Animal training aids and toys

Abstract

The invention provides an animal training aid or toy for use in scent based animal training or activities. The aid or toy comprises: a housing comprising an interior cavity configured to contain a scented material that releases substantially no scent that is desirable to the animal in an unactivated state and releases a scent that is desirable to the animal in an activated state; one or more vents on an external surface of the housing, each vent in communication with the interior cavity so that a scent from the scented material can be released from the interior cavity to the exterior of the housing where it can be detected by the animal; and an activator for activating the scented material from the unactivated state to the activated state, the activator being operable from the external surface of the housing.

1 . A scent disk, comprising:
 a disk-shaped cardboard substrate;   a plurality of rupturable microcapsules disposed on the disk-shaped cardboard substrate, each of the rupturable microcapsules encapsulating a liquid or oily material containing a volatile scent; and   an outer coating covering the plurality of rupturable microcapsules, wherein the outer coating is abradable to remove selected portions of the outer coating and rupture selected rupturable microcapsules, thereby releasing the volatile scent from the ruptured microcapsules.   
     
     
         2 . The scent disk of  claim 1 , wherein the disk-shaped cardboard substrate is annular. 
     
     
         3 . The scent disk of  claim 1 , wherein the cardboard substrate has a radial axis, a central through-opening, and a plurality of concave edges that define the perimeter of the cardboard substrate, and the central through-opening is spaced apart from each of the concave edges in the plurality of concave edges along the radial axis. 
     
     
         4 . The scent disk of  claim 1 , wherein the cardboard substrate has a radial axis, a central through-opening, a first perimeter section, and a second perimeter section, and the second perimeter section comprises a key section that projects away from the first perimeter section and the central through-opening along the radial axis. 
     
     
         5 . The scent disk of  claim 1 , wherein the volatile scent is attractive to selected animals. 
     
     
         6 . The scent disk of  claim 5 , wherein the selected animals are dogs. 
     
     
         7 . The scent disk of  claim 6 , wherein the scent is one selected from the group consisting of chicken, beef, bacon, ham, and salmon. 
     
     
         8 . The scent disk of  claim 1 , wherein the volatile scent is a pheromone. 
     
     
         9 . A scent disk, comprising:
 a disk-shaped absorbent substrate;   a plurality of rupturable microcapsules disposed on the disk-shaped absorbent substrate, each of the rupturable microcapsules encapsulating a liquid or oily material containing a volatile scent that is attractive to selected animals; and   an outer coating covering the plurality of rupturable microcapsules, wherein the outer coating is abradable to remove selected portions of the outer coating and rupture selected rupturable microcapsules, thereby releasing the volatile scent from the ruptured microcapsules.   
     
     
         10 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the disk-shaped absorbent substrate is annular. 
     
     
         11 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the absorbent substrate comprises one selected from the group consisting of cardboard, card, ceramics, zeolites, porous plastics, foams, and sponges. 
     
     
         12 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the substrate has a radial axis, a central through-opening, and a plurality of concave edges that define the perimeter of the cardboard substrate, and the central through-opening is spaced apart from each of the concave edges in the plurality of concave edges along the radial axis. 
     
     
         13 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the substrate has a radial axis, a central through-opening, a first perimeter section, and a second perimeter section, and the second perimeter section comprises a key section that projects away from the first perimeter section and the central through-opening along the radial axis. 
     
     
         14 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the selected animals are dogs. 
     
     
         15 . The scent disk of  claim 14 , wherein the scent is one selected from the group consisting of chicken, beef, bacon, ham, and salmon. 
     
     
         16 . The scent disk of  claim 9 , wherein the scent is a pheromone.