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Seeking system – What is it, why should you care, what’s important (2025)


By Oliver, Dog Smart Training & Behaviour Ltd Originally published in 2018 | Updated with new science and insights in 2025


I was buzzing with excitement when I first wrote about the SEEKING system back in 2018. It’s one of the most fascinating emotional systems we share with our dogs—deeply tied to exploration, motivation, and learning. And since then? Well, the science has only got cooler, clearer, and even more relevant to everyday life with dogs.

So here we are: a fresh 2025 update, drawing on the latest research in affective neuroscience, behavior science, enrichment, and emotional health, blended with everything I’ve observed in the field since this was first written.

Let’s dive in (or seek it out, if you will).



🧠 What Is the SEEKING System?

The SEEKING system is one of the core emotional-motivational systems identified by neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp—a pioneer in affective neuroscience. He discovered that this system drives animals (and humans) to explore, discover, and pursue resources in their environment.

Stimulating this system in rats made them excitedly explore. In humans, it created a feeling of curious anticipation—a kind of “what’s next?” sensation. In dogs, it kicks in when they chase a ball, sniff along a trail, or perk up at the jingle of their lead.

👉 It’s not about the reward—it’s about the pursuit. That anticipation-driven dopamine rush is what keeps the system ticking.



🎯 The SEEKING System’s Role in Survival and Learning

Why does this matter?

Because the SEEKING system helps animals survive. It motivates:

  • Foraging and hunting

  • Territory mapping and orientation

  • Social exploration

  • Learning and problem-solving

  • Emotional regulation

It’s powered by dopamine, the neurotransmitter that tells the brain: “This is exciting. Keep going!” And it plays out in two phases:

  • 🧭 Appetitive phase – The pursuit (sniffing, scanning, searching)

  • 🥩 Consummatory phase – The reward (eating, playing, chewing)

Here’s the kicker: dopamine is released during the appetitive phase, not the consummatory. So it’s the seeking, not the getting, that really feels good.



💬 Real Life: Your SEEKING System Is Always On

If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling social media for no reason, or upgrading a perfectly functional phone, that’s your SEEKING system being expertly hijacked by modern life. Those little red notification dots? That’s not a design accident—it’s dopamine bait.

And it’s the same for dogs. Ball-obsessed dogs aren’t always chasing because they love the ball. They love the chase. And that’s where understanding this system becomes powerful.



🐶 SEEKING in Dogs: What It Looks Like

For dogs, the SEEKING system plays out in all sorts of ways:

  • Sniffing everything on a walk

  • Scavenging for food

  • Investigating new environments

  • Exploring textures, sounds, and objects

  • Tug, chase, fetch, flirt pole

  • Training and problem-solving tasks

  • Scanning the horizon or pacing

This isn’t just curiosity—it’s biology. And different breeds may have different SEEKING preferences based on their evolutionary purpose. Scent hounds? Olfactory SEEKING. Sight hounds? Visual tracking. Terriers? Tactile and auditory SEEKING through digging and rooting.



⚠️ What Happens When SEEKING Is Blocked?

Here’s the dark side: when dogs are prevented from expressing SEEKING, or when they get stuck in the appetitive phase with no payoff, it can lead to:

  • Frustration and stress

  • Compulsive behaviors (tail chasing, light or shadow chasing)

  • Overarousal and impulsivity

  • Lethargy and apathy (when dopamine levels are low)

🚫 Laser pointers are a prime example of how we can unintentionally frustrate the SEEKING system. They build huge anticipation (appetitive phase) but provide no reward (no consummatory phase), leading to dopaminergic dysregulation and sometimes obsessive behavior.

🔁 That’s why I always say: ditch the laser pens. If your kids have them and you have dogs—bin them. Please.



🧩 The Power of Enrichment and Exploration

The answer? Let your dog SEEK. Provide safe, healthy, and satisfying ways for them to pursue and discover.

Here’s what the latest research shows:

  • Scentwork increases emotional wellbeing and promotes optimistic cognitive bias (Duranton & Horowitz, 2019; 2023)

  • Problem-solving helps dogs build self-confidence and cope better with novelty and stress

  • Novel environments and objects trigger healthy dopamine release and satisfy exploratory needs

  • Free shaping supports cognitive engagement and lets the dog figure things out, lighting up that SEEKING system

🎒 Your dog’s walk shouldn’t just be a march—it should be an adventure.



🧠 Cognitive Health and Lifelong Learning

SEEKING isn’t just for puppies. Older dogs still benefit from training and enrichment, and recent research confirms that:

  • Dogs retain neuroplasticity into old age

  • Cognitive enrichment can delay the onset of cognitive dysfunction

  • Problem-solving tasks increase resilience and mental sharpness

  • Environmental complexity supports memory and reduces stress

So yes, you should teach your old dog new tricks. It keeps their brain young and gives them joy.


🧠 And it’s not just dogs—watch this incredible crow solving a classic water displacement puzzle. It’s a perfect example of the SEEKING system at work: the bird is exploring, testing, adjusting, and learning to access a reward through trial-and-error problem solving.


While your dog might not be dropping stones into tubes (yet!), the same core emotional system is firing when they figure out how to open a puzzle toy or dig out a buried treat. And that mental engagement feels just as good.



💡 Emotion and the SEEKING System

The SEEKING system also links into other emotional systems. When a dog is:

  • Afraid → they seek safety

  • Grieving → they seek comfort

  • Playful → they seek interaction

  • Angry → they seek an outlet

  • Aroused → they seek a mate

  • Curious → they seek novelty

Panksepp argued that the SEEKING system is the emotional engine behind all motivated behavior. It doesn’t turn off; it only fluctuates in intensity. That’s why understanding it is so important—it helps you support your dog’s needs and interpret their behavior more accurately.



✅ So, What Can You Do?

Let your dog use their body, brain, and senses in safe, fulfilling ways. Here’s a cheat sheet of SEEKING-friendly activities:

  • 🐾 Scent games – Hide treats, scatter food, or use commercial scent kits

  • 🧠 Shaping games – Reward little steps and let your dog figure things out

  • 🧩 Food puzzles – Use snuffle mats, Kongs, or slow feeders

  • 🌳 Wandering walks – Let your dog pick the path and sniff what they like

  • 🪵 Novel textures and surfaces – Logs, sand, rocks, long grass

  • 🗺️ New locations – Different walking routes or safe urban exploring

And don’t forget: you’re part of your dog’s social environment. Your presence, attention, and interaction are emotionally rewarding—especially when paired with play or exploration.


🐴 And it’s not just dogs that thrive on scentwork—check out this video of a horse engaging in olfactory enrichment. Just like dogs, horses have powerful noses and highly developed SEEKING systems. Watching them explore scent cues demonstrates how valuable these activities can be across species.



Whether you’re working with a terrier or a thoroughbred, the emotional benefits of SEEKING and scentwork are undeniable: improved confidence, emotional regulation, and joyful engagement.


🎓 Want to go deeper?Here’s a brilliant video from Karolina Westlund at Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting where she breaks down the SEEKING system in animals with clarity, science, and compassion. It’s a fantastic follow-up if you’re looking to understand the emotional-motivational systems in more detail—and how they affect training, enrichment, and welfare.



(Tip: You can also explore her other modules on animal emotion, stress reduction, and reward systems—highly recommended!)


🧡 Final Thought (2025 Edition)

When I first wrote this in 2018, I knew the SEEKING system was important. But after seven more years of working with dogs, studying the research, and learning from both science and experience—I can tell you this:


🔑 The SEEKING system is central to a dog’s emotional life. When it’s nurtured, dogs thrive. When it’s blocked, they struggle.

So let them seek. Let them sniff. Let them solve. Let them explore. It’s not just behaviour—it’s biology.

Train smart, bond tight, have fun.

—OliverDog Smart Training & Behaviour Ltd


📚 Reference List




 
 
 

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