A dog’s nose is its superpower. It is the strongest sense that they have – “smell”. There are a few reasons for this:
1. Olfactory Receptors (Smell Receptors): While humans have around 6 million olfactory receptors, dogs can have 300 million of them. That’s 50 times more than us! No wonder they are quite the sniffers!
2. Jacobson’s Organ: Dogs even have a secondary olfactory organ called ‘Jacobson’s organ’. It is located inside the nasal cavity and its purpose is specifically for chemical communication. Chemical communication is often used to mark territories.
3. Olfactory Lobe: The olfactory lobe’s function is to understand what smell is. Not surprisingly, a dog’s olfactory lobe is much larger than ours is – a whopping 40x bigger!
Now that we know how a dog’s nose works, what exactly IS “scent training”?
Also known as “nose work”, scent training gives dogs the opportunity to use their natural talent to sniff out specific things. It can be mentally and physically stimulating for the dog, and when done together properly, can strengthen the bond between you and your dog too!
Breeds such as the Bloodhound, German Shepherd, Basset hound, Coonhound and Labradors are most typically used for scent training. Any breed can be taught how to detect certain scents. There are scent training classes that you can sign up for to help boost your pup’s skill. You can even start the process off right at home and it can be an added fun game for you and your pet. It really doesn’t take much and can be practiced almost anywhere! It can be a wonderful exercise that the dog enjoys and can tire them out too. If your pup gets really good at it, scent training can be a competitive sport where dogs compete to test their nose work skills.
