Agility is a fantastic confidence builder. Going through tunnels and over jumps helps dogs think through what you want and execute it. This helps build an independent thinker, and a dog who can learn how to make good choices on their own.

Barn Hunt is an exciting and rapidly growing dog sport that taps into your dog’s natural instincts to search and locate hidden rats. It's designed to be fun, mentally stimulating, and accessible for dogs of all breeds and ages.

Barn Hunt Benefits:

Mental stimulation:  Engages your dog’s natural instincts and their ability to analyze the situation and find the scent.

Physical exercise:  Barn Hunts are a mashup of agility obstacles and nose work games. The dog will go through tunnels and up and over hay bales to find the scent of the rat.

Behavior improvement:  Barn Hunts provide an outlet for your dog’s natural instincts to shine and an opportunity to use its problem-solving skills, all wrapped up in a structured event that improves behavior, reduces anxiety, and builds impulse control.

Bonding: Barn Hunts provide an opportunity for you to strengthen the bond with your dog through teamwork and communication.

This sport especially benefits hunting dogs by improving their ability to search for scent. All dogs can enjoy and benefit from the sport.

Both Nina Ottosson puzzles by Outward Hound and snuffle mats are fantastic tools for enriching your dog’s life. They provide mental stimulation, help alleviate boredom, and can even reduce anxiety.

Nina Ottosson puzzles by Outward Hound are designed to challenge your dog’s mind and encourage problem-solving skills. They come in various difficulty levels, catering to dogs of all intelligence levels.

Snuffle mats mimic the natural foraging behavior of dogs, encouraging them to use their sense of smell to find hidden treats. They are excellent for slowing down fast eaters, providing mental stimulation, and reducing anxiety.

This is exposing the dog to specific stimuli that would normally trigger it, and works the dog through the process of letting that trigger go.

This is not flooding.

This is a process in which we build the dog up to a point where, when brought to an area where the trigger is the greatest, the dog has already had enough exposures at a lower level to have built new habits and be fully ready for that last step. This training is powerful and truly builds a strong association and lets the dog fully let go of its trigger.

Take your dog to as many new places as possible. Exposure to new sights, sounds, and smells helps open their mind and builds confidence.

Why It’s Important

Builds confidence – The more experiences your dog successfully navigates, the more self-assured it becomes.

Reduces fear-based behaviors – Dogs afraid of the unknown are more likely to bark, lunge, or shut down. Exposure helps normalize the world.

Improves adaptability – Dogs that experience a variety of environments handle change (travel, moving, vet visits) better.

Strengthens the human–animal bond – Exploring together builds trust and connection.

Tips for Safe and Positive Exposure
• When allowing your pup or dog to greet people, allow your dog to choose to engage—never force it!
• Pair new experiences with high-value treats, a game of tug, or their favorite toy/game.
• Keep sessions short and fun. Always end on a positive note.
• Watch for signs of stress: lip licking, yawning, full-body shake-offs, wide whale eyes. In order for the dog to be experiencing stress,it should show at least two or more signs.
• Praise calm, curious behavior, and always allow the pup or dog to explore things it may be uncomfortable with but is showing curiosity about. Don’t talk; just let its curiosity expand.