Scatter Feeding

Helping your dog slow down, sniff, and settle

🧠 What this is?

Scatter feeding is a simple way to give your dog an outlet for natural foraging behaviour.

By spreading food out, your dog uses their nose to search, which helps slow them down and can have a really calming effect.

We’re not just feeding — we’re helping your dog engage their brain and settle their body.

When you might use this

  • Mealtimes

  • When your dog needs help settling

  • After exciting moments

  • As part of building calmer behavious

What you need

  • Your dog’s food or some small treats

  • A suitable space (indoors or outdoors)

🐾 What to do

  • Start easy - Begin indoors in a calm, distraction-free space. Scatter a small handful of food across the floor.

  • Add your cue - Use a consistent cue like “find it” as you scatter the food.

  • Let your dog explore - Allow your dog to move around and sniff the food out at their own pace. If they’re unsure, you can gently point to help them get started.

  • Keep it relaxed - There’s no rush, this should feel slow and calm.

👀 What you’ll start to see

  • Slower eating

  • More sniffing and searching

  • A calmer overall state

  • Less frantic behaviour around food

💭 If it feels hard

  • Try using more appealing food or starting in an even calmer space

  • Use a smaller area and scatter more widely to slow them down.

  • Bring it back indoors or reduce what’s going on around them

Building this up

Start in a calm indoor space where your dog can succeed.

Then gradually:

  • Increase the area you scatter across

  • Move into the garden

  • Use slightly more complex surfaces (e.g. grass)

As your dog becomes more confident, you can:

  • Scatter over larger spaces

  • Use areas where food is less visible

  • Introduce very simple hiding (e.g. under leaves)

👉 We’re building confidence first, then adding challenge

A quick note

This isn’t about making things difficult.

It’s about giving your dog a calm, natural activity that helps them slow down and feel more settled.

➡️ Next step

Once this feels easy, you can begin using scatter feeding in slightly more distracting environments or after more exciting moments.