Why Every Dog Needs Nose Work: New Study Reveals Surprising Benefits

A newly published study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science suggests that scent work—or nose work—may offer dogs unique benefits that go beyond traditional obedience training. The findings won’t replace the value of teaching basic manners, but they do reinforce the notion that allowing dogs to use their remarkable sense of smell is good for their emotional well-being and opens new pathways for learning.

Researchers randomly assigned pet dogs and their owners to either a four-week positive reinforcement obedience course or a four-week scent work (sometimes called nose work) class. Before and after the courses, investigators evaluated the dogs using standardized behavioral questionnaires, a human-animal bond assessment, and a judgment bias test—a tool scientists use to measure optimism or pessimism in animals, which is considered an indicator of emotional welfare.

Researchers concluded that both activities benefited dogs, but scent work appeared to provide unique quality-of-life benefits that traditional obedience classes alone did not.

Obedience 101 vs Scent Work

Both dog groups appeared to benefit from participating in positive reinforcement classes. Dogs in the obedience classes became significantly more trainable according to their owners, and the study found improvements in measures associated with positive emotional states. In other words, simply engaging in reward-based training appears to help dogs feel better overall.

The scent work dogs, however, showed something different. While they didn’t outperform the obedience dogs on traditional behavioral measures, their owners were significantly more likely to report that their dogs’ overall quality of life had improved after completing the scent work program. That finding suggests there may be something uniquely rewarding about allowing dogs to do what evolution designed them to do best—follow their noses.

A dog’s nose is thousands of times more sensitive than our own and living with that innate ability is to us mere humans. In everyday life, dogs naturally gather information through scent, learning about other animals, people, and minuscule changes in their environment, all of which goes beyond our abilities to detect. Yet many pet dogs spend much of their day walking at their owner’s pace, often discouraged from stopping to sniff.

This research adds scientific support to the idea that sniffing isn’t simply a distraction—it’s a form of mental enrichment.

The authors caution that scent work isn’t a substitute for obedience training. Teaching reliable cues such as “come,” “leave it,” and polite leash manners remains essential for safety and daily living. Instead, the findings suggest the two activities complement one another. Obedience develops communication between dog and guardian, while scent work allows dogs to exercise their most extraordinary natural ability which impacts neurotransmitters in a way which we are only beginning to understand.

Always Positive Reinforcement and Only Positive Reinforcement

The study also underscores the importance of using positive reinforcement regardless of the activity. Every dog in the study participated in reward-based classes rather than punishment-based training, and the researchers concluded that positive training itself appears beneficial for canine welfare.

For pet owners, the practical takeaway is simple. Consider giving your dog opportunities to sniff during walks instead of hurrying from point A to point B, literally to stop and smell the roses. Hide treats around the house or yard and encourage your dog to “find them.” And/or enroll in a scent work class, where dogs learn to locate specific odors through increasingly challenging searches. Dogs enjoy this activity, and as importantly so do dog brains.

This study suggests that letting dogs use the nose nature gave them could be one of the easiest ways to enrich their lives while strengthening the bond we share with them.