Chapter Two: Emotional and Behavioral Benefits of Nose Work - SNIFF TO SOOTHE: Rewiring Neurobehavioral Patterns of Aggression, Anxiety, and Reactivity Through Structured Scent Work by Will Bangura

SNIFF TO SOOTHE: Rewiring Neurobehavioral Patterns of Aggression, Anxiety, and Reactivity Through Structured Scent Work by Will Bangura, M.S., CAB-ICB, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FDM, FFCP

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CHAPTER TWO: EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL BENEFITS OF NOSE WORK

In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking science behind why nose work is more than a game—it’s therapy. Drawing from Sniff to Soothe by Certified Canine Behaviorist Will Bangura, we explore how structured scent work helps reactive, anxious, and fearful dogs regain emotional balance and confidence. You’ll learn how sniffing activates the brain’s regulatory systems, builds impulse control, and fosters true behavioral healing. Discover how nose work rewires the canine brain from chaos to calm through agency, autonomy, and predictable success.

Perfect for dog trainers, veterinary behaviorists, and pet guardians, this episode reveals evidence-based insights from studies by Mellor et al. (2024) and Fountain et al. (2024), showing how scent work improves self-regulation, focus, and resilience in dogs struggling with reactivity, aggression, or separation anxiety.

We explore how scent work turns dysregulation into choice, using brain science and real cases to show dogs moving from panic to problem solving. Juno and Bear’s stories anchor the research while we map practical ways to help reactive, anxious, high-energy, and separation-anxious dogs find calm through autonomous searching.
• reactivity reframed as dysregulation, not disobedience
• scent work building inhibitory control, persistence, and independence
• Juno choosing to sniff over reacting in real life
• shifting from limbic hijack to prefrontal processing
• replacing scanning with searching to reduce trigger salience
• using searches as emotional buffers during exposure
• predictable success growing confidence and reducing handler dependence
• aggression cases gaining a pause button and task focus
• Bear moving from guarding to searching through ritual and agency
• high-energy dogs learning to downshift and sustain focus
• fearful dogs regaining control through low-pressure exploration
• separation anxiety supported with pre-departure and independent searches
• moving from insight to implementation with safe, breathable environments

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1. Why Reactivity Is Dysregulation (00:00:00)

2. Scent Work As Therapy (00:00:40)

3. Juno Chooses To Sniff (00:02:52)

4. From Reacting To Thinking (00:04:51)

5. Changing What Dogs Notice (00:06:16)

6. Empowerment Without Exposure (00:07:42)

7. Confidence Through Predictable Success (00:09:06)

8. Aggression Reframed And Scent Tools (00:10:16)

9. Bear’s Turning Point (00:11:46)

10. High Energy Dogs And Downshifting (00:14:06)

11. Quiet Courage For Fearful Dogs (00:16:16)

12. Separation Anxiety And Autonomy (00:18:04)

13. From Insight To Implementation (00:21:12)