Nose-CENtric Dog Training and Rehab: Theory and Possibilities
A dog's sniffing skills can help us train and fix behavior problems, and I have developed a unique method of doing just this called “Nose-Centric™ Dog Training and Rehabilitation.” This method takes the dog’s sense of smell from overlooked to the forefront of training and rehabilitation. After watching, studying, rehabilitating, and training dogs for 15 years, I have learned that utilizing a dog’s sense of smell can improve confidence, less reactivity, better attention to their humans, and positive behavior. We can also form deeper, trusting connections with our dogs by speaking their language of sniffing.
Nose-Centric™ Dog Training and Rehabilitation is all about using a dog’s natural sniffing behavior as a reward. In humans, inhaling through the nose calms the vagus nervous system, helping to maintain a state of calm and prevent the activation of the fight-or-flight response, which is associated with stress hormones[i]. For dogs, sniffing can increase optimism and enhance their quality of life.[ii] In mice, sniffing stimulates the release of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter in the brain's reward system, linked to motivation and exploration[iii] Oddly, the olfactory system of a dog has not been studied much. But in 2022, it was found the olfactory pathways in dogs extend to various regions of their brains, way more extensively than human’s olfactory system, though scientists do not fully understand the significance of this connectivity.
Andrews EF et al. (2022) Extensive Connections of the Canine Olfactory Pathway Revealed by Tractography and Dissection. Journal of Neuroscience 42 (33) 6392–6407; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2355–21.2022
Below are just a few things that Nose-Centric™ Dog Training and Rehabilitation has achieved with a variety of dogs in a short amount of time..
· Reduces fear and anxiety by encouraging a dog to assess its world appropriately.
· Builds trust in the human companion if the human partakes in speaking “sniff” with the dog.
· Teaches the dog to avoid conflict by using the dog’s natural avoidance communication of sniffing.
· Improves attention on handler therefore improving recall and guidance away from prey and other objects.
· Reduces alarm barking
· Encourages dog to remain in the thinking brain instead of the fight or flight, also known as the sympathetic, portion of their brain.
· Sniffing has the potential of increasing dopamine in the brain, naturally rewarding the dog for braver or less reactive behaviors.
Tipton, chihuahua and I sniffing coyote tracks after a snow
By combining Nose-Centric™ Dog Training and Rehabilitation with relationship-building methods, tools, and training techniques, we are following a truly holistic approach to our dog’s behavior improvement. When humans sniff with a dog, we are speaking the dog’s language. We acknowledge what is important to the dog, and, therefore, become more trustworthy and understandable to the dog.
By utilizing a dog’s sense of smell, we embrace how our canine companions see the world. When we use Nose-Centric™ methods, we pave the way for a happier, more fulfilled relationship with our dogs.
[i] Zaccaro, Andrea etal. Neural Correlates of Non-ordinary States of Consciousness in Pranayama Practitioners: The Role of Slow Nasal Breathing, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience (2022) https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2022.803904
[ii] Duranton C, Horowitz A, Let me sniff! Nosework Induces Positive Judgment Bias in Pet Dogs, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.12.009
[iii] Johnson, Natalie et. Al. Sniffing is Initiated by the Actions of Dopamine on Ventral 1 Striatum Neuronsdoi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.19.581052