The Power of Nose Work: Transforming Anxious Dogs into Calm Companions

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Discover the secret to transforming a hyperactive or anxious dog into a calm and content companion through the power of nose work. Join me, Will Bangura, as we delve into how engaging a dog's remarkable sense of smell can be more invigorating than a sprint or an agility course. This episode uncovers the fascinating science behind this unique form of canine enrichment, highlighting how it taps into their natural instincts and offers them a sense of purpose. Learn how this activity not only reduces stress and unwanted behaviors but also lowers heart rates and cortisol levels, ensuring a balanced and happy life for your furry friend.

Explore how nose work can deepen the bond between you and your pet, promoting confidence and reducing anxiety by turning a simple sniffing session into a fulfilling adventure. We'll share practical insights to get you started on this rewarding journey, reminding you that patience and consistency will lead to a more relaxed and joyful dog. Whether your pup is a bundle of nerves or an energy powerhouse, discover why a tired nose is the key to a peaceful home. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enrich your dog's life and strengthen your connection. Be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review to spread the joy of nose work with fellow pet lovers!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you have an anxious dog?
Or maybe you've got a dog thathas a lot of energy and maybe
you like to play with your dog.
Run with your dog, try to runout that energy.
Maybe you take your dog todoggy daycare to get that energy
out, okay, or run an agilitycourse.
Well, there's a much better wayto provide the best kind of

(00:23):
mental enrichment for your dog,whether it's anxious or just
high energy or just a dog.
The best way to stimulate theirbrains and the best way to tire
them out is to teach them howto do nose work, scent detection
and it's incredibly easy andit's incredibly fun and

(00:49):
effective.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
All that and more.
Fur babies thrive.
Live in studio with WillBangura answering your pet
behavior and training questions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willBangura.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Would you like to go on?
Okay, y'all ready for this.
Good Saturday morning everybody.
I'm Will Van Gora.
Hey, thanks for joining me foranother episode of Dog Training
today.
Hey, if you love what we do, dome a favor, make sure that you

(01:41):
subscribe.
Hit that like button, leave usa review.
We love it when you do that.
Anyway, today we're going toexplore everything that you need
to know to help your dogs livetheir happiest, most balanced
and fulfilled lives.
I'm your host, will Bangura.
I'm a certified dog behaviorconsultant.

(02:03):
I'm a certified caninebehaviorist, certified
professional dog trainer, andI'm also fear-free certified,
and I specialize in some of themost difficult behaviors.
I use nothing but positivereinforcement.
Those that have listened to theshow know that corrections and
punishment are absolutelyunnecessary.

(02:24):
You can train a dog to doanything using just positive
reinforcement, and you canmodify and change unwanted
behaviors just using positivereinforcement.
And, hey, if you can do itwithout causing discomfort for
your dog, why use punishmentRight?
Why use negative reinforcement?
You can do everything withpositive reinforcement.

(02:45):
Don't take my word for it.
Check the studies.
But anyway, today's episode isone that I'm particularly
excited about because it's allabout a tool that's powerful,
accessible and incrediblyeffective for dogs with anxiety,
nose work and scent detection.

(03:08):
Training is incredible for dogswith anxiety.
So if you've got a dog thatstruggles with anxiety whether
it's fear of new environments,separation anxiety or even a dog

(03:29):
that's reactive Nose work couldbe the key to giving them a
calmer, more confident outlookon life.
But here's the kicker Nose workisn't just for anxious dogs.
It's one of the best ways tostimulate and enrich any dog's

(03:50):
life, any dog.
And here's a little known factthat might surprise you Engaging
your dog's sense of smell for,just say, 15 minutes can be more
mentally and physically tiringthan an hour long run or an

(04:11):
agility session.
Let me explain why and how youcan start using this powerful
technique with your dogs today.
Now let's start with an exercise.
Imagine walking into yourkitchen.

(04:31):
You see a loaf of freshly bakedbread on the counter.
You notice the golden crust,the steam rising.
It smells incredible.
Right Now, imagine your dogwalks into the same room.
They don't just smell the bread, they smell the individual

(04:52):
ingredients.
Yeah, they smell the yeast,they smell the flour, they smell
the sugar Heck, they even smellthe butter that you use to
grease the pan that you use togrease the pan.
That's the difference between ahuman nose and a dog's nose.
While we have about, I thinkthere's 6 million olfactory

(05:17):
receptors that people have.
Well, those are the receptorsfor smelling.
Well, dogs you know we've gotabout 6 million Dogs have 300
million olfactory receptors usedfor smelling.
And where humans dedicate about5% of our brain to smell, dogs

(05:42):
dedicate a whopping 40% or more.
You need to hear that again.
Where humans dedicate about 5%of our brains to smell, dogs
dedicate 40% or more of theirbrain to smelling.
So if you really want to tireout your dog, if you really want

(06:03):
to stimulate your dog and giveit something to do, that's going
to be super effective.
Do nose work, do scent work.
Now, when we talk about thepower of the dog's nose, what
does that mean?
Well, it means your dog'sexperiencing the world primarily
through their nose.

(06:23):
Their sense of smell is theirprimary tool for gathering
information, much like ourvision is for us.
Anxiety often stems fromuncertainty, a lack of
understanding about what'shappening around them.
Nose work helps to bridge thatgap.

(06:45):
When you engage your dog'ssense of smell, you're giving
them a way to interpret theirenvironment, process information
and feel more in control.
Now let's talk specificallyabout anxiety.

(07:05):
Anxiety in dogs can look likepacing, whining, destructive
behavior or, in some cases evenaggression.
Oftentimes this anxiety isrooted in overstimulation or,
paradoxically, understimulation.

(07:27):
Now, when you understand dogs,you understand that they are
incredibly intelligent socialcreatures.
They need both mental andphysical enrichment to thrive.
And here's the truth enrichmentto thrive.

(07:53):
And here's the truth.
Most pet parents focus heavilyon the physical side of things
walks, playtime, maybe evenrunning through an agility
course but what's oftenoverlooked is the mental
stimulation, and that's wherenose work comes in.
Nose work gives dogs a sense ofpurpose.
It taps into their naturalinstincts to search, sniff and

(08:19):
solve problems.
And for dogs with anxiety, hey,that can be a lifeline.
Here's an analogy.
Think about how you feel whenyou're anxious.
Your mind races right Now.
Imagine someone gives you achallenging but enjoyable puzzle

(08:42):
to solve.
Suddenly, your focus shifts,doesn't it?
You're no longer consumed byyour anxious thoughts, you're
immersed in the task at hand.
That's what nose work does fordogs.
Now here's something fascinating.

(09:03):
Researchers have studied theeffects of sniffing on dogs on
their emotional states.
One study found that allowingdogs to sniff freely on walks
significantly lowered theirheart rates and cortisol levels,

(09:23):
both indicators of stress.
Like teaching dogs to identifyspecific smells, that boosts
their confidence and it alsolowers their overall stress
levels.
Now why does this happen?
It's because sniffing activatesa part of the brain associated

(09:48):
with reward and pleasure.
When dogs sniff, their brainsrelease dopamine.
That's the feel-good chemical.
It's like a naturalanti-anxiety medication, but
without any side effects.
Now here's the kicker Sniffingis more tiring than running.

(10:12):
When a dog sniffs, their brainworks overtime to process the
information that they'regathering.
This mental effort is far moreexhausting and satisfying than
any kind of physical exercisealone.
Now I want you to physicallyexercise your dogs, but I just

(10:34):
want you to know how powerfulnose work is.
Now let's address some commonquestions about it.
If nose work is so great, howdoes it compare to agility?
If nose work is so great, howdoes it compare to agility?
Because a lot of people arelike hey, I got to get my dog
active.
The more physically active mydog is, the better.
Well, hey, agility is afantastic activity for certain

(10:58):
dogs.
It's high energy, it buildsphysical fitness and it
strengthens the bond between thepet parent and the dog.
But for anxious dogs, agilitycan sometimes backfire.
Think about it Agility coursesare fast-paced and often noisy.
They require the dog tonavigate here's the one

(11:22):
unfamiliar equipment that'sscary and follow rapid fire cues
.
For a confident outgoing dog,that might be a thrill, but for
an anxious dog, that could beincredibly overwhelming.
Now, nose work, on the otherhand, it's calming.
It allows the dog to work attheir own pace in a low-pressure

(11:48):
environment.
There's no right or wrong wayto sniff, no loud noises, no
intimidating equipment.
It's just the dog, their noseand the task at hand.
And here's the best part youdon't need a big backyard or
specialized equipment to do nosework.

(12:09):
You can start in your ownliving room with nothing more
than, say, a few treats or toys.
So how do we get started withthis?
Well, the great thing aboutnose work is it's easy to learn
and dogs love it right away.

(12:29):
So let's talk about how tostart.
Start with a favorite treat ortoy.
Choose something that your dogloves.
If it's food, go for a treatwith strong smell, like cheese
or chicken, or a little piece ofhot dog.
If your dog prefers toys, pickthe toy that they're most

(12:51):
excited about.
All right.
And then next, what we want todo is create a very to begin
with, a very simple search game.
First, let your dog sniff thetreat or the toy so that they
know what they're looking for.
Then hide that in an easy tofind spot, like, say, under a

(13:13):
towel or behind a chair leg.
Now, with your dog, saysomething like find it, search,
find it.
To encourage your dog to startsearching.
Now, in the beginning you mayhave to walk towards the object,
kind of help them out a littlebit.

(13:33):
Don't help them out too much,because again, we want them to
use their nose.
This is their time to explore.
Okay, now, when your dog doesfind the treat or toy, make a
huge deal out of it, praise thementhusiastically and let them
enjoy the reward.

(13:55):
Now, as your dog gets the hangof it, start hiding the treat in
more challenging places.
You could even use small boxesor cups, you know, to kind of
create a show game.
All right, you can also.
I mean, once your dog'sconfidently doing this, this can

(14:16):
be really fun.
You can introduce essentialoils like birch anise or clove.
Place a few drops on a cottonball, hide it and reward your
dog for finding it.
Again, you're going to let yourdog smell it first, then you're
going to go hide it, ask thedog find it, search and maybe

(14:39):
walk around back and forth,don't just go straight to it.
Maybe your dog will, maybe itwon't.
The game is the same whetherit's food or whether it's
smelling an herb.
Now you can also, if you wantto take things to the next level
, you might consider joining aclass, nosework class, scent

(15:01):
work class.
These classes teach you how totrain your dog to identify
specific scents and even if youwant to compete in scent
detection trials.
Yeah, I've seen countless dogstransformed through nose work.
One of my clients had a bordercollie mixed name, max, who was

(15:22):
terrified of new environments.
Max would shake, whine, pantand refuse to engage whenever
his pet parent took himsomewhere unfamiliar.
We introduced nose work,starting with simple games at
home.
Within weeks seriously withinweeks Max was sniffing out

(15:46):
hidden treats with excitementand confidence, and over time,
max's anxiety in new placesdecreased because he started
seeing the world as anopportunity for exploration, not
something to fear.
As an opportunity forexploration, not something to
fear.
Another success story is Bella,a rescue dog with severe

(16:11):
separation anxiety.
Her pet parents startedincorporating 10 minutes of nose
work before leaving the house.
The result Bella was calmer andmore relaxed during the pet
parent's absence.
Now nose work isn't just anactivity.

(16:33):
It's a way to connect with yourdog on a deeper level.
Yeah, it is a way to tap intotheir natural instincts and
provide mental enrichment, andit gives them the confidence to

(16:55):
navigate the world with lessfear and anxiety.
Or, if you just want to givethem some fun fulfilling
activities, nose work isabsolutely worth exploring.
Start small, be patient andwatch as your dog's confidence

(17:19):
grows.
And if you've got a dog withlots of energy, that's really
excitable.
Start doing this scent work andwatch how it tires them out
more than going for a long walk,more than running them throwing
the ball.
It's absolutely amazing.
Well, folks, that music meanswe're just about out of time.

(17:41):
That's it for today's episodeof Dog Training Today, hey, if
you enjoyed the episode, pleasesubscribe and leave a review,
hit that like button and shareit with a fellow pet parent and,
as always, feel free to reachout with your questions or
suggestions for future episodes.
And until next time, remember atired nose is a happy, calm dog

(18:05):
.
I'm out of here, take careeverybody.
Bye.