Simple, flexible scent games that help your dog thrive—and give you a well-earned breather.

If you’ve ever needed your dog to do something enriching without needing your full attention, or wanted to build your relationship through fun, sniffy games, this episode is your new best friend.

In this week’s episode of Enrichment for the Real World, Allie Bender and Emily Strong unpack the magic of scent work—and how it supports your dog’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being and makes your life easier too. We’re talking about games like “find it,” scatter feeding, and what we call the “anywhere but here” protocol, with tips for tailoring them to your specific household setup (no matter how chaotic it may be).

You’ll hear why scent work is more than just a fun activity—it can be used to teach your dog independence, encourage relaxation, and even build trust in tricky situations. Whether you need something that works behind a baby gate, away from food-stealing pets, or hands-free while you hop on a Zoom call, there’s something here for you.

TLDL (Too Long, Didn’t Listen): 3 Key Takeaways
Scent work is ridiculously adaptable.
Whether you need to keep dogs separated, avoid food on the floor, or work behind a barrier, there’s a nose game for that.

Teaching “set it and forget it” is a game-changer.
It takes effort up-front, but the payoff? A dog who can self-entertain while still engaging in healthy enrichment. Gold.

“Find it” is the duct tape of dog training.
This go-to cue can give you a pause button, channel your dog’s energy, and lay the foundation for more complex games.

Links & Resources from the Episode

📖 Canine Olfaction: Scent, Sign, and Situation – Book chapter by Simon Gadbois & Catherine Reeves
📚 Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz
🔬 Study: Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs
📓 Episode #109: Assessing Risk for the Safety Enrichment Category
🎲 July 2023 Enrichment Challenge: Try a New Active Foraging Option
💻 Check out the full show notes, including more resources at petharmonytraining.com/episode111

More from Pet Harmony

We’ve got a lot more to share—join the conversation!

Follow us on social media:
Instagram: @petharmonytraining
Facebook: @petharmonytraining
Instagram (Pro): @petharmonypro
TikTok (Pro): @petharmonypro

Sign up for our weekly newsletter:
👉 https://petharmonytraining.com/join

Subscribe & Review
If this episode resonated with you, we’d love for you to subscribe and leave a review. Your feedback helps us connect with more pet parents and professionals looking to build joyful, enriched lives with their animals.

Anyone who has a pet with allergies knows that it can be rough to create an enrichment strategy that fits their needs. Depending on the type and severity of that allergy there can be a lot of restrictions. In this episode, we discuss the allergy journies we've gone on with our own dogs and how we've created enrichment strategies around allergy restrictions. After that, we tie in how we can measure success for allergy kiddos and non-allergy kiddos. 

You can find the full episode show notes here.

We're asked all the time about enrichment that isn't related to food. Well, here we are, folks! Today's episode is all about the safety category of enrichment. We'll discuss how to perform a risk assessment for your pet's enrichment strategy. 

You can find the full episode show notes here.  

What the heck is a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior? Find out in this week's episode with Debbie Martin! Plus, sound sensitivities, risk assessments, and puppy socialization. Buckle up!

You can find the full episode show notes here.

This one's for the pet professionals! Clients are integral to what we do and that means we need to make sure they're well-supported throughout the journey. In this episode, we explore the foundations of exemplary client care, including some tips to help you better support your clients even more. 

You can find the full episode show notes here.

We've said it before and we'll say it again- it's hard to care for individuals who need specialized care, and that includes pets with behavior challenges! In this episode, Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Kelly Ballantyne provides tips for combating caregiver burden, discusses the link between pain and behavior, and gives up-to-date information on anti-anxiety medication for adolescent animals. 

You can find the full episode show notes here.

We talk about training a lot. But, like, what even IS training? Does it have to involve a treat pouch and clicker? Or, perhaps, could it involve Allie bear crawling up a platform and nothing more? Check out today's episode to find out. 

You can find the full episode show notes here.

Flyball, Agility, Tracking, Rally Obedience, Trick Titling, Conformation, Herding, Mondioring, Obedience, oh my! If you're into canine sports or looking to learn more about them, Ayoka is your person. Get ready to step into the world of R+ dog sports! 

You can find the full episode show notes here. 

Every human experiences and operates in the world in a unique way. That means that the way each person cares for their pet will be unique, too! So, how do we make adaptations for humans to successfully work with and enrich their pets? Tune in to this episode to find out!

You can find the full episode show notes here.

The animal training industry is typically on board with non-human learners being individuals and meeting those individuals where they are when it comes to training. But what about our human learners? 

In this episode, Gabrielle Johnson talks about how we can meet our human learners where they are and how to support disability justice in the animal welfare industry.

You can find the full episode show notes here.