Top Activities For Bloodhounds

Introduction

Bloodhounds are the adorable big doggos also known as scent hounds, meaning that they primarily use their noses to hunt. They were bred for the hunting purposes, mainly for deer and boars, but they have proven to be quite useful in the search for missing people in many police cases. Their sense of scent is impeccable, making them fantastic tracking dogs, therefore, making it fun for them to look for things and retrieve missing items.

Scent Masking

Most Popular

1 Vote

Any Day

Cheap

Easy

30 - 60 min

Items needed

tennis balls

treats

bacon

Activity description

Nothing more fun than finding a needle in a haystack, right? Well, maybe not for us humans, but Bloodhounds love finding their missing toys among a million others. It is kind of poetic really, just like a man in love can see his wife among million other women, a Bloodhound can find their favorite tennis ball in a pile of other balls that do not have their scent on it. The game is relatively straight-forward, take your dog’s favorite tennis ball and hide it in the pile of newly opened ones, with no familiar scent on them. Then watch as your doggo’s powerful nose takes them to their favorite toy!

Step

1

Hide the ball

Take your dog’s favorite tennis ball and make a small mark on it so you can be sure that it is, in fact, the ball of the hour. You should play with your dog using this ball for a few days to make sure that the scent from your hands and their mouth is on it. Then, hide it in other, new balls with no smell on them.

Step

2

Retrieve and praise

Have your dog look for their favorite ball in the pile of new balls and encourage them to sniff around and retrieve their beloved toy. If the doggo picks the wrong ball, take it and place it somewhere else, letting them know that they got the wrong one. If needed, help them by pointing to the pile of tennis balls and encourage them to look for their particular ball. When they find it, give them a sweet treat and include a lot of praise.

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Find the Glove

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Cheap

Easy

1 hr

Items needed

glove

treats

Activity description

Since Bloodhounds are famous for their incredible tracking ability, you can use that as a setting for an exciting game of Find the Glove. Your dog is very familiar with your scent, having spent all their life with you, so using that fact, you can stage a lost and found inspired activity that will surely activate your dog’s incredible sense of scent. Using a glove or another item of clothing you have worn, you can allow your dog to enjoy themselves in trying to retrieve the lost object, making them feel proud when they do, and earning a delicious treat afterward.

Step

1

Scent the item

First of all, you need to make sure that the glove or another item of clothing has your scent on it. Wear it for a couple of days and make sure your dog sniffs it before you “accidentally” lose it. Try not to use the freshly washed clothes and accessories, as, even if they do have your scent on them, are not aromatized enough and may stay lost forever.

Step

2

Lose the glove

When you’re taking a walk with your pup, “lose” the glove somewhere in the grass. Hide it behind the tree, stash it among the rocks, or toss it in tall grass in the park. Make sure that your pup is aware of your lost item and that they have a general idea of the area where the object is lost.

Step

3

Find and retrieve

Finally, it is time for your Bloodhound to use their talents to find your missing glove! Point them to the general direction of the lost item and let them sniff around and follow the familiar scent of their owner. When they retrieve the glove, make sure to include a lot of praise and give them a tasty treat to make them realize how good of a dog they are!

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Scent Trail

Popular

0 Votes

Rainy Day

Cheap

Easy

45 - 60 min

Items needed

Treats

snacks

bacon

food

Activity description

When it’s rainy outside, and you and your Bloodhound are bored out of your brains, you can entertain one another by playing a game of Scent Trail. As you know, your dog’s nose is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to finding a delicious snack, so make your house into a playground by creating a little course of your own. Leave a trail of delicious scents that lead to the main prize, the tastiest snack your dog will ever taste! But make sure to keep it healthy! If the weather continues to be bad, you don’t want to add inches to your pup’s waist!

Step

1

Make a trail

Before you begin playing, plan well. Make an intricate scent trail around your house using various delicious treats and foods. Bacon is an excellent choice here, as you can smear some of the fat on the tiles and leave little bits of bacon all over the house. Otherwise, you can use dog treats to create a trail towards the main prize.

Step

2

Track!

Release the Kraken and let them follow the trail to the tasty snack that awaits at the end of the road. Your doggo will follow the scent, picking up the treats and licking off the smeared fat from the tiles, moving on to the next one until they reach the final destination. A big gift, in the end, is rewarding enough, but never forget to praise your dog for doing such a good job!

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More Fun Ideas...

Cup Game

To entertain your dog on a rainy day, play the cup game! Hide the treat under one cup, then shuffle it with two other ones and make them guess where the treat is!

Which Hand?

Similar to the cup game, place the treat in your hand and put them behind your back, shuffling the treat from one hand to another. Then, have your dog guess which hand has the gift!

Conclusion

Pluto, Napoleon from The Aristocats, Buddy from Cats & Dogs, and Bayard Hamar from Alice in Wonderland are the same Bloodhounds as your dear doggo. And just like these great pups, your dog is also a talented scent tracker, so you can use that supernatural ability as inspiration for your original games that you can play together. Your pup will always recognize your scent, so cherish that fact and provide them with lots of love, as they can help find you if you ever are lost somewhere in the great outdoors.