Working from home and need your dog to stay put for a while? One dog owner has found a simple hack to keep your dog entertained in a viral video shared on TikTok.
Klaudia Soltys, a 24-year-old social media manager based in the outskirts of London, the U.K. capital, told Newsweek that she came up with the "perfect solution" for how to keep her two beagles, 4-year-old Kiki and 2-year-old Koko, occupied during the daytime.
Soltys recently shared her tip in a viral video posted from @beagleskiko, the TikTok account of Kiki and Koko, which has had over 289,000 views since it was posted on August 24. The clip was also shared from the Instagram account of the same name, where it has 429,000 views at the time of writing.
The footage shows Soltys throwing a handful of frozen peas onto a back garden to keep her two "crazy beagles" busy during the day. The pups are seen sniffing around the garden in search of the peas.
She told Newsweek: "At first, I started throwing treats around, but beagles are prone to gaining weight so I needed something low-calorie. That's when I came up with peas. They're small, they're extremely low in fat. It was the perfect solution, and both Kiki and Koko love veggies.
It's not surprising that the beagles in the latest clip were occupied by the sniff search because the sense of smell is a principal "sensory modality" for dogs, said a January 2020 study published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology.
Our canine friends have 60 times as many smell receptors as humans and 40 times as much brain power devoted to smell, according to Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a staff veterinarian at New York City's Animal Medical Center. This enables dogs to differentiate 30,000 to 100,000 scents, she explained in a June 2021 article for the American Kennel Club.
Research has shown that dogs' heightened sense of smell can allow them to sniff out even various health conditions, from cancer and seizures to stress.
The 'Perfect Solution'
Soltys said she needed to find a way to keep her dogs entertained because they got "very bored" during the day when they couldn't go for walks.
She noted: "Kiki is mainly the lazy one, she likes to sleep all day. Koko on the other hand is very energetic and never stops, she has energy throughout the whole day.
"In summer, some days got so hot that we weren't able to take them on a walk until the evening once the temperatures dropped, otherwise high temperatures are dangerous to walk your dogs in," the dog owner explained.
Soltys said her beagles used to have "snuffle mats" to keep them occupied, but they were "just too easy for them," as the pups would manage to locate all the treats in the mat within around five to 10 minutes.
"Beagles have very strong noses...so I needed an extra large snuffle mat to keep them busy for longer—the garden," she said.
Several TikTok users loved the tip in the latest viral clip.
User @itsjacksonsworld said: "thank you I've done this with other foods but never thought of using peas before."
User kimberlychaas said it was "genius!" and jmco27 agreed, saying "What a great idea!"
User gkouris73 noted: "I gotta try this. Brilliant!"
Lucas said: "You are actually so helpful and amazing this has helped me and my family relax for a bit."
Do you have a pet-related tips to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your advice could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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