It all started with a conversation. Today is one of those moments I most enjoy sharing with Love and Chloe.

There was a time when I knew virtually nothing about scent games.

It was my trainer who started telling me about them.

Until that moment I had never considered that using my nose could become a game.

When I started to investigate a little more, I understood something that caught my attention.

Dogs have spent their entire lives using their sense of smell to discover and understand the world around them.

It is their primary way of gathering information about everything that happens around them.

It was not an activity invented to entertain them.

It was something completely natural for them.

So we decided to try it.

And, without realizing it, it ended up becoming one of our favorite activities.

The first game was much simpler than I imagined.

I didn't buy any toys.

I didn't prepare anything complicated.

We simply hid some prizes in the grass and let Love find them at his own pace.

I remember staring at her.

I was in no hurry.

It only smelled.

I was looking for it.

I was following a trail.

And he enjoyed the whole process.

When he found the last prize, I thought it was over.

But he lifted his nose again and continued searching.

As if there were still some hiding.

I think that was the moment I understood that I wasn't just looking for food.

I was enjoying the process.

 

Over time, when we saw that they loved that, we started trying different games.

First, by hiding prizes around the house.

Then came the scent toys.

Not because the previous ones stopped working.

But because we wanted to continue offering them new challenges and new ways to play.

Today we continue to alternate between both things.

There are days when we simply hide some prizes on the lawn.

Others at home.

And others where we take out some of their favorite toys.

Love and Chloe don't play the same way.

I think one of the things I like most about living with two dogs is discovering that, even sharing the same house and the same routines, each one experiences things in a different way.

Love usually starts much faster.

He finds a prize and immediately wants to go for the next one.

Chloe, on the other hand, takes her time.

It's smelling very calmly.

As if he wanted to make sure he didn't leave any corner unexplored.

Both of them use their noses in an incredible way.

And they both enjoy it immensely.

If a game goes on for too long, they may get a little frustrated.

But even that has something beautiful about it.

Many times they raise their heads, look at me, and it seems as if they are asking me for help to continue searching.

That's when I understood that there isn't just one way to play either.

Just like us, every dog enjoys things in their own way.

Scent toys came later. And today they occupy a very special place in our routine.

For a while we only hid prizes on the lawn or around the house.

And, honestly, we're still doing it.

But over time we discovered that scent toys allowed us to create different challenges.

Some invite them to search among folds of fabric.

Others to lift small pieces.

Others hide the prizes in completely different ways.

Each one offers a different experience.

And that's why the game is never exactly the same.

Toys never replaced those early games on the grass.

They simply expanded the possibilities of continuing to enjoy the sense of smell in different ways.

There is a scene that is repeated almost every time.

I haven't even finished hiding the awards yet and Love is already completely focused.

With a stiff tail.

Eyes wide open.

Without missing a single detail of each movement.

Chloe, on the other hand, waits seated.

Very still.

Looking at me without looking away.

I make them wait.

And, when I give them the signal to start, it seems that for a few minutes nothing else exists.

Only them.

His nose.

And the desire to find the next prize.

When they end, almost the same thing always happens.

They both raise their heads and look at me.

As if they were telling me there's still another round to go.

And, to be honest, they're often right.

Today we use them in many different moments.

We don't play scent games every day.

But they do appear very often.

Especially in summer, when it's too hot to extend walks.

Or those rainy days when we spend more time at home.

Over time they ceased to be a plan B.

Today they are part of our routine throughout the year.

There are days when we simply feel like doing something different together.

And bringing out a scent toy always manages to capture all their attention.

When they finish, I notice they are relaxed.

Relax.

With that feeling of having truly enjoyed oneself.

And I think I enjoy watching them as much as they enjoy playing.

If someone told me today that I could only keep one type of toy for them, I think I would have a very clear idea.

I would keep a scent toy.

Not because it's the prettiest.

Not even the most striking one.

But also because, after all these years, it remains one of the games they enjoy the most.

And also one of the moments I most enjoy sharing with them.

I love seeing how Love finds one award and immediately starts looking for the next one.

Or how Chloe patiently continues to check every corner, convinced that there is still something hidden.

They are very small scenes.

But they remind me that many times you don't need to do great things to make them happy.

Perhaps that's why, after so much time, smell games continue to occupy such a special place in our lives.