Nosework
Sounds like plastic surgery; but for dogs, it is a fun activity, using their amazing noses. One of our dogs Scout, is a quirky fellow. He is pretty sensitive and shy, although he does love to play. He is a handy farm sheep dog, but he gets a bit distracted. He came into his own doing nosework. He loves searching for a scent, or food treats and will methodically work a room or outside space until he finds what he is looking for. When scout enters a room with his nosework harness on he means business.
Nosework is different to tracking, and is easier to setup. You can just do it at home, or as a competitive sport which is growing rapidly in popularity.
A few random links. It is not intended to be a definitive list, but an opportunity to read a bit more about nosework.
K9NWSource – Nosework supplies
Bringing training to heel
Whilst I am certainly not into harsh handling of dogs, or any animals for that matter, I am not convinced that 100% rewards based training is the idea either. I have never seen so many ill behaved dogs, dragging their owners around whilst only stopping occasionally to look up fondly into their owners face demanding yet more food. The following article from UNDARK is quite comprehensive and presents some different perspectives. I did find it interesting that the recall research cited, involved dogs on leads. This is usually a good starting point for recall, but true recall should be off lead to test a dog properly.
Punishment, Puppies, and Science: Bringing Dog Training to Heel