Dog scent training can be achieved without the use of a professional trainer, by using a number of scent markers and techniques. Dogs naturally sniff anything they come in contact with. By using this fact, a dog owner can train his dog. Scent discrimination is a natural instinct, used by dogs to determine what other dogs were in their territory and whether this dog was a male or female. This is especially important for dogs, since they defend their territory from other dogs or animals and in the case of males, in finding a mate.
Introduce a New Dog
A dog owner can use this natural instinct to introduce a new dog into the home. The owner must pet the new dog to transfer the new dog's scent onto the owner's hands. Then the owner must allow the previous dog to sniff his hands and in doing so, the new dog's scent. The owner then needs to do the same with the previous dog, bringing his scent to introduce the new dog to his new playmate.
This routine needs to repeated several times before actually letting the two dogs meet. In this way, neither dog will label the other dog as an intruder. There will still be the determination of which dog is the top dog, which will play itself out over the course of time. Usually the older dog assumes this position; however, over the course of time and as a puppy (if that is the case) grows up, that may change.
Scent Articles
Scent training can also be used in "potty training" a dog, especially a puppy. There are scented potty-training mats available on the market that "tell" a puppy this is the place to relieve himself. These mats are scented and made of paper and plastic to absorb the urine, but prevent it from spreading outside of the mat, much the same way that diapers work.
A dog can also be taught to retrieve articles using the scent technique. The dog owner just rubs his hands on the item to transfer his scent. After letting the dog sniff the item, the owner can throw it a short distance and tell the dog to retrieve it or "get it". If the dog does not respond, the owner can pick up the article and try again. Some dogs do not retrieve well, so this technique won't work for all breeds. Sometimes a treat inside the article will entice the dog to retrieve it. This exercise must be made into a game, so that the dog is interested and responds accordingly.
Hunting Dogs
Some dogs are natural retrievers and are used in the sport of hunting. There are natural game scents available on the market to apply to decoys. These can be used to train a dog to retrieve game birds, such as duck, dove, pheasant, pigeon, goose, grouse and quail, as well as rabbit. Training requires retrieving the decoy on command, and it takes some time for a dog to master the task.