Teaching dogs the 'find it' scent game

Scentwork is something that comes naturally to dogs so they're bound to find nose-work games appealing. Teaching specific Scentwork tasks can be great fun and very useful too. In this video Hannah Molloy from Pawfect Dogsense, shows step-by-step how to training a dog to "find it" using their nose. Please note the message below about fun scent work vs serious nose work.
Top tips:
Start in a low distraction area before building to distracting places
Be aware of air flow as this will strongly affect the scent around an item
Progress on to working at different heights gradually as this can be particularly difficult for many dogs
Be aware if you handle the item they are finding, that they will also be finding the scent of you. You can deliberately train this, or you can avoid this by always wearing gloves to handle the item they are finding
If your dog struggles to find a specific scent under the towel, you could try simply 'find the treat' under the towel or around the room
Advanced scent games can include hiding the item without the dog seeing it, then let them into the room to find it with just their nose.
Please note: This video shows how to teach fun nose work, if you are interested in training your dog more seriously for competitive, medical or search work, it is better to be a lot more careful with contamination of the area (e.g. not putting the scent down in multiple locations in one area, not handling the scent or unscented items etc) so we would recommend finding someone who specialises in scent work in your area.
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[@Sunshine_7x]

This is the most educational scenting video I've watched. You have a very beautiful voice that is lovely and calming to listen to. I like how you gave the dog an opportunity to think for themself. Can't wait to try this on my Jack Russel!

[@vreed27]

Amazing. Thanks!

[@samndeeolney5665]

I completely agree. I learned how. Now I can show Ruby.

[@_Otaku-kt8be]

G4y

[@lisasternenkind6467]

This is exactly how I always taught my dogs nosework. When I was breeding American Bulldogs, my own dogs could find my kids in our small town whenever they didn't return home as soon as the street lights went on. I also trained dogs for others to be rescue dogs, service dogs, and search dogs for mines and ammunition. Meanwhile I don't breed or train dogs anymore, but I have cPTSD myself and after a retraumatization on September 7th in 2011, I got myself a Rottweiler and trained him to be my certified PTSD service dog. For the service dog training in public areas, I got help from another specialized trainer. I trained my own service dog at home every day. So I also had him work with the nose to find my medication pouch, my mobile phone, my keys, and my eyeglasses. When training my dogs for mantrailing, such as my kids, or for later mine and ammunition search, I also started with the tea bags at home. When I moved to training outside, I started there by using the water of sausages that had been conserved in glasses or tins. This scent is very intense for a dog, so it overlays the many other scents in public areas, both grass or asphalt alike. I used this sausage water over and over again, until the dog was perfect in any possible way to find the trail or position in public areas. It's crucial to really do this part of the training well and in many different locations and environments, before moving on to the next step, which is the search for a lighter scent. My kids grew up with animals and dog training and so they were able to do this training as well. My youngest son to train puppies was only 5 when he did this. Sadly my Rottweiler Lodur passed away half a year ago. My next PTSD service dog will be an Olde English Bulldog and I am so looking forward to training him for myself, and for obedience and nosework competitions. Dogs are simply wonderful and outstanding if you treat, educate and train them right. 💞

[@claireabbott6112]

Watched and did this with my GSD. Wow, I was surprised at how fast they can learn this. Many thanks for sharing :)

[@jeremymeadow9872]

this is a really great video for not just the specific skill, but your use of the clicker and treats and your voice and how you use them all together. very well done!

[@darialois1]

Really love your calmness in your training.

[@LaceyML]

This has been the most educational video I’ve seen on this! I have a GSD mix who has got a crazy good nose. Eventually I wanna get her into scent work and have been looking at all kinds of videos. I really like yours because you show the beginning! So many trainers show dogs that already know the behavior and that can set our expectations for our own pups too high! This is great. Thank you 😊

[@thailycaamal1514]

Clear message, clear structure, easy to understand, thank you

[@WestCoastLusitanos]

I really like how you work with your dog. Great video and super helpful. I appreciate that you're showing what it's like when starting out. You are very patient and allow the dog to think. Thank you!

[@JPO1184]

Your voice and accent sounds like Mel B from AGT. I wish I had better patience for dog training like you have. You are such a lovely person! ❤

[@dcdc139]

Great video. I've been looking to start scent work games with my bloodhound mix rescue dog. This video explains things very well.

[@Sophie703]

Thank you so much! Looking forward to doing this with my Great Dane puppy tonight. :)

[@amouramarie]

Awwww "what happens if i pick it up and drop it on the floor? Do you like that?" Omgggg dogs man. Keep trying you precious perfect puppo princess. I love that thought process when they're confused. "Would you like a shake a paw? Here's one for you!!! No? Hmm. Are you sure?"

[@kkkingable]

This is an amazing video! All the training can be done with simple everyday life items.

[@twistyx808]

Thank you for this. Have a ridgeback that is progressing quickly in commands and needed a start on scent training.

[@Aaalllyyysssaaaaa]

very fun!! one good thing to remember is that dogs smell better than us but they don't necessarily think about what they're smelling the way we expect, so it's good to start with a really mega obvious game that a human could win. Like I could win the toilet roll game using only my nose, but I couldn't win the towel game, and sure enough my dog struggled a lot with that step, I instead went back to toilet paper tubes but I added way more, he found that easier to progress on. I would imagine it might help to add tubes where the smell is stronger and weaker in order to generalize it so he can make the leap to the towel game. At least that's what my dog needs, he is very handsome and he tries so very hard but his brains are just mostly fluff up there. My boy just needed some help lol. It's like the difference between teaching a toddler the difference between red yellow and green, and teaching an older kid about what traffic lights mean. Our eyes are good enough to see minute differences in colour from super far away, but you still wanna start with objects that are super obvious when you're learning your colours for the first time, like a preschooler can tell you what colours their toys are, but if you show them some grainy traffic light captchca thing and ask them about what the cars should do, even with all their rods and cones they'll still probably give up. So your dog might need that extra help.

[@Johanna-qf1yx]

Excellent video ! And your accent is so lovely too !

[@JesusWitness-EXJW]

Thank you for this, im hoping to start this with my adit, to alert for high heart rate and seizures alert ❤

[@pawsinhanddogtrainingandbe2592]

Really lovely video. So beautifully explained and a wonderful demonstration of ethical training. Joyful. Thank you :-)

[@dogsareawomansbestfriend]

Thanks for teaching me what to do. I'm going to try and get Lefty to find my Chihuahua when I can't!

[@GPKatai]

How is no one else noticing that adorable back leg bounce when she hears the clicker!?

[@danimorales3023]

This video was sooooooooo helpful thank you for this!!

[@albertosanjuan5641]

I love what you're doing

[@rebeccago158]

She followed commands Very great Awesome special smart intelligent genius clever amazing fantastic amazing spectacular puppy and dogs

[@carmensandiego211]

Love this video! Helps soo much thanks

[@elainehopkins7904]

Great educational video. Can I use my voice instead of a clicker though please?

[@snapsbymeli]

Om my goodness!! please do more

[@taz5805]

Tell the dogs they cute❤

[@reyhernandez7810]

Great video!!

[@livegamer-cn1ll]

Great video. I’ve tried the peppermint in 2 cups with my lab but she loses interest very quickly. Any tips? I’ve tried with meat as well but similar results

[@markfcoble]

Thanks!

[@wtfmoment3045]

Thank you for the introduction to Scent work video. I appreciate anyone taking the time it takes to make a video. THANK YOU. During my short one year of clicker training, I have made the same mistakes that you made as the handler. First one is clicking a little bit after the task is finished, instead of just after she starts and just before she finishes the task. Second, using a verbal cue too soon. Its ALWAYS the handlers fault not the dog. I constantly have to remind myself that I may slow down the training process and sometimes have to untrain because of MY mistakes. Luckily, my dog is smarter than me and gets that it was MY mistake and corrects me! Molly has earned GCC, GCA, GCU. PA, and Fetch titles so far, now going for scent. i thought is was appropriate to use gloves to camouflage my own scent for more advanced training? Happy training, Mike "don't shoot the dog" Karen Pryor.

[@FairestsWorld]

Wow!! Awesome

[@martinvillafana2626]

Grate video, interesting way to teach my dog. By the way and respectfully you are a beautiful woman which gives to this video an extra for being watch.

[@sarahhoneycutt6464]

Hi Molly, I live in Woodstock GA USA and I have a mini collie that can find anything. He’s 3 and I’ve worked with him every day for 2 1/2 years. I want to train him for medical scent work and I think he’s ready. Do you know of such a school and how to get him a “job”? Either a school to attend or a video class. Thank you for your amazing videos!

[@mermydon]

I think I am in love 😍😍. You are so GORGEOUS

[@lordzlomek]

I really love your video and the approach presented. Instead of making the dog search for food (which basically encourages the dog to pick edible stuff from the ground) you give her a very specific task to look for a specific scent. The reward comes after and is a true reward for the job well done, and not just a bribe or a food picked off the ground. I have a question: how to transition this method from, let's say, the tea bag to a toy search around the house. If the dog is already pretty good at finding the tea bag, when I would like to switch to a toy, should I first give him the toy to smell (and click + reward when it smells it) and then hide the toy and use "find it" command to ask the dog to search for it? If trained with a couple of different objects, like a tea bag, a sock with a certain scent, a toy and a scarf, is the dog going to be able to generalize what is the game about and when introduced to a new scent will it be able to play find it instantly?

[@emailforval]

I agree, every other video that I saw involved finding food

[@laurenmichele2029]

Do you have a video on how to tell them to find a particular scent? Like dogs who find missing persons etc.

[@gritskennedy5007]

We have 6 million they have 300 million ....aye caramba what an overwhelming gift for them....poor lovies!

[@NatNay-cu3uv]

Fooled into using the clicker Hilarious

[@saragalvan9196]

What would I use to sent train members of the family? Dirty socks?

[@nadinabbott3991]

This should work with medical scents too. Thanks

[@nancybraybrooks5509]

What other sense can I use and do I need to use a clicker I have a GSD that knows how to play find it when I hide treats throughout the house

[@timowen2307]

Can this be done without a clicker? Great tutorial!

[@boulevardiere1623]

If you use a verbal marker (like "yes" or "good") in your other training, that should work the same as a clicker. Whatever sound it is, it just needs to be "charged" first before using it for training. There are lots of videos out there on how to charge a clicker or a marker. Good luck!

[@ginademarest7626]

Can you do this if your dog not clicker trained

[@haidershah3554]

Cool

[@jaysilverheals4445]

at 41 seconds I dont understand what you said detecting counsel with the nose ?

[@zentember]

what kind of dog is after the 3 minute mark? my dog looks exactly the same and shelter didn't know what breed he was, thank you

[@MatteGe1969]

Very old video, but hopefully I'll get a response. I watched it yesterday, and I thought.. I've got toilet rolls, peppermint teabags, why not. My pup is doing ok, but when I put the scent on the floor he likes to chew and shred the toilet roll. Shall I buy scentwork tins? Or keep working with what I have now?

[@larszeth3254]

What do you use as treats for this trainning?

[@FireRowz]

My dog shows no interest in objects or scents other than food while we're training. She will just sit there and stare at me until she gets bored or frustrated. Any tips on getting started?

[@TameTheMind]

Have you tried hiding a treat? --click and then reward her, yes with another treat.

[@drjimjam1112]

Start with smaller steps. Reward any little progress then make it a little harder, a little harder. Clicker timing is essential

[@TheLegend-ht5rt]

Tx

[@sandihepplewhite5257]

Hi chic just found you I have a lockdown collie of just 3 I'm going to try this on him hes not clicker trained I'll do that Also thank you fro sharing you knowledge .

[@RoyalDog214]

Are those washing machine and dryer in the kitchen?

[@taliahannam9462]

Washing machine and dishwasher and pretty much everyone does in the UK

[@blueafton]

What is the breed of the puppy you train?

[@NaturallyHappyDogs]

She was found abandoned at approx 6 weeks so I’m afraid we don’t know!

[@TameTheMind]

@@NaturallyHappyDogs She looks so much like my abandoned dog--found when she was less than 6 weeks old. She's now 4 years and WOW is she brilliant and willing and loves, loves to "find" things.

[@sallymarchant933]

@@TameTheMind ah lovely :) How old is your pup now?

[@NaturallyHappyDogs]

@@TameTheMind Ah how lovely :) How old is your little one now?

[@rebeccago158]

Puppy is good Scent game Once she remembers Until she grew to become a dogs Scent smells At work

[@eannicole205]

What kind of dog is she?

[@gritskennedy5007]

OH MY GOD I HAVE ADOPTED A DOG THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THIS DOG PLEASE CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT BREED OR BREEDS OF DOG IS THIS?

[@drjimjam1112]

Looks like a Malinois or mal mix.

[@bbaune2389]

i likit ok.

[@jaysspristinecanines]

I would love teach my dogs to detect my wife and my scent what should I use for this ?

[@mckenzyworthington5459]

Use the most smelliest thing of your wife's. A shirt that hasn't been washed. Dirty socks, dirty underwear. And essentially do this same thing.

[@shortyluera6110]

LOVE HOW SHES ROCKIN THE FANNY PACK

[@rachelrosch8023]

When do you add the cue? How did she know to sniff for it when you said "find it" ?

[@judyives1832]

Because dogs are not a verbal species, you never put a verbal command on a behavior until you are absolutely sure your dog understands the behavior you want. The word itself means nothing until it’s conditioned. Once you have gotten the behavior on a physical cue by luring, shaping or capturing, you can start saying the verbal cue BEFORE your physical cue. If you introduce the verbal cue too soon, you are actually training your dog to ignore the verbal cue.

[@mckenzyworthington5459]

You always do a non verbal training first, then add a verbal cue. You let the dog work it out what you want from the dog. Then when consistent you can then add a verbal cue.

[@natecote1971]

I hate the clickers they are always in the way, or you can't find it when you want to randomly practice some stuff. I copied nate schoemer and just day yes instead cause you always have that lol

[@MiesHeerma]

Tried it with my pup but he eats the toilet rolls ;)

[@miguel222]

I’ll see if my dog can find my lost cat😢

[@NatNay-cu3uv]

Dont use clickers You may not have it one day 🎉

[@bbaune2389]

i likit ok mi name is zane

[@rebeccago158]

She’s a puppy not a dog yet

[@robrob6287]

Really i'm not completely agree, more i don't like clicker and for me is useless. Why i say this? I have trained my dog to find truffles into the wood on the mountains. The search sometimes is long very long and the dog has to woks till 12 hours searching truffles. It is no necessary say find it, no clicker. He find all kind of truffles. And search a truffles till 50 cm to 1 mt under ground in a huge wood not so easy ...

[@MrFowx]

Thanks!

[@NaturallyHappyDogs]

You're very welcome, thank you very much for the Super Thanks, it means such a lot to us. Have you seen many of our other videos?