With a sense of smell hundreds of times stronger than man, dogs are perfect for sniffing out treasure. Gold is no exception. Except gold in its raw form really has no scent. At least not one we humans can decipher. However, gold sits in the ground and upon the ground in bodies of water surrounded by the smells of various metals, sulfides, and different types of rock. If you could train your dog to recognize those smells, could he lead you to gold? If you are one who pans for gold or searches for rocks that are filled with veins of gold, take your dog with you and see if he can find gold as well. Gold mining is a lucrative business that many companies around the world cash in on. Gold mining companies typically take a large area and suck the ground of everything they possibly can. Individual gold hunters will go to areas where small deposits might be found. This is where you and your dog may find your own little treasure.

Teaching your dog to mine for gold will be pretty advanced and he’ll need to have obedience commands already under his belt. Your dog will need to know to ‘come’ and to ‘heel’ along with the basic commands. He should be able to be free roaming off-leash and stay obediently by your side. At first, you will be searching for gold alongside your dog, and over time, as your dog gets used to the scents and smells around gold deposits, he may go off on his own and notify you when he has found his own golden treasure. Teaching him what gold is and what kind of area he will find it in, including water, will be your first steps. You can teach puppies and adult dogs to find gold, however, you are going to want a dog who has his nose to the ground and is interested in exploring the world around him, and following his senses.

To start looking for gold with your dog you are going to need to know where to go in your local area. You will also need gold panning materials, which for some can be as simple as a metal bowl or pan. A digging spade might also be useful. You should also take lots of treats with you. And, of course, to teach your dog what the surrounding area smells like, find rocks your dog can fit in his mouth that have the orange sulfide along the outside so he can learn what a typical quartz sulfide rock smells like.