Skip to content
Sweet Dog
Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

The "seek" game: scent work that tires a dog out

8 min read

The seek game teaches your dog to sniff out a hidden treat on the word "seek". Don't hide it too far away, let them smell a twin treat, give the cue, then stay quiet and let them nose around. When they find it, celebrate and hand over the second treat.

Why scent work is more tiring than an hour's run

The nose is a dog's crowning organ, their dominant sense, in a completely different league from ours. Searching by scent asks them to sort through smells, follow a gradient and solve a problem on their own: an intense focus that drains them far faster than a jog. Many dogs who chew things up, bark or pace aren't "a handful", they're under-stimulated in the brain. Scent work answers exactly that need: olfactory enrichment has a documented calming effect on a dog's mood (Duranton & Horowitz 2019).

A rule of thumb: a few minutes of searching often tires a dog out more than a long game of fetch. The "x10" image is a teaching approximation, not a measurement, but it's true at heart: it's easier to wear a dog out through their head than through their legs.

Scent work isn't reserved for "sporty" dogs: quite the opposite. Here's who it helps the most.

The number-one activity for them

Senior dogBurns energy without running, easy on the joints.
Recovering dogA gentle activity after an injury (get the go-ahead from your vet first).
Reactive dogKeeps them busy and calm without exposing them to a busy environment.
Bored, destructive dogFills the lack of mental stimulation, the real root cause.

And also great for

Puppy and growing dogAll at ground level, no jumping, no impact: safe for the growth plates.
Terrier, scent hound, gundogSatisfies an often-frustrated instinct to forage and track.

Teaching "seek", step by step

Seven steps, from the living room to a sealed box. You only move on once the previous one is solid.

Step 1 / 7

  1. Lui faire associer le mot « cherche » au plaisir de fouiner.

    • Hide a treat in the room, neither too obvious nor impossible to find (corner of a rug, foot of a piece of furniture)
    • Let them smell a treat from the same packet, kept in your hand
    • Say "seek" once and go with them towards the hiding spot
    • When they find it: praise them warmly and hand them the second treat

    Move on when: Au mot « cherche », il se met à fouiner activement de lui-même.

  2. Le rendre autonome dans la maison.

    • Let them smell, say "seek", then let them work it out alone
    • Stay neutral, don't point
    • Vary the hiding spots and switch rooms

    Move on when: Trouvailles régulières sans aide, dans plusieurs pièces.

  3. Transférer le jeu en milieu riche en odeurs.

    • Pick a strong-smelling treat (outdoors, the competing smells explode)
    • Hide it along a simple straight line, like the edge of a path
    • Go with them again at first: the change of scenery sets you back a notch

    Move on when: Il cherche dehors avec le même engagement qu'au salon.

  4. Recherche autonome en extérieur.

    • Same exercise in a straight line
    • Hang back and let them work

    Move on when: Il persévère seul sur la ligne droite.

  5. Lui apprendre à quadriller au lieu de filer tout droit.

    • Place the hiding spot behind, to the side, off the main line
    • Go with them at first, then let them work alone

    Move on when: Il élargit spontanément sa zone quand l'axe ne donne rien.

  6. Lui faire échantillonner l'air et contrôler les reliefs.

    • Set the treat on a stump, a low wall, a ledge at nose height
    • Never make them climb: the hiding spot stays reachable with all four paws on the ground
    • Let them work out that the trail is airborne and they need to lift their nose

    Move on when: Il vérifie les hauteurs sans qu'on lui montre.

  7. Le signalement d'une odeur très faible parmi des leurres.

    • Put the treat in an airtight box: the smell is heavily muffled
    • Be patient: this step is built over weeks, not in one session
    • When they signal the right box (a stop, a stare, an insistent nose-poke), you open it and reward

    Move on when: Signalement net et répété de la bonne boîte parmi des boîtes vides.

Seasoned searcher

The word, the session, the marker word

As with any learning, a short, cheerful marker word ("yes!", "that's it") tells the dog "that, right there, is good" at the exact moment they scent the find, followed by the treat. No gadget needed: your voice does the job just fine. And keep the sessions short: searching tires them quickly, that's its strength. A few finds, then you stop on a success, while they're still asking for more (Demant et al. 2011).

A few precautions before you hide anything

The game encourages your dog to nose around everywhere: a quick look before you start the search.

0 / 4
Area ready
  1. Duranton & Horowitz — Let me sniff! Effets de l'exploration olfactive sur l'affect du chien (2019)
  2. Demant et al. — The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs (2011)
  3. AVSAB — Position statement on humane dog training (2021)
  4. Pfungst — Clever Hans (the horse of Mr. von Osten) (1907)

Going further

guide"Touch" the targetThe foundation trick that half the repertoire flows from.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to search?

Hide a treat somewhere neither too obvious nor impossible to find, let them smell a twin treat, say "seek" once and go with them. When they find it, mark it with a cheerful "yes!" and hand over the second treat. You only raise the difficulty once they succeed clearly.

At what age can you play scent games with your dog?

From very young, it's one of the few games with no risk for a puppy: it all happens at ground level, with no jumping or impact, so no danger to the growth plates. Start with very easy hiding spots in a single room.

Does scent work really tire a dog out more than a walk?

Yes, at heart. Searching by scent demands an intense focus that drains a dog faster than a long run, and olfactory exploration has a documented calming effect (Duranton & Horowitz 2019). A few minutes are often worth a big physical workout.

My dog can't find the hiding spot, what should I do?

Whatever you do, don't point, they'd stop searching to read you instead. Drop back a level: an easier hiding spot or the previous step. And speed up the rhythm of your "seek"s as they get closer, that's the only guidance that helps without cheating.

Which scent game for a senior or bored dog?

"Seek" is the number-one activity for them: it burns energy without running and it calms. For a bored, destructive dog, it's often the real answer, because the root cause is a lack of mental stimulation, not a "difficult" temperament.

Do you need a clicker for scent work?

No, no gadget is necessary. A simple short, cheerful marker word ("yes!") at the moment they scent the find, followed by the treat, does the job perfectly. Your voice and the "always the second treat" deal are enough.

Read nextNext in this pathParle & chutRead

Loading your progress…

Menu

Language