Dog's Life/Challenges

Throughout the game there are a number of challenges which are triggered (and occasionally involve) collecting a certain number of scents via SOV. These challenges include contests with the local dog whom you must beat to take control of, and scent collections where you must collect a certain number of scents of one colour to receive a bone in the dog bowl.

Top Dog Contests
These are the contests which you will need to do to gain control of the local dog, which is required to complete many of the missions or tasks set by humans. They are triggered by collecting eight scents of a specific colour.

Dog Race
If you collect 8 green scents then you will be taken to part of the level. Jake will have to race the local dog along a trial of dog treats, collecting at least 50% of the treats AND crossing the other dog across the finish line to win. This also results in there being a number of shortcuts, because as long as you have over half the dog treats you can just run straight to the finishing line.

Tug-O-War
This is just a basic game of tug-o-war between Jake and the local dog. This sub-game is triggered by collecting 8 orange scents. You increase the strength of Jake's pull by pressing the psx: C button as fast as possible, and trying to pull the tiny ball in the middle of the string over the red line.

Fact: In the Mountain Slide area Jake can somehow beat the ST Bernard in this game.

Digging Challenge
Dogs are great at digging. If you collect 8 cyan (light blue) scents, you will be situated in front of a line of digging spots, which resemble the shape of scents in SOV. By pressing the psx: C button repeatedly at each digging spot (the same as digging for bones) you need to dig your way to the end of the trail and do it before the local dog!

Scent Marking (Peeing) Challenge
Collect 8 yellow scents and Jake and the local dog will appear next to a course with lots of scent marking spots (also resembling scents) and you need to capture areas to win the game. You can do this by urinating (by pressing psx: C) on all the spots around one of the shapes on the course, but at the same time the local dog will also be trying to capture areas, and can even pee on top of Jakes' to try and win. You can pee over theirs as well though. But you cannot 'recapture' areas, once an area has turned either red or blue, it will not change. The first dog to reach the required number of points (located at the bottom of the screen) wins.

Pursuit
Collect 8 pink scents, and you basically need to catch the local dog before the time runs out. There is a timer in the top left corner, and a distance meter (to tell you how far away you are from the local dog) at the bottom of the screen. It is easy to get the two meters mixed up if you don't know which ones which.

Scent Challenges
These challenges involve the collection of scents.

Purple Scents
In each area (apart from the Dog Pound and Finale,) there are 50 purple scents scattered throughout the level. Collect them all and a bone will appear in the dog bowl.

Note: Remember to press psx: R1 if you are missing some scents

Blue Scents
In some areas you will find 1 blue scent. If you collect it, a timer will appear in the top left corner, and another scent will appear nearby. Keep on collecting the scents, and with each scent you collect a bone will appear in the dog bowl.

Violet scents
This challenge is similar to the blue scent challenge. In some areas there will be 1 violet scent. Get it, but this time all the other violet scents will appear. Collect them all before the time runs out, receiving a little bit of extra time for each one, and you will get a bone in the dog bowl.

Doggy Do Challenge
This isn't really a top dog contest, but it does include the local dog. Collect 4 red scents and you will need to copy the doggy do moves of the local dog. If you make a mistake, you'll have to start over. If you make it through to the third round, the last move the local dog does will be a new begging move. Do every singly action correctly and you will learn the new beg and can beg for treats from some of the nicer characters.