Brain Training: Why Scentwork is the Ultimate Optimism Booster
- CloudNineK9s
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
How 14 days of sniffing can change a dogs outlook......
Everyone knows I love a rabbit-hole adventure into the canine brain!
I’ve got folders with hundreds of scientific studies and peered reviews papers for when my late-night reading brain kicks in (Vampire mode is a speciality around here! ).
Tonight, I randomly selected the 2019 Duranton & Horowitz study: "Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs."
I LOVED this study and how it was written! It was clear and easy to follow... that isn't always the case with scientific studies!
This study was incredibly well-planned. They didn't just use 'easy' or previously trained dogs; they took 20 pet dogs with zero previous experience and split them into two groups:
The Experimental Group: Practiced Scentwork (finding food in boxes).
The Control Group: Practiced Heelwork (walking at the owner's side).
To keep it a "Fair Trial," the researchers controlled everything. Both groups got the same number of treats, the same written/video instructions, and the same practice durations. Owners even had to video their "homework" sessions to ensure the parameters were met.
The "Optimism" Test:
Before and after the 2-week training period, every dog did a "Cognitive Bias" test.
They learned that a bowl on the Right always had chicken.
A bowl on the Left was always empty.
Then, the researchers put a bowl DEAD IN THE MIDDLE.
The Result:
The Heelwork dogs didn't change much at all in the latency of the dog from cognitive bias test 1 and 2
But the Scentwork dogs? Their latency to move off towards the bowl was much quicker on the 2nd cognitive bias test compared to the 1st one, (i.e. they didn't hesitate, they assumed the reward was there!)
It was surmised that they had developed a "Positive Judgment Bias".
In plain English: they became optimists!! They started expecting the "unknown" to be a jackpot.
My verdict on it:
This is a solid foundation or start point that gives way to further research in this area. Does it answer everything? Not yet.
We still need to know if this optimism lasts for months (rather than just the 2 weeks of the study) and if it holds up in high-distraction or increased stress environment like a busy indoor or outdoor setting.
But one thing is clear: letting your dog explore their world through their nose isn't just fun—it's a scientific fact that it makes your dog more optimistic (at least in the short term.... long term to be determined. Id say yes but I'm not a scientist.. merely a practitioner )
I highly recommended you check it out for yourself!
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