000 times better than a human can.

Scent games to play with your dog

Due to their amazing sense of smell there are many games you can play with your dog which encourage them to use their nose to gain rewards.

What’s in the box

1. It is really important before you begin this game to ensure your dog is happy with boxes. If your dog seems unsure place a few tasty treats in the bottom of the box and encourage your dog to investigate it.

2. Once comfortable you are able to start to place the box on the floor, with a treat inside and pull one of the flaps down. Let your dog work out how to get the treat out. Gradually build up the level of difficulty so eventually you can close all the flaps of the box and your dog is able to work out how to get into the box.

3. If you dog seems unconfident, set the situation up so they are able to grow in confidence. Use a larger box which is lower and stabilise the box so that it doesn’t move around too much. Do not take the box towards your dog as they may lose trust in you.

4. Once your dog is comfortable getting into a closed box, place 3-6 boxes in a room with few distractions (the bathroom is great for this). Place 5 or so high value treats into one of the boxes. Then let your dog into the room and tell him to go and search.

Stand back and allow your dog to be inquisitive. You’re help should be minimal, just guide him back to the task if he gets distracted. If he gives up too early it may mean that you have set the game up to be too difficult. Start again but with fewer boxes.

5. Once he has found the right box praise him as he eats the treats he finds.

Scent games while you are out and about

Teaching your dog to help you find your keys while out on walks can be a very useful skill as well as handy in the case of emergencies! (I would advise you don’t use your actual keys when training this and instead find some old keys which no longer have a use).

1. Start by dropping your keys on the floor while your dog is standing in front of you. Then gesture to your dog that you have lost your keys. When the dog sniffs at your keys, make a fuss of him and reward him well.

2. With practice, you can drop the keys when your dog isn’t looking and then when your dog is further and further away.

3. The end goal is to drop your keys on the way out and get your dog to find them on the way back.

There are so many different games you can play with your dog to get their nose working – what is your favourite?