There are many tricks to foster relaxation and well-being of the dog, among them we find searching or sowing. This exercise is widely used in shelters and kennels, as a tool in behavior modification therapies or simply as a wonderful enrichment for our dog.
In this article on our site we explain what searching for dogs is, how to carry it out and why it is so It is important to practice it regularly. Discover the benefits of searching, also known as planting in dogs, and start using it every time you go to the mountains or find yourself in an appropriate place.
Searching, a mental stimulation exercise for dogs
The searching or seeded in dogs is one of the smell exercises for dogs that most help to stimulate their senses. In addition, it also relaxes them, offers them environmental enrichment and is a good cognitive exercise. Finally we can add that encourages tracking and sniffing, which is very important in dogs suffering from behavior problems, for example.
We can practice planting with any dog, even those that do not suffer from behavior problems, as it is a fun and enriching activity. However, dogs suffering from:
- Anxiety and stress in dogs
- Separation-Related Disorders
- Fears or aggressiveness due to fear
- Sensory deprivation syndrome
- Nervousness and hyperactivity
- Uncontrolled eating due to anxiety
Sniffing, an indicator of well-being
Most dogs sniff everything on the street, a behavior that helps them obtain information from the environment, stimulates and relaxes themOn the contrary, dogs that do not sniff tend to have more difficulties in channeling stress and are more nervous in their daily lives. Therefore, it is important to allow the dog to sniff as much as she wants during the walk.
How to stimulate a dog's sense of smell with searching?
Now that you know what searching is and what it is for, we will explain how to use it in your dog scent games. To do a seraching or seeding you will need prizes and different places:
- Start in a large place, such as the dining room of your house.
- Scatter treats in a semicircle, like drawing a crescent on the ground.
- Tell your dog the word "fetch", so he associates sniffing with finding treats.
- Make bigger and bigger semicircles, trying to keep some prizes hidden among the furniture, this way they will have to use their sense of smell to find them.
- If your dog can't find all the treats, you can point to the area with your hand, but you will never tell him exactly where they are, he has to find them.
- Once the dog finds all the prizes we will make a signal so that he understands that we have finished. We will do the same in all sessions.
We can practice planting daily several times, in short sessions (2 to 5 minutes maximum) and in different places We can go to a park to do it, since the grass will make it difficult to see the prizes and will make them use their sense of smell. And if you are left wanting more, then visit our article on thinking games for dogs. You'll love them!
