Catnip Tennis Ball Game with River..

Kate Hart
Nov 6, 2022
4 min read

We've had a few days off this week, so we've been busy finishing the new workshop where we'll be hand making our own dog leads, longlines, collars and harnesses. Intrigued? Watch this space.. there's lots more information coming soon!

Still, all work and no play is dull - and as our free days are precious what better way to spend them than playing fun Scentwork games with River, using our new workshop as a novel search area. She loved it! I am rather in awe by what a clever girl she is! I mean, us humans pale into insignificance compared to the sheer amazingness of a dogs nose!

River enjoying "nosing"around our new workshop!

Scentwork is an incredibly rewarding activity for dogs, and let's face it.. what dog doesn't enjoy playing with a tennis ball, although I may possibly be biased with six labradors!

Why should we be playing Scentwork games with our dogs?

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell. Scentwork is quite simply mindfulness for dogs, benefiting all ages and abilities. Nosework helps puppies discover and gain confidence in the world, and gives the older, perhaps less mobile dog something to do which is fulfilling and stimulating. Scentwork is a great activity that you can do with your dog even those that might be struggling with a behaviour issue, such as over- reactivity or anxiety.

The beauty of the catnip tennis ball game is it takes a dog's love of balls, and transforms this into an intensely rewarding sniffing game. By harnessing their desire for a ball we are halfway there when teaching this game - we just need to add a sexy scent! For this I used catnip. It is an easy and strong scent to work with.

If you would like to have a go at using catnip with tennis balls, I have pulled together a little "how to" guide below..

What you will need..

Tennis balls - I am using fresh ones so they have the same odour to begin with
Airtight container - tupperware or you can use the tube the tennis balls are packed in
Loose Catnip - organic is best!
Couple of paper towels
Clicker or primed marker word
Your dog already has a "Find it" cue

Need more help on how to use a clicker or marker word? Click HERE to download your free guide. Click HERE to learn about the"find it" cue

Step by step guide to playing the game..

Step One..

Priming those balls! Place some loose catnip in the bottom of your container, then add a layer of kitchen paper between the catnip and tennis balls. You can add odour to a couple of the balls or maybe just one to start with. Close the container, and leave your ball with the catnip for a few hours or overnight.

Step Two..

Pair the odour source (catnip) with something good! This step is all about building on that positive association with the scent of catnip for your dog.

Start by presenting the scented tennis ball to your dog. When they sniff the ball - mark with a word such as "yes!" or use a clicker, then give your dog a yummy treat close to the tennis ball. You will probably need a number of short repetitions before your dog understands that nose close to (or on) the scented tennis ball means they get a treat! Remember to reward at the odour source.. i.e. a few inches from the scented tennis ball.

A note here, Scentwork, especially when it involves intense sniffing, is both mentally and physically stimulating for our dogs, so keep sessions to just a few minutes long to start with.

Step Three..

When we feel confident that our dog has built a positive connection with the catnip odour it's time to give the game a go and hide your tennis balls! Use a safe outside space such as your garden or inside your home, maybe the kitchen or living room?. Bring your dog into the search area and use your "find it" cue to encourage your dog to search for the hidden tennis balls. When they find each ball, praise and reward with food close to the ball. It doesn't matter if they want to bring the ball to you, just make sure you reward and calmly take the ball from your dog before hiding the ball again, or asking them to search for another hidden ball.

Upping your game..

Once you've had a go at hiding your scented tennis balls, you can up the difficulty level,

Place one of your unscented tennis balls, and the catnip ball around a foot apart. When your dog confidently checks out the scented ball, mark that behaviour and reward! If that is a bit too exciting, (And let's face it we are talking tennis balls here!) you can pop the balls under upturned flower pots with holes in the base, or even use small cardboard boxes.

Note .. if a tennis ball doesn't cut it with your dog, that's OK, a small soft toy will do, just make sure the scent article is big enough not to be a choke risk.

Some Fabulous Facts About Scentwork..

Your dog has up to 300 million olfactory receptors, compared to your 6 million! And the part of your dog's brain responsible for interpreting these is 40 times larger than ours!
Dogs smell in 3D... Just as we see in 3D. Our eyes see two slightly different pictures and our brain puts them together to make one picture. Dogs' nostrils can work independently and their brain puts the scents together to help them figure out where the smelly stuff is!
Dogs can smell the time, yes that's right, smell not tell! They can track the time from odours in the environment. For example as the sun makes its way over your house it will heat up the room at particular times of the day releasing odours. The movement of those odours is detectable to dogs. Genius!