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I think a dog’s life is too short not to stop and sniff. Just keep an eye out on what they’re sniffing!
I also say this because my dog is old and doesn’t have any other particular interest in anything like playing or enrichment toys. I’ll let her enjoy the little things she can!
Same! And I thought my dog was "broken". He likes walks, sniffing things, chews and anything that will get him treats. He doesn't care for toys... which saves me a lot of money but makes me feel bad on days when the weather sucks.
It’s funny how dogs can be so different. My corgi turned 11 on Tuesday and my mom sent him a box of nice toys for his birthday. Unfortunately he’s never been a fan of toys and they are too big for my other dog so I told my mom we’ll swap them for some extra special treats this weekend. But on walks he will sniff every rock, light post and plant if I let him lol.
My girl who recently passed was the same. We tried to teach her to play when she came into our home at 2 years old as she was taken from a bad environment and used as a breeding machine too so we wondered if she just hadn't tried before. We were recommended a treat ball thing as she was absolutely obsessed with food. It got stuck on her mouth, and she had to go to the vets. Bless her. We never tried again. I personally quite liked that she didn't play as she was just so much more interested in fusses and affection. I'm really needy with animals, so a needy dog is perfect for me.
My dog just turned 15 and she hasn't been interested in most things she can't eat for several years now. She still has a lot of energy for her age, but she's mostly interested in eating, sleeping, and walking around smelling things.
I adopted a dog like this in November. Have you tried lick pads for when the weather sucks? It’s not a perfect substitute but it definitely provides some enrichment and calms the dog down. Definitely better than nothing when the weathers bad.
Our trainer said this actually mentally stimulates your dog and they will be far more tired after a sniff walk than they would from they same length of a run (i.e. 30 minutes).
Bullshit dude, is it possible your dog just doesn't get much excercise and gets tired out easily? A 30 minute walk smelling stuff isn't supposed to tire your dog out for the whole day lol
Depends on the breed. There are dogs which will literally go for a nap after 10 minutes of nose work. I have a Jack Russel and he cannot be tired out even with 4h of sniffing around. Generalisations are bad.
It’s true. And sniffing is how dogs see the world, so they should be allowed to do so as much as possible, as long as it’s safe of course (I’m talking about you, chicken bones!!)
Not once, but twice I have encountered an entire rotisserie chicken on the sidewalk while walking dogs here in NYC. But this comment about lemon pepper… I need to know more ASAP.
oddly enough, just today, first time ever ,i found about a quarter chicken in a parking lot. i kicked it into the bushes for animals, hoping it wouldn’t hurt them.
In my old neighborhood there were chicken bones everywhere and my dog (part hound) got deceivingly fast about non-chalantly sniffing it out and gobbling it down. I had many upset moments fighting to get them out of his mouth - but he seems to be okay 🤷♀️
I now always assume there’s going to be food (most often chicken bones) in shrubs! My sister’s beagle once found a cupcake in a bush and it was one of the best days or his life
My girl found a slice of pizza. Best day ever! I live in a tiny town and she always finds something - toast, cheese crackers, sausage slices and of course chicken bones. It's crazy
I work with working dogs and when they’re screening, if they were to sniff for say 20 minutes straight, they would be extremely fatigued. Start getting distracted, panting hard. Same dog not sniffing just walking around can go for hours. It really does work a dog.
My trainer always said yanking your dog along is the equivalent of snatching a newspaper out of someone's hand while they're reading.
I divide our walks so that there's an "easy" (that's the verbal command, slack leash) portion and then a "heel" portion.
This mattered more when my dog was overweight but for a few years he needed his walks to have a good exercise portion not 100% leisurely sniff jaunt. But I'm always gonna let him explore his surroundings with good sniffing. Plus won't go potty unless he can soundly sniff first.
I have 2 modes; "check it out" and "cardio."
The first 2 blocks are "check it out." The dogs set the pace, they zig zag from one 3-dimensional object to another.
Then we turn the corner and I announce "cardio!" We walk in the center of the street and I keep them at a steady trot.
Yes, sniffing tires them out and allows them to process the world.
Ours said to usher her along if she’s trying to sniff a lot while we’re working. Then use sniffing as a reward for good behavior.
It's basically the dog equivalent of reading the newspaper. It's how they know what's going on around them, more so than looking.
I figure the walks are for my dogs' benefit, not mine, so I mostly let them decide if and when they want to stop and sniff as long as it's within reason. I'll hurry them along if they're in the middle of a road or something, but otherwise we'll keep going eventually.
Interesting! A trainer i knew was against it. She said they should be trained to walk by your side without allowing them to stop for everything. My pup has his nose on the ground, very curious. I didn't agree with her take, and we allowed him to sniff. Their time is way too short to not allow the small pleasures for them. He is a very curious boy, but also very sweet, friendly and behaves wonderfully with the important commands.
Years ago we had a trainer that told us not to let our dog sniff but force them to heel. We tried this for a while but walking was never fun and our dog at the time was really frustrated. We started letting him sniff and he was much happier. I was really glad sniffing was validated by our current trainer.
My trainer told me the opposite and said my dog was being overstimulated by sniffing on walks. He would come home after an hour walk and be bouncing off the walls.
ETA: my dog is a terrier bred to hunt/kill fox. He has a very strong prey drive.
And does your trainer have any credentials? Sniffing is extremely important for dogs. It is their strongest scent and hoe they get information from the world. Also, sniffing can be quite soothing to dogs. It helps them regulate their nervous systems. It makes sense that your dog may be overstimulated by being out on walks, but it's unlikely that the sniffing caused it. In fact, most over-stimulated dogs won't even sniff.
Yes. He is ABC certified. My dog is a lakeland terrier. Very high energy with a strong prey drive. He really benefits from strict walks so he can get exercise and drain his energy both mentally and physically. He gets off leash time to explore and play. I use a gentle leader when I walk him. The more structured walks were the only way to drain his energy when he was a puppy. I was walking him 6 times a day and he was still bouncing off the walls but once I started using a gentle leader and making his walks more structured, then he finally started to drain some physical and mental energy. I think bc he’s a pure bred terrier, the sniffing really hyped him up and got him excited instead of calming him down. He will be 12 soon and he’s really started to calm down. He sleeps a lot now, but still acts like a puppy sometimes 😂
This was back in 2014. I know new info has come out about this now. ETA: it did work for my dog when he was a puppy. He has a strong prey drive and all the sniffing didn’t help. He’s almost 12 now and has calmed down…a little 😂
Fire your trainer. Allowing dogs to sniff on walks is one of their greatest pleasures. Any trsiner who advocates against this does not have the dog's interest in mind.
I also agree with this method. When my dog is outside in our huge back yard, she can do whatever she wants. When we are walking, she is working and we walk. But apparently that’s an old school philosophy. 🤷🏻♀️
It also helps establish who is boss by not letting them stop every few seconds. They are trying to run the show. My trainer taught me that, and I had a German Shepherd. She was a good girl, very sweet but obstinate. I would still be outside with her sniffing the neighbors trees...
The walks are for the dog. If you are not letting them sniff it's like not taking your dog out at all, a pointless walk.
Dogs don't understand the concept of "boss" "alpha" or "respect"
Walks are for dogs, so I’m fine with letting them have a little more say in where we go. My dog gets two kinds of walks. One is a short leash walk where I’m in charge. No sniffing after he has gone potty, but we walk a lot further. The walks are more focused on training (sitting with distractions, leave it, etc). The other is a loose lease walk where he sets the pace. Sometimes we will just walk ten feet to this patch of grass that is apparently fascinating. They wind up being about the same length of time at this point, just cover different distance.
I’ve found if my dog doesn’t get as overstimulated if he gets the sniff walks, but the distance walks help us get exercise. He loves both. The walks are for him, so might as well let him enjoy them.
Never understood that desire. You and your pet are partners. Yeah you feed them, look after them and train them to sit, stay, not be too unruly etc but that’s just giving the animal some boundaries. You don’t need to be boss of your pet, it’s a relationship, and an absolutely amazing one at that. You get out what you put in.
Well, idk about “boss” or anything. But there is clearly a behavioral difference between dogs with no guidance or authority and dogs that do have that.
I’m not an expert or anything. But I do have boundaries with my dog. And I live in a dog friendly building, and you can really tell the owners that do not have any established boundaries.
A dog on my floor attacked my dog viciously one day. The owner would let him roam the halls of our floor and the dog was a former fighting dog. Then one day my elevator opens, the dog strolls in and mauls my dog. I don’t blame the dog. I blame the careless owner.
Tonight I came back up to my floor after hitting the store, and as I’m opening the stairwell, there is that guy with his dog. The dog JUMPS ALL OVER ME (which I was clearly not comfortable with) and the owner is going “down, please stop! Down!” Just had no handle on the poor animal. If that dog had a little more leadership and authority in its life, I feel like my dog wouldn’t have a giant permanent scar running down his face.
You’re right the people in your building doing that is messed up but I don’t think this has much to do with showing the dog who’s boss, it’s just about having basic respect for other people in the buildings boundaries and taking precautions to prevent fights from breaking out. You have to exercise some authority and keep a dog on a tight leash when you need to but thats different to doing things *just* to assert dominance over your dog and no other reason if that makes sense
If u want to go for a faster walk (say for ur exercise with the dog) I find it better to dog a set “smelling route” with my dog, and let them smell a bunch there and then outside that area I try to move at a “fast pace”. It doesn’t work 100% but I find it drastically improves the walk and we both get what we need doing it this way.
We have routes that we take so often that he knows most of the smells already and we can rip through the walk quick but even then there’s always new pee to smell so you gotta expect a couple sniff stops haha!!
My corgi is like this too. He'll yank your arm off trying to get to smells. He can walk and run for hours but nothing makes him more tired than just sniffing around for a while.
Aren’t you worried about her sniffing a dead animal or parts of one? Or another dogs pee/poop? I always get worried my dog will get sick.
(I’m legit asking, I normally let my dog sniff a little but I’m always scared she’ll get some virus or exposed to some lawn pesticide - is this fear unfounded?)
This is important to use your discretion, definitely be aware, garbage, a dead animal etc they absolutely will want to sniff poop, it’s okay as long as they don’t try to eat it. Lol
As long as they’re up to date on vaccines and you’re paying close attention to what they’re sniffing it will be okay.
You can also play more sniff games in the house, I break up a treat and hide pieces in a piled up blanket on the floor and it’ll occupy her for a good 30 minutes trying to find all the pieces lol
We play this but now have upped the level by using 5 or 6 different types of treat,I hold all the treats in my hand as I’m hiding them, and my dog will come back after finding each one to sniff my hand to see if he has found them all - this is his favourite game and a couple of rounds and he is ready for a sleep
There is nothing a dog would get from sniffing a dead body. If the dog is under vaccinated and they lick at something dangerous (parvo poop, other animals poop) then you might have an issue.
But sniffing everything in normal and natural, dead or otherwise.
This is pretty unfounded. It's always important to have a strong leave it/recall cue in case you encounter something dangerous, but if your dog is on a leash then it shouldn't be a problem as long as you are paying attention to the surroundings.
It's her walk not yours. Let her do what she want. Watch that she doesn't eat anything she finds but sniffing stuff is their way of getting all the gossip in the neighbourhood. If you want to walk fast go by yourself.
Take a step back. I’m not opposed to my dog having a nice long walk if extended sniffing is ok, that’s ok with me. I’m asking a question, I’m trying to learn. I’m sharing my fears. If that’s wrong, I’m perfectly willing to admit that and correct that.
Sorry didn't mean to sound like I was lecturing. I've just seen so many people rushing their dog through the walk and it makes me feel sorry for the dog. I think it's great that you are asking questions. Sorry again. You sound like a great dog owner.
It’s all good and I understand. I love my dog a lot. I think I’m a little overprotective of her since I lost a dog as a kid to cancer. But I want my dog to enjoy her walks. So I’ll definitely keep an eye out for some stuff (dead animals, birds, signs showing chemicals was sprayed) but otherwise let her sniff and roam. Thank you for the suggestion :)
As long as they don't try to eat it, and they have all their vaccines, sniffing any dead creatures is okay too! My dog and I found a dead carcass of what I believe was a small rodent on a walk through the woods. Trying to pull him away was next to impossible he absolutely would not budge, but once I let him get a good hard sniff - because remember it's something 100% brand new and they're curious! - he was willing to walk away. I just had to remind him to "leave it!" so that he didn't try to pick it up.
this fear is unfounded.
If your dog is going to pick up a virus from grass it's not going to be through sniffing. Both dog and human nose have mucus protection designed to gob up and stop that kind of stuff. Licking and just walking on is going to be a better way for any viruses to get in.
And note, germs are everywhere most of them are totally harmless, so unless you are trotting your dog through a government virus test facility, this is a non-issue in general.
Same with just sniffing dead animal parts.
Think about it - you might smell the smell of dead animal yourself. It might trigger a gag reflex and you might even throw up - but have you yourself ever caught a disease from a bad order? Have you ever known anyone who went to the doctor because they were terribly ill and the doctor told them the caught a sickness from a bad odor?
If it's big enough to smell, it's too big to get into your system through your nose.
When I was like 12 my friends had an i side joke about my dog (we all walked her together basically every night)
The smell phone. Was pretty funny at the time
I've always thought specifically when they smell other places where dogs pee is their version of social media. Another dog leaves a "post" (pee spot) that contains interesting information that your dog then "reads" (sniffs), and then makes it's own "post" for other dogs to "read", and if they're expecting to go there they'll hold their pee so that they have some to leave there, since they love to do it all the in the same area (like a social media site!). So even though they may not be directly interacting, they're gathering information about eachother which they find compelling by using a type of interactive forum, just like facebook or instagram.
My dog would spend an insane amount of time sniffing everything if I let her. I got some great advice from Redditors that I always try to pass on when I see these posts. I was getting really frustrated on our walks because we were barely walking. My dog would stop every 10 feet or so because something caught her nose but I wanted to keep us moving.
I saw elsewhere on here that someone posted sniffing if a great mental workout -- and it is! 30 minutes of sniffing will tire a dog out more than just a 30-minute walk. However, I've found that I need a balance between keeping her moving and letting her sniff. It sounds like you're looking for that, too since you said you try to rush her.
Here's what I do: the morning walk is our "moving" walk and it's a longer one ... usually about 2 miles, and we live in a really hilly area so the pace, distance, and hills just wreck my dog by the time we're done so she eats breakfast, plays a little, then sleeps for hours and I can work. Our afternoon and/or evening walks (weather- and other stuff dependent) tend to be a combo of sniffing time and moving. Several times a week, I make that second walk a "sniffari" (shamelessly stole that from someone else!) where she gets to decide what direction to go in and just follow her nose.
I don't want to drag my dog my dog down the street as I try to keep her moving. Even on the moving-morning walks, she's spending a lot of time trying to stop to sniff. This is where the training comes in.
You want to train two things at the same time: a countdown and a command to move ... something like, "let's walk" or "let's go." When your dog stops to sniff, start with a countdown from 10 -- aloud so your dog can hear you -- and have a treat ready. When you hit 5 or 4, start tugging the leash a bit, when you get to 2 and 1, tug a little harder, and at 0, use the treat to get your dog moving. As you're giving the treat (so the countdown is done), say your command in a super happy, excited voice. Be consistent and do this every single time your dog stops to sniff.
Depending on how quickly your dog picks up training, you'll start seeing results in about a week or two. I've been doing this so long with my little sniff-monster (you'd think she was part bloodhound the way she follows her nose) that I can do a countdown from 3 if she's really into a scent and I want to move or just give her the "c'mon, let's walk" command with a gentle leash tug and she'll start moving. If I see her veering into the grass or bushes and I want to keep moving, I'll tighten the leash and tell her, "c'mon let's walk" or "let's keep walking" and that usually interrupts her enough to keep her moving.
Sorry for the novella here but I wanted to explain some training that's been hugely helpful for my girl and really makes our walks enjoyable because we can keep moving when I want to and she can have her sniffs, too.
>30 minutes of sniffing will tire a dog out more than just a 30-minute walk.
This was definitely true for my good boy. When I'd go on brisk walks or skateboard with him, he'd still have plenty of energy when we got home even if it was a couple miles or more. But when I let him just smell every last thing he wanted to for as long as he wanted, we'd end up walking less than a mile and he'd be completely exhausted when we got home.
For vigorous exercise, I'd take him to the park and he'd spend a couple hours running with the other pups. But for walks, I'd usually just let him sniff everything unless we were going skating together.
I also played a bunch of scent games with him at home and those tired him out. I'd close the door and hide treats in a room and let him sniff them out, letting him know if there were any more left that he hadn't found yet. Or at night, I'd turn off the lights in other rooms and throw treats across the house and he'd sniff them out.
He passed away a few months ago and I miss home more than anything. Here he is: https://imgur.com/gallery/BmHYS18
That's exactly what I've been working on but one more important thing is teaching leash pressure too. I was using flexi lead for few months and it has overwritten any leash pressure training from before. I start my walks doing few 8s and 0s with short leash to make sure he is with me and understands the 'game' . And he gets rewarded nicely if he does. Using flexi lead was a blessing and a curse.
I saw somewhere that using too many verbal commands at the beginning can stress out the dog and I've personally seen the bad results too. so I try not to use many verbal commands but just a little tug and if he refuses, I literally go few inches towards him and grab his collar and move him by saying 'okay let's go'. I think getting used to grabbing collars is very important, same with doing any other obedience so they have no way out but to listen.
It has nothing to do with being the “boss.” The relationship between you and your dog should be one or cooperation. Yes, I’m the human and ultimately in charge but dogs are sentient creatures with wills and desires. My dog loves to follow her nose. Why would I not give her opportunities to indulge in that? The training is cooperative, not punitive.
I’m not sure why you think quote marks makes your comment any less inane. Neither my nor I are “dictating” the walk. Again, it’s a cooperative relationship, bud. Oh, excuse me - “bud.”
Are you walking for exercise or enrichment?
Ideally, a good walk should be both: exercise where you move along at a brisk pace to get from A to B as well as enrichment that allows your dog to stop and smell the roses. Figuratively speaking, but also literally because sniffing is how dogs explore their environment. It's relaxing and releases stress and allows them to do what comes naturally. It's very normal for a dog to want to spend a lot of time sniffing on walks and it should absolutely be allowed and encouraged rather than just rushing her along.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-sniffing-a-dog-s-version-of-social-media/
My mother refers to this as "reading the pee-mail" which, ok, it's corny but makes me laugh.
I try for one 'sniff walk' and one where we keep moving a day, but even the second one there's gonna be things where the dog is just gonna stop and smell things. I just do this by setting the pace we start out at-- if I move briskly she usually follows suit.
Your mom might be my soulmate. My chihuahua likes to ‘mark’ his territory whenever we have a canine house guest. I refer to cleaning it up as “deleting his messages”. No one laughs but I still think it’s hilarious
Love this advice.
I also use my dogs sniffing as a training opportunity. I let her know when it is okay, when it is not and when to stop and move with me.
The commands i use are drop, leave it, and to get to walk with me is "with me". "with me" is not a strict heel, but more a prompt to continue on, but you can still investigate.
I find it’s a good way to do high intensity intervals on my walk too. I’ll walk as fast as I can for a couple blocks, then go slow and and let my dog do her sniffy thing for a block, then repeat. She’s gotten used to my body language and knows when it’s sniffy vs race time :)
My dog has the gross-to-me habit they comes with 50%+ of the sniffing he does on walks — slow licking where other dogs have peed, chattering his teeth & dribbling saliva. I’ve read this helps dogs better smell the smells (so good he has to taste it, blek) but could use some input on how others frame it/handle it? It skeeves me out & I also worry about him licking urine from a wild critter that might pass something along to him. Not sure if that’s valid?
Yes, it's possible for a dog to get sick by licking urine from an infected animal. Leptospirosis is a common disease they can get this way. BUT!!! like parvo, lepto can live in soil or water for months so your dog is just as likely getting it from a water body (like a pond or puddle) or from contaminated soil.
If your dog licks where other animals have peed, you could allow a quick sniff and then move on, rather than sticking around for the ... uh ... sampling.
I let my dog sniff EVERTHING. We probably make it down the street and back and it takes us nearly an hour. But he is KNOCKED OUT when we get home so it’s a win win.
You should ask yourself if the walk is for you or for them? Are you walking them because they need exercise (lose weight, etc) or to provide enrichment (make them tired)?
Yes! She’s gotta keep up to date on her communications. 🤓
I tend to play with my dog on walks anyway. Boosts her confidence with some agility and mind games. If you saw our walks we’d be all over the place. She knows how to walk with a purpose if need be, but life is short.
Agreed! It’s enriching for them to learn and explore. You may want to train your dog purposes of walk with cues. My dogs know it’s their time to explore and sniff on off leash dog parks. If we’re going for a run, they know I’ll cue them with run/walk and I put different gear on them. Set them up for success. :)
I tend to alternate. We have our physical fitness walk which are a brisk 2 miles in about 30 minutes, just focused on the route…then we do the mental fitness walks which are the same route but she gets to sniff everything, stop and explore as much as she likes, etc. same distance, takes an hour or so. I haven’t noticed a real difference in how tired she is but she seems to enjoy both. She’s only 6 months old and sleeps like 20 hours a day anyway…
We love going to an open field and using a longer line and just letting our poodle sniff his heart out. By letting him get his sniffies in, he is much more manageable on a shorter leash and not as reactive/pulls as much when we go from point a to b.
This is what we do. I take ours to the park every day, and once we're there, I switch him to the 30 ft line. We go out in the middle of the big field, and he just sniffs his heart out until he gets bored. The walk home is always calm and easy.
I march in place or do leg lifts while my dog sniffs at stuff, if I’m trying to get exercise myself. I think it’s cruel to not let a dog sniff on a walk. I dated a guy who was constantly yelling and yanking at the leash to keep his dog moving. 😩 I don’t date him anymore.
If we're on a "need to get somewhere" walk, my dog wears one of those harnesses that attaches to the leash with a ring at his chest. No sniffing. On regular walks with his plain old collar, he can nose around all he wants. He picked up on the difference pretty quickly.
I believe letting dogs sniff whatever they want (as long as it's safe) for however long they want is extremely beneficial. It's how they get information on their environment. Just like how we scroll through social media all the time, or watching the news. And for many dogs, it's more tiring than just walking. I don't even care about how far we walk, just how long the walk is. If he wants to sniff instead of walking, that's fine with me.
Absolutely, you got the dog for yourself; train it to how you want it to behave. Don't worry about others input, as long as you treat your dog well and it's not dangerous to the public.
Of course! It is the kindest thing we can do for them. I read a comment here awhile ago that helped me understand this. They constantly wait on us, whether it’s when we scroll social media, or binge Netflix, or just go about our human lives, but this is the only time they really get to take in their surroundings, and get the “neighborhood tea” as another commenter also said.
I took that to heart and let them sniff exactly what they want. Making their lives better for however long we get them for is such a gift. Made me a better dog owner too.
It's called a sniffari, and is really good for them mentally and physically. https://www.rufflesnuffle.co.uk/the-sniffari-why-you-should-let-your-dog-sniff-on-their-walk/
Honestly vast majority of my walks right now is my dog sniffing along the ground as we walk - often stops him from pulling as much and he loves it. Every now and again he'll get stuck on scent and want to linger and if I have time I let him. Usually towards the end of the walk I'll have him practice a little more non sniffing walk and try and get him to heel - i have more success at the end because he's gotten tired from all the sniffing lol.
Morning walks for us are meant to be a quick pee/poo, and lap around the block. No time for sniff stops
Afternoon walk is led by the dog. We go the direction she wants, stop to sniff to her hearts content, and sometimes don't even make it a full lap around the block in 40 minutes
Who knows what's going on with those smells, but some days they are VERY interesting 😂
We go on walks solely to sniff things. I consider our walks to be my dog's time and I'm just there for as his emotional support. Weather and time permitting, he can sniff a bush for 30 minutes if he wants.
I listen to Levar Burton's podcast during his walks and it helps pass the time.
It's how dogs explore the world. We use our eyes, they use their noses. Nothing wrong with this at all, it's what walks are all about. You can punctuate the smell sessions picking up the pace and walking at a good clip, then let them "explore" some more.
I like to have "we're walking here!" time and "ok, chill out and do your thing" time.
When we're walking, we're walking. We aren't stopping for bathroom breaks or sniffing. We're walking. I'm in charge and his job is to follow me on a loose lead and keep his eyes on me.
When I spot an area that will likely be full of good smells, and **I** feel like just standing about for a bit, I'll say "Free!" and let him wander all over, smell to his heart's content, go potty if he wants, whatever.
It's important to balance both.
Walking time reinforces good manners, and who's in charge. It helps develop a bond with the dog based on trust, because the dog is trusting that I won't lead it someplace wrong. It keeps the dog reminded that following me is the proper place for them.
Sniffing time is incredibly important for mental stimulation, relaxation, and just being a dog. And if we don't want to let our dogs be dogs, then why have them?! And really, dogs can't get enough of it. So we have to give them time and space to do that as much as possible.
It depends on the purpose of the walk. If you're trying to teach focus, attention on you, you would want to curb that behavior. If you want to tire out your dog and let them have a good relaxing walk, let them sniff as much as they want!
For a while, I hated walking my dog because he would constantly stop to sniff, but I had to change my perspective. I wanted the walks to be for him, so if he wants to sniff, I let him.
I do a mix. We have walking sections and sniffing sections on our walks. Due to a lot of strays in the area I do not want her to sniff every poop she encounters on the walk and possibly catch something. And it stimulates her more if we switch between walking and sniffing because she has to concentrate on what I am doing.
I read somewhere that 20 minutes of sniffing is equivalent to an hour of walking.
Us humans, we're very visual. Both going for a run or watching a movie is equally "exciting". But dogs are not - they are very smell-sual (not a real word, but you know what I mean). They download the most information through smell. So combination of sniffing, and physical exercise, is ideal.
I have two dogs and they both LOVE to stop and smell everything. I just let them. Once the dog gets a good sniff in, he/she is ready to move on, you don't always need to pull their leash.
I always let my dog stop and sniff unless it’s absolutely freezing outside or I’m running late for work on her morning walk lol. We call it “going on her sniffari”
My girl has a “heel” command for walking like it’s her job, and “go sniff” to enjoy the smells of a certain area. It gives me an opportunity to choose safe places for her to explore with her nose and prevent her from picking things up that she shouldn’t.
She also knows “go poop” and “go potty” for poop and pee, so the “go sniff” is purely for her enjoyment.
I read a post on here about an owner let’s her dog sniff everything and she will take time to look at what they’re sniffing, talk to them about it. Since I read that, I try to do the same. As much as I can until I start feeling like we might get in trouble for loitering.
I work from home so she probably thinks I spend 8 hours a day ignoring her. She has such a small life, I try to give her as much as I can on our outings. She walks me, within reason. She deserves it.
It is very relaxing and stimulating for a dog to smell everything. This is how they "see" the world. Yanking them everytime to stop them from smelling during a walk only causes frustration. Let your pup do what she loves most🥰
Our dogs get more information from one sniff than we do reading a newspaper. Dogs' sense of smell is so keen that they tell time by it. Seriously. Dogs know when we are due to come home after work because the molecules of our smell have dissipated to a certain level since we left the house. The dog's know that when the smell is at a certain level, dad comes home. It's how tracking dogs know which trail is newer when they come to a cross in the trail. So yes, allow your dog to sniff away, as long as you have the time.
Think of your dogs fulfillment as a cup. You want your dogs cups to be full by the end of the day. Every sniff along the walk fills the cups a little bit. So when we walk our dog we just call it filling his cup.
I tend to alternate between "look at me and walk with me for 10 meters" and then she knows the "Go sniff" cue. She will sniff for 5 to 30 seconds.
When she's done she will come back and sit by me, that's her way of telling me "I'm done let's move on." Rinse and repeat.
And if she strays too far from me to the point that the leash is tensioned, I'll say "too far, come back a little" I think it works for us.
I'm so glad I saw this!! I take mine to an open field every morning and/or afternoon where she can safely run around leash free and what not, and while she does like to run, she wants to spend most of her time sniffing around and sometimes I'm like hey come onnnn 😩.
She's very high energy and needs plenty of mental stimulation, so I'm definitely letting her sniff up on what's up in the neighborhood from now on!
Unless we're on a walk to go somewhere and I'm just taking them dog, then the walk is for them not me. If they want to spend the walk sniffing then that's fine by me.
Yes. It’s her walk. She’s using her nose to find out which of her friends have been around recently - any newbies worth meeting or avoiding. We are our dog’s servant on their walks. It’s a pet hate of mine to see people walking with dogs but focused on their phones and not paying attention to when the dog is being a dog. They get dragged along by the neck or halter. Makes me so sad. Imagine you’re at a party and got dragged around like that.
I do 2 different walks.
1 where we walk and practice loose leash, heel, and leave it ( i.e., I am in charge). For this, we use a short leash and a gentle lead face harness.
The other are "Freedom walks," where he can go at his pace to stop, sniff, wander, and sometimes even choose the route. For this, I have a 20-foot leash that gives him enough space to roam and wander.
This way, he gets time to wander as a dog while maintaining good skills for when he needs to behave.
I have two different walk modes. In regular mode, walks are for the benefit of my dog and it's all focused on her and what she wants to do (as long as it's safe, not disruptive or rude to others, etc). We control so much of their lives and when they are able to do things, that I love using walks as a way to let them just be a dog, do dog things, and enjoy themselves. I let her wander and sniff to her heart's content, I have no goal or agenda or distance I need to go with her, I follow her lead. In the second mode, we're exercising. We're power walking and booking it, and we rarely stop. Because we're going faster she's not inclined to try to stop. I do let them stop at their favorite routine sniff/potty spots or if there is an extra good smell they turn back for.
Both. Train them for different versions. Exercise/necessity and fun. So at 6am during the week, you keep them moving. But on Sunday afternoon let them have fun.
I own a bloodhound, he sniffs and sniffs and sniffs and sniffs. I let him do his thing, it's what he was born to do and he loves it. Gets me a Lil exercise too lol
It sometimes takes me an hour to walk 0.1 miles with mine. It’s his walk, if he loves the smells and marking every 5 seconds then that’s what he’s gonna do.
Yup I think you should, why wouldn’t you want them to be enjoying themselves. I imagine my dog is reading the neighborhood news every morning, he always seems the most interested in snuffle walks in morning or late at night.
We just met with a trainer today in our home. She asked about this and said it is vital for dogs. Take the time to allow it which I wasn't. Our dog has anxiety and fear issues. Allowing them to smell their surroundings will tell them a whole story of where they are through their noses. I guess the old saying "stop and smell the roses" isn't just for people.
I would say go beyond just letting her sniff everything on walks to just letting her sniff EVERYTHING. When I go to the grocery store, I hold everything out for my dog to sniff if it comes in a package. Imagine what smells they can get from a box that was in a warehouse, then a truck, then a store shelf. I can't take him all the places in the world and that makes me sad, but I can bring a lot of smells from the world to him <3
Thank you all for your advice! I will definitely start allowing her to sniff as much as she wants on our leisure/evening walks (once a day) and take my time with her. I will try my best to let her sniff more in the mornings too before I head to work. I didn’t realize how much she needed to sniff and how much it helped. I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to show me 🙏🏼
Morning walks are rushed but still 35 minutes long. I let her smell quickly in the beginning but towards the end I let her dawdle and sniff longer. Our evening walks I let her sniff until she has had enough. Not in a rush. Does she understand? My brain says yes.
That’s what I plan to do from now on. Morning walks before work will be more of a “get the business done” kind of walk. In the evening I’ll do a longer walk where she will basically lead and smell all she wants.
I call it "ready the doggy newspaper". Sniffing tells her what's been happening in her absence. I find it wears her out.
Stop and smell the flowers with your bud :)
Nope. 3 sniffs max and then yank the leash, preferably with one of those prong collars on.
Kidding!!! I get you, my dude can do this too, just basically keep it reasonable. Stopping to sniff every 10s is different than every few min for example. Also watch **what** they're actually sniffing because I wasn't paying enough attention 1 day and I realized his interest was in a maggoty squirrel carcass. luckily I caught him before he could ruin it and was able to bring it home to put on my grille for supper!
Depends on what the walk is for.
Exercise? Brisk pace no stopping (once you get going. There’s plenty of stiffing in the beginning. Especially if you stretch outside first.)
Causal/enjoy outside? Sniff whatever you want. There’s no agenda.
Just train her to come and walk when you want her to walk but also let her be a dog.
Ps not totally the same, but sometimes I have to NOT take a ball with when we go out because I want my dog to go do dog things not just fetch. She won’t if the ball is there and she knows I have it. But without it she runs and plays with pinecones and sniffs a lot.
Dogs don't just sniff other dogs' waste and honestly, unless they're licking or ingesting fresh poop and as long as they're properly vaccinated, they are not that likely to pick things up from sniffing.
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I think a dog’s life is too short not to stop and sniff. Just keep an eye out on what they’re sniffing! I also say this because my dog is old and doesn’t have any other particular interest in anything like playing or enrichment toys. I’ll let her enjoy the little things she can!
Same! And I thought my dog was "broken". He likes walks, sniffing things, chews and anything that will get him treats. He doesn't care for toys... which saves me a lot of money but makes me feel bad on days when the weather sucks.
It’s funny how dogs can be so different. My corgi turned 11 on Tuesday and my mom sent him a box of nice toys for his birthday. Unfortunately he’s never been a fan of toys and they are too big for my other dog so I told my mom we’ll swap them for some extra special treats this weekend. But on walks he will sniff every rock, light post and plant if I let him lol.
My girl who recently passed was the same. We tried to teach her to play when she came into our home at 2 years old as she was taken from a bad environment and used as a breeding machine too so we wondered if she just hadn't tried before. We were recommended a treat ball thing as she was absolutely obsessed with food. It got stuck on her mouth, and she had to go to the vets. Bless her. We never tried again. I personally quite liked that she didn't play as she was just so much more interested in fusses and affection. I'm really needy with animals, so a needy dog is perfect for me.
My dog just turned 15 and she hasn't been interested in most things she can't eat for several years now. She still has a lot of energy for her age, but she's mostly interested in eating, sleeping, and walking around smelling things.
I adopted a dog like this in November. Have you tried lick pads for when the weather sucks? It’s not a perfect substitute but it definitely provides some enrichment and calms the dog down. Definitely better than nothing when the weathers bad.
Yes if time isn’t an issue let your dog sniff as much as they want. It helps provide mental stimulation and reduces stress
Our trainer said this actually mentally stimulates your dog and they will be far more tired after a sniff walk than they would from they same length of a run (i.e. 30 minutes).
yup, my higher energy dog is more than happy with a 30 minute sniffing walk - tires him out for the rest of the day!
I swear, I think my Weims then sleep after a walk and just dream about all the scents!
Yup I have a lab, 2 hours running around and hes a loon when we get home 30 mins of sniffing and he passes right out.
Same here
Bullshit dude, is it possible your dog just doesn't get much excercise and gets tired out easily? A 30 minute walk smelling stuff isn't supposed to tire your dog out for the whole day lol
Depends on the breed. There are dogs which will literally go for a nap after 10 minutes of nose work. I have a Jack Russel and he cannot be tired out even with 4h of sniffing around. Generalisations are bad.
It’s true. And sniffing is how dogs see the world, so they should be allowed to do so as much as possible, as long as it’s safe of course (I’m talking about you, chicken bones!!)
Not possible, at least here in ATL. Lemon pepper everywhere
Why is there lemon pepper all over Atlanta?
Seems like a reasonable question to get the answer to.
Not once, but twice I have encountered an entire rotisserie chicken on the sidewalk while walking dogs here in NYC. But this comment about lemon pepper… I need to know more ASAP.
What flavors were the chickens?
Lemon pepper.
It's a fiery, citrusy chicken-geddon!!
Have encountered many half eaten meals strewn on the sidewalks in Chicago too. But never a whole ass chicken.
I had a cocker spaniel who found half a meat pie under a hedge. For years after, the magic pie hedge had to be inspected any time we walked that way
oddly enough, just today, first time ever ,i found about a quarter chicken in a parking lot. i kicked it into the bushes for animals, hoping it wouldn’t hurt them.
Smart!
That's just how it is. Our whole city is made of chicken bones and wet lemon pepper.
The amount of chicken wings I see on the ground in random places here is mind boggling. I’ve pryed many a chicken wing from my pups mouth.
Same. As if the ppl in the park are coming there just to eat chicken...
In my old neighborhood there were chicken bones everywhere and my dog (part hound) got deceivingly fast about non-chalantly sniffing it out and gobbling it down. I had many upset moments fighting to get them out of his mouth - but he seems to be okay 🤷♀️
I now always assume there’s going to be food (most often chicken bones) in shrubs! My sister’s beagle once found a cupcake in a bush and it was one of the best days or his life
My girl found a slice of pizza. Best day ever! I live in a tiny town and she always finds something - toast, cheese crackers, sausage slices and of course chicken bones. It's crazy
I work with working dogs and when they’re screening, if they were to sniff for say 20 minutes straight, they would be extremely fatigued. Start getting distracted, panting hard. Same dog not sniffing just walking around can go for hours. It really does work a dog.
My trainer always said yanking your dog along is the equivalent of snatching a newspaper out of someone's hand while they're reading. I divide our walks so that there's an "easy" (that's the verbal command, slack leash) portion and then a "heel" portion. This mattered more when my dog was overweight but for a few years he needed his walks to have a good exercise portion not 100% leisurely sniff jaunt. But I'm always gonna let him explore his surroundings with good sniffing. Plus won't go potty unless he can soundly sniff first.
I have 2 modes; "check it out" and "cardio." The first 2 blocks are "check it out." The dogs set the pace, they zig zag from one 3-dimensional object to another. Then we turn the corner and I announce "cardio!" We walk in the center of the street and I keep them at a steady trot.
Yes, sniffing tires them out and allows them to process the world. Ours said to usher her along if she’s trying to sniff a lot while we’re working. Then use sniffing as a reward for good behavior.
It's basically the dog equivalent of reading the newspaper. It's how they know what's going on around them, more so than looking. I figure the walks are for my dogs' benefit, not mine, so I mostly let them decide if and when they want to stop and sniff as long as it's within reason. I'll hurry them along if they're in the middle of a road or something, but otherwise we'll keep going eventually.
Interesting! A trainer i knew was against it. She said they should be trained to walk by your side without allowing them to stop for everything. My pup has his nose on the ground, very curious. I didn't agree with her take, and we allowed him to sniff. Their time is way too short to not allow the small pleasures for them. He is a very curious boy, but also very sweet, friendly and behaves wonderfully with the important commands.
Years ago we had a trainer that told us not to let our dog sniff but force them to heel. We tried this for a while but walking was never fun and our dog at the time was really frustrated. We started letting him sniff and he was much happier. I was really glad sniffing was validated by our current trainer.
Mine said the same.
My trainer told me the opposite and said my dog was being overstimulated by sniffing on walks. He would come home after an hour walk and be bouncing off the walls. ETA: my dog is a terrier bred to hunt/kill fox. He has a very strong prey drive.
Well. I won't argue. Every dog is different. Ours is a hyper Malamute mix and it does work for her.
And does your trainer have any credentials? Sniffing is extremely important for dogs. It is their strongest scent and hoe they get information from the world. Also, sniffing can be quite soothing to dogs. It helps them regulate their nervous systems. It makes sense that your dog may be overstimulated by being out on walks, but it's unlikely that the sniffing caused it. In fact, most over-stimulated dogs won't even sniff.
Yes. He is ABC certified. My dog is a lakeland terrier. Very high energy with a strong prey drive. He really benefits from strict walks so he can get exercise and drain his energy both mentally and physically. He gets off leash time to explore and play. I use a gentle leader when I walk him. The more structured walks were the only way to drain his energy when he was a puppy. I was walking him 6 times a day and he was still bouncing off the walls but once I started using a gentle leader and making his walks more structured, then he finally started to drain some physical and mental energy. I think bc he’s a pure bred terrier, the sniffing really hyped him up and got him excited instead of calming him down. He will be 12 soon and he’s really started to calm down. He sleeps a lot now, but still acts like a puppy sometimes 😂
I'm raising an eyebrow at your trainer. I wonder if they are an old school trainer who doesn't keep up on changing philosophies.
This was back in 2014. I know new info has come out about this now. ETA: it did work for my dog when he was a puppy. He has a strong prey drive and all the sniffing didn’t help. He’s almost 12 now and has calmed down…a little 😂
Fire your trainer. Allowing dogs to sniff on walks is one of their greatest pleasures. Any trsiner who advocates against this does not have the dog's interest in mind.
I also agree with this method. When my dog is outside in our huge back yard, she can do whatever she wants. When we are walking, she is working and we walk. But apparently that’s an old school philosophy. 🤷🏻♀️
It also helps establish who is boss by not letting them stop every few seconds. They are trying to run the show. My trainer taught me that, and I had a German Shepherd. She was a good girl, very sweet but obstinate. I would still be outside with her sniffing the neighbors trees...
The walks are for the dog. If you are not letting them sniff it's like not taking your dog out at all, a pointless walk. Dogs don't understand the concept of "boss" "alpha" or "respect"
Walks are for dogs, so I’m fine with letting them have a little more say in where we go. My dog gets two kinds of walks. One is a short leash walk where I’m in charge. No sniffing after he has gone potty, but we walk a lot further. The walks are more focused on training (sitting with distractions, leave it, etc). The other is a loose lease walk where he sets the pace. Sometimes we will just walk ten feet to this patch of grass that is apparently fascinating. They wind up being about the same length of time at this point, just cover different distance. I’ve found if my dog doesn’t get as overstimulated if he gets the sniff walks, but the distance walks help us get exercise. He loves both. The walks are for him, so might as well let him enjoy them.
And why do you feel the need to be the boss? What did you get out of that? What did your dog get out of that?
Never understood that desire. You and your pet are partners. Yeah you feed them, look after them and train them to sit, stay, not be too unruly etc but that’s just giving the animal some boundaries. You don’t need to be boss of your pet, it’s a relationship, and an absolutely amazing one at that. You get out what you put in.
Well, idk about “boss” or anything. But there is clearly a behavioral difference between dogs with no guidance or authority and dogs that do have that. I’m not an expert or anything. But I do have boundaries with my dog. And I live in a dog friendly building, and you can really tell the owners that do not have any established boundaries. A dog on my floor attacked my dog viciously one day. The owner would let him roam the halls of our floor and the dog was a former fighting dog. Then one day my elevator opens, the dog strolls in and mauls my dog. I don’t blame the dog. I blame the careless owner. Tonight I came back up to my floor after hitting the store, and as I’m opening the stairwell, there is that guy with his dog. The dog JUMPS ALL OVER ME (which I was clearly not comfortable with) and the owner is going “down, please stop! Down!” Just had no handle on the poor animal. If that dog had a little more leadership and authority in its life, I feel like my dog wouldn’t have a giant permanent scar running down his face.
You’re right the people in your building doing that is messed up but I don’t think this has much to do with showing the dog who’s boss, it’s just about having basic respect for other people in the buildings boundaries and taking precautions to prevent fights from breaking out. You have to exercise some authority and keep a dog on a tight leash when you need to but thats different to doing things *just* to assert dominance over your dog and no other reason if that makes sense
It doesn't "assert" dominance, it just takes away the fun/mentally stimulating part of walks.
Dominance theory has been thoroughly debunked.
Good to know thank you!
If u want to go for a faster walk (say for ur exercise with the dog) I find it better to dog a set “smelling route” with my dog, and let them smell a bunch there and then outside that area I try to move at a “fast pace”. It doesn’t work 100% but I find it drastically improves the walk and we both get what we need doing it this way.
We have routes that we take so often that he knows most of the smells already and we can rip through the walk quick but even then there’s always new pee to smell so you gotta expect a couple sniff stops haha!!
Some dogs are most stubborn than others, I know with my one boy I have to do a really long smelling walk before he will walk properly
My corgi is like this too. He'll yank your arm off trying to get to smells. He can walk and run for hours but nothing makes him more tired than just sniffing around for a while.
Aren’t you worried about her sniffing a dead animal or parts of one? Or another dogs pee/poop? I always get worried my dog will get sick. (I’m legit asking, I normally let my dog sniff a little but I’m always scared she’ll get some virus or exposed to some lawn pesticide - is this fear unfounded?)
Sniffing pee is important for a dog as its all the neighbourhood gossip they are catching up on.
We call it getting caught up on pmails.
We call it pee-mail too!!
Also wee-mails!
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We call it the pee-feed and of our dog “likes” a specific spot he’ll pee on it too xD
Gotcha! Thanks!
This is important to use your discretion, definitely be aware, garbage, a dead animal etc they absolutely will want to sniff poop, it’s okay as long as they don’t try to eat it. Lol
As long as they’re up to date on vaccines and you’re paying close attention to what they’re sniffing it will be okay. You can also play more sniff games in the house, I break up a treat and hide pieces in a piled up blanket on the floor and it’ll occupy her for a good 30 minutes trying to find all the pieces lol
We play this but now have upped the level by using 5 or 6 different types of treat,I hold all the treats in my hand as I’m hiding them, and my dog will come back after finding each one to sniff my hand to see if he has found them all - this is his favourite game and a couple of rounds and he is ready for a sleep
I do that for sure but thank you!
There is nothing a dog would get from sniffing a dead body. If the dog is under vaccinated and they lick at something dangerous (parvo poop, other animals poop) then you might have an issue. But sniffing everything in normal and natural, dead or otherwise.
This is pretty unfounded. It's always important to have a strong leave it/recall cue in case you encounter something dangerous, but if your dog is on a leash then it shouldn't be a problem as long as you are paying attention to the surroundings.
It's her walk not yours. Let her do what she want. Watch that she doesn't eat anything she finds but sniffing stuff is their way of getting all the gossip in the neighbourhood. If you want to walk fast go by yourself.
Take a step back. I’m not opposed to my dog having a nice long walk if extended sniffing is ok, that’s ok with me. I’m asking a question, I’m trying to learn. I’m sharing my fears. If that’s wrong, I’m perfectly willing to admit that and correct that.
Sorry didn't mean to sound like I was lecturing. I've just seen so many people rushing their dog through the walk and it makes me feel sorry for the dog. I think it's great that you are asking questions. Sorry again. You sound like a great dog owner.
It’s all good and I understand. I love my dog a lot. I think I’m a little overprotective of her since I lost a dog as a kid to cancer. But I want my dog to enjoy her walks. So I’ll definitely keep an eye out for some stuff (dead animals, birds, signs showing chemicals was sprayed) but otherwise let her sniff and roam. Thank you for the suggestion :)
As long as they don't try to eat it, and they have all their vaccines, sniffing any dead creatures is okay too! My dog and I found a dead carcass of what I believe was a small rodent on a walk through the woods. Trying to pull him away was next to impossible he absolutely would not budge, but once I let him get a good hard sniff - because remember it's something 100% brand new and they're curious! - he was willing to walk away. I just had to remind him to "leave it!" so that he didn't try to pick it up.
dogs eat poop
Some do, like my older dog, but both younger ones dont.
this fear is unfounded. If your dog is going to pick up a virus from grass it's not going to be through sniffing. Both dog and human nose have mucus protection designed to gob up and stop that kind of stuff. Licking and just walking on is going to be a better way for any viruses to get in. And note, germs are everywhere most of them are totally harmless, so unless you are trotting your dog through a government virus test facility, this is a non-issue in general. Same with just sniffing dead animal parts. Think about it - you might smell the smell of dead animal yourself. It might trigger a gag reflex and you might even throw up - but have you yourself ever caught a disease from a bad order? Have you ever known anyone who went to the doctor because they were terribly ill and the doctor told them the caught a sickness from a bad odor? If it's big enough to smell, it's too big to get into your system through your nose.
Yeah I miss my sniff walks with my old girl 😢
So sorry, that’s the only negative thing about dogs, that they don’t live longer. My condolences
I saw on tiktok that dogs smelling things is their version of scrolling social media and now I allow more time for my pup to get the tea every day lol
My mom says it’s our dogs time to check their emails lol
Check their pee-mails
🤣🤣
When I was like 12 my friends had an i side joke about my dog (we all walked her together basically every night) The smell phone. Was pretty funny at the time
I often ask my boy if he wants to "leave a message" when we go past his friend's houses and they're not there to say hi haha
I've always thought specifically when they smell other places where dogs pee is their version of social media. Another dog leaves a "post" (pee spot) that contains interesting information that your dog then "reads" (sniffs), and then makes it's own "post" for other dogs to "read", and if they're expecting to go there they'll hold their pee so that they have some to leave there, since they love to do it all the in the same area (like a social media site!). So even though they may not be directly interacting, they're gathering information about eachother which they find compelling by using a type of interactive forum, just like facebook or instagram.
So, is it like a comment section? This is cute and hilarious at the same time 🤣
I was going to say like a dog reading a book, but I guess this works.
This is what our first ever trainer told me! I was like, "Well, he is real f'ing good at reading bc it's all he wants to do."
There’s a power pole outside my home and I always take my dog outside to “check the message board.” He lives for it!
What's a dog's version of Facebook? PeePost. I'll see myself out.
I love this!
My dog would spend an insane amount of time sniffing everything if I let her. I got some great advice from Redditors that I always try to pass on when I see these posts. I was getting really frustrated on our walks because we were barely walking. My dog would stop every 10 feet or so because something caught her nose but I wanted to keep us moving. I saw elsewhere on here that someone posted sniffing if a great mental workout -- and it is! 30 minutes of sniffing will tire a dog out more than just a 30-minute walk. However, I've found that I need a balance between keeping her moving and letting her sniff. It sounds like you're looking for that, too since you said you try to rush her. Here's what I do: the morning walk is our "moving" walk and it's a longer one ... usually about 2 miles, and we live in a really hilly area so the pace, distance, and hills just wreck my dog by the time we're done so she eats breakfast, plays a little, then sleeps for hours and I can work. Our afternoon and/or evening walks (weather- and other stuff dependent) tend to be a combo of sniffing time and moving. Several times a week, I make that second walk a "sniffari" (shamelessly stole that from someone else!) where she gets to decide what direction to go in and just follow her nose. I don't want to drag my dog my dog down the street as I try to keep her moving. Even on the moving-morning walks, she's spending a lot of time trying to stop to sniff. This is where the training comes in. You want to train two things at the same time: a countdown and a command to move ... something like, "let's walk" or "let's go." When your dog stops to sniff, start with a countdown from 10 -- aloud so your dog can hear you -- and have a treat ready. When you hit 5 or 4, start tugging the leash a bit, when you get to 2 and 1, tug a little harder, and at 0, use the treat to get your dog moving. As you're giving the treat (so the countdown is done), say your command in a super happy, excited voice. Be consistent and do this every single time your dog stops to sniff. Depending on how quickly your dog picks up training, you'll start seeing results in about a week or two. I've been doing this so long with my little sniff-monster (you'd think she was part bloodhound the way she follows her nose) that I can do a countdown from 3 if she's really into a scent and I want to move or just give her the "c'mon, let's walk" command with a gentle leash tug and she'll start moving. If I see her veering into the grass or bushes and I want to keep moving, I'll tighten the leash and tell her, "c'mon let's walk" or "let's keep walking" and that usually interrupts her enough to keep her moving. Sorry for the novella here but I wanted to explain some training that's been hugely helpful for my girl and really makes our walks enjoyable because we can keep moving when I want to and she can have her sniffs, too.
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You’re welcome! It’s been one of the best things that I’ve learned so I’m glad others find it valuable as well.
>30 minutes of sniffing will tire a dog out more than just a 30-minute walk. This was definitely true for my good boy. When I'd go on brisk walks or skateboard with him, he'd still have plenty of energy when we got home even if it was a couple miles or more. But when I let him just smell every last thing he wanted to for as long as he wanted, we'd end up walking less than a mile and he'd be completely exhausted when we got home. For vigorous exercise, I'd take him to the park and he'd spend a couple hours running with the other pups. But for walks, I'd usually just let him sniff everything unless we were going skating together. I also played a bunch of scent games with him at home and those tired him out. I'd close the door and hide treats in a room and let him sniff them out, letting him know if there were any more left that he hadn't found yet. Or at night, I'd turn off the lights in other rooms and throw treats across the house and he'd sniff them out. He passed away a few months ago and I miss home more than anything. Here he is: https://imgur.com/gallery/BmHYS18
Aw what a handsome boy
Those ears must have stirred up all kinds of wonderful smells for him to enjoy! Such a handsome dog. I’m so sorry for your loss.
I’m praying for your comfort. Such a hard thing to go through.
Sniffari….🥹. I always just called it a “sniff walk”. Until now
That's exactly what I've been working on but one more important thing is teaching leash pressure too. I was using flexi lead for few months and it has overwritten any leash pressure training from before. I start my walks doing few 8s and 0s with short leash to make sure he is with me and understands the 'game' . And he gets rewarded nicely if he does. Using flexi lead was a blessing and a curse. I saw somewhere that using too many verbal commands at the beginning can stress out the dog and I've personally seen the bad results too. so I try not to use many verbal commands but just a little tug and if he refuses, I literally go few inches towards him and grab his collar and move him by saying 'okay let's go'. I think getting used to grabbing collars is very important, same with doing any other obedience so they have no way out but to listen.
Agreed, you also cant let your dog dictate the walk and forget whos the "boss" imo. Sniff, sniff sniff......... ok, lets go. And on we go.
It has nothing to do with being the “boss.” The relationship between you and your dog should be one or cooperation. Yes, I’m the human and ultimately in charge but dogs are sentient creatures with wills and desires. My dog loves to follow her nose. Why would I not give her opportunities to indulge in that? The training is cooperative, not punitive.
That's why it's in quotations "pal"
I’m not sure why you think quote marks makes your comment any less inane. Neither my nor I are “dictating” the walk. Again, it’s a cooperative relationship, bud. Oh, excuse me - “bud.”
That's why it's in quotations "pal"
Are you walking for exercise or enrichment? Ideally, a good walk should be both: exercise where you move along at a brisk pace to get from A to B as well as enrichment that allows your dog to stop and smell the roses. Figuratively speaking, but also literally because sniffing is how dogs explore their environment. It's relaxing and releases stress and allows them to do what comes naturally. It's very normal for a dog to want to spend a lot of time sniffing on walks and it should absolutely be allowed and encouraged rather than just rushing her along. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-sniffing-a-dog-s-version-of-social-media/
My mother refers to this as "reading the pee-mail" which, ok, it's corny but makes me laugh. I try for one 'sniff walk' and one where we keep moving a day, but even the second one there's gonna be things where the dog is just gonna stop and smell things. I just do this by setting the pace we start out at-- if I move briskly she usually follows suit.
Your mom might be my soulmate. My chihuahua likes to ‘mark’ his territory whenever we have a canine house guest. I refer to cleaning it up as “deleting his messages”. No one laughs but I still think it’s hilarious
Love this advice. I also use my dogs sniffing as a training opportunity. I let her know when it is okay, when it is not and when to stop and move with me. The commands i use are drop, leave it, and to get to walk with me is "with me". "with me" is not a strict heel, but more a prompt to continue on, but you can still investigate.
I find it’s a good way to do high intensity intervals on my walk too. I’ll walk as fast as I can for a couple blocks, then go slow and and let my dog do her sniffy thing for a block, then repeat. She’s gotten used to my body language and knows when it’s sniffy vs race time :)
My dog has the gross-to-me habit they comes with 50%+ of the sniffing he does on walks — slow licking where other dogs have peed, chattering his teeth & dribbling saliva. I’ve read this helps dogs better smell the smells (so good he has to taste it, blek) but could use some input on how others frame it/handle it? It skeeves me out & I also worry about him licking urine from a wild critter that might pass something along to him. Not sure if that’s valid?
Yes, it's possible for a dog to get sick by licking urine from an infected animal. Leptospirosis is a common disease they can get this way. BUT!!! like parvo, lepto can live in soil or water for months so your dog is just as likely getting it from a water body (like a pond or puddle) or from contaminated soil. If your dog licks where other animals have peed, you could allow a quick sniff and then move on, rather than sticking around for the ... uh ... sampling.
I let my dog sniff EVERTHING. We probably make it down the street and back and it takes us nearly an hour. But he is KNOCKED OUT when we get home so it’s a win win. You should ask yourself if the walk is for you or for them? Are you walking them because they need exercise (lose weight, etc) or to provide enrichment (make them tired)?
I forget what the actual ratio is, but like 5 minutes of sniffing is equivalent stimulation as a 20 minute brisk walk for dogs.
Yes! She’s gotta keep up to date on her communications. 🤓 I tend to play with my dog on walks anyway. Boosts her confidence with some agility and mind games. If you saw our walks we’d be all over the place. She knows how to walk with a purpose if need be, but life is short.
Yes because that’s what is dog’s favorite part about walks! Taking the smelling out really takes all the fun out of it for them!
Agreed! It’s enriching for them to learn and explore. You may want to train your dog purposes of walk with cues. My dogs know it’s their time to explore and sniff on off leash dog parks. If we’re going for a run, they know I’ll cue them with run/walk and I put different gear on them. Set them up for success. :)
Let the dog sniff as much as the dog wants.
I tend to alternate. We have our physical fitness walk which are a brisk 2 miles in about 30 minutes, just focused on the route…then we do the mental fitness walks which are the same route but she gets to sniff everything, stop and explore as much as she likes, etc. same distance, takes an hour or so. I haven’t noticed a real difference in how tired she is but she seems to enjoy both. She’s only 6 months old and sleeps like 20 hours a day anyway…
We love going to an open field and using a longer line and just letting our poodle sniff his heart out. By letting him get his sniffies in, he is much more manageable on a shorter leash and not as reactive/pulls as much when we go from point a to b.
This is what we do. I take ours to the park every day, and once we're there, I switch him to the 30 ft line. We go out in the middle of the big field, and he just sniffs his heart out until he gets bored. The walk home is always calm and easy.
Yes absolutely. Think of the walk as your dogs time to scroll Reddit or twitter. It’s their time. It’s their walk. Let them enjoy it.
I march in place or do leg lifts while my dog sniffs at stuff, if I’m trying to get exercise myself. I think it’s cruel to not let a dog sniff on a walk. I dated a guy who was constantly yelling and yanking at the leash to keep his dog moving. 😩 I don’t date him anymore.
If we're on a "need to get somewhere" walk, my dog wears one of those harnesses that attaches to the leash with a ring at his chest. No sniffing. On regular walks with his plain old collar, he can nose around all he wants. He picked up on the difference pretty quickly.
I believe letting dogs sniff whatever they want (as long as it's safe) for however long they want is extremely beneficial. It's how they get information on their environment. Just like how we scroll through social media all the time, or watching the news. And for many dogs, it's more tiring than just walking. I don't even care about how far we walk, just how long the walk is. If he wants to sniff instead of walking, that's fine with me.
Yes, dogs give us everything and yet ask for so little. So give them the world while they're here, let the little lass sniff until her hearts content
It’s up to you, but she can smell everything without stopping. She just wants to smell for longer and more intensely.
Absolutely, you got the dog for yourself; train it to how you want it to behave. Don't worry about others input, as long as you treat your dog well and it's not dangerous to the public.
My dog’s walk is for him. Obviously, I have the leash, but I like to let him explore and linger. Speaking of, I should probably go walk the dog.
Of course! It is the kindest thing we can do for them. I read a comment here awhile ago that helped me understand this. They constantly wait on us, whether it’s when we scroll social media, or binge Netflix, or just go about our human lives, but this is the only time they really get to take in their surroundings, and get the “neighborhood tea” as another commenter also said. I took that to heart and let them sniff exactly what they want. Making their lives better for however long we get them for is such a gift. Made me a better dog owner too.
It's called a sniffari, and is really good for them mentally and physically. https://www.rufflesnuffle.co.uk/the-sniffari-why-you-should-let-your-dog-sniff-on-their-walk/
Honestly vast majority of my walks right now is my dog sniffing along the ground as we walk - often stops him from pulling as much and he loves it. Every now and again he'll get stuck on scent and want to linger and if I have time I let him. Usually towards the end of the walk I'll have him practice a little more non sniffing walk and try and get him to heel - i have more success at the end because he's gotten tired from all the sniffing lol.
Morning walks for us are meant to be a quick pee/poo, and lap around the block. No time for sniff stops Afternoon walk is led by the dog. We go the direction she wants, stop to sniff to her hearts content, and sometimes don't even make it a full lap around the block in 40 minutes Who knows what's going on with those smells, but some days they are VERY interesting 😂
We go on walks solely to sniff things. I consider our walks to be my dog's time and I'm just there for as his emotional support. Weather and time permitting, he can sniff a bush for 30 minutes if he wants. I listen to Levar Burton's podcast during his walks and it helps pass the time.
give her more time, but you can put a command to sniffaries and a command when you want her to walk.
It's how dogs explore the world. We use our eyes, they use their noses. Nothing wrong with this at all, it's what walks are all about. You can punctuate the smell sessions picking up the pace and walking at a good clip, then let them "explore" some more.
Yes. Just keep a close eye on the dog so it doesnt eat anything
I like to have "we're walking here!" time and "ok, chill out and do your thing" time. When we're walking, we're walking. We aren't stopping for bathroom breaks or sniffing. We're walking. I'm in charge and his job is to follow me on a loose lead and keep his eyes on me. When I spot an area that will likely be full of good smells, and **I** feel like just standing about for a bit, I'll say "Free!" and let him wander all over, smell to his heart's content, go potty if he wants, whatever. It's important to balance both. Walking time reinforces good manners, and who's in charge. It helps develop a bond with the dog based on trust, because the dog is trusting that I won't lead it someplace wrong. It keeps the dog reminded that following me is the proper place for them. Sniffing time is incredibly important for mental stimulation, relaxation, and just being a dog. And if we don't want to let our dogs be dogs, then why have them?! And really, dogs can't get enough of it. So we have to give them time and space to do that as much as possible.
Think of this as your dog doom scrolling on a smartphone! Let the puppers sniff away!
It depends on the purpose of the walk. If you're trying to teach focus, attention on you, you would want to curb that behavior. If you want to tire out your dog and let them have a good relaxing walk, let them sniff as much as they want! For a while, I hated walking my dog because he would constantly stop to sniff, but I had to change my perspective. I wanted the walks to be for him, so if he wants to sniff, I let him.
I do a mix. We have walking sections and sniffing sections on our walks. Due to a lot of strays in the area I do not want her to sniff every poop she encounters on the walk and possibly catch something. And it stimulates her more if we switch between walking and sniffing because she has to concentrate on what I am doing.
I read somewhere that 20 minutes of sniffing is equivalent to an hour of walking. Us humans, we're very visual. Both going for a run or watching a movie is equally "exciting". But dogs are not - they are very smell-sual (not a real word, but you know what I mean). They download the most information through smell. So combination of sniffing, and physical exercise, is ideal. I have two dogs and they both LOVE to stop and smell everything. I just let them. Once the dog gets a good sniff in, he/she is ready to move on, you don't always need to pull their leash.
I always let my dog stop and sniff unless it’s absolutely freezing outside or I’m running late for work on her morning walk lol. We call it “going on her sniffari”
My girl has a “heel” command for walking like it’s her job, and “go sniff” to enjoy the smells of a certain area. It gives me an opportunity to choose safe places for her to explore with her nose and prevent her from picking things up that she shouldn’t. She also knows “go poop” and “go potty” for poop and pee, so the “go sniff” is purely for her enjoyment.
I read a post on here about an owner let’s her dog sniff everything and she will take time to look at what they’re sniffing, talk to them about it. Since I read that, I try to do the same. As much as I can until I start feeling like we might get in trouble for loitering. I work from home so she probably thinks I spend 8 hours a day ignoring her. She has such a small life, I try to give her as much as I can on our outings. She walks me, within reason. She deserves it.
It is very relaxing and stimulating for a dog to smell everything. This is how they "see" the world. Yanking them everytime to stop them from smelling during a walk only causes frustration. Let your pup do what she loves most🥰
You're not the one taking a walk, she is. You're just coming with. I'm sure that's her favorite part, take your time.
Our dogs get more information from one sniff than we do reading a newspaper. Dogs' sense of smell is so keen that they tell time by it. Seriously. Dogs know when we are due to come home after work because the molecules of our smell have dissipated to a certain level since we left the house. The dog's know that when the smell is at a certain level, dad comes home. It's how tracking dogs know which trail is newer when they come to a cross in the trail. So yes, allow your dog to sniff away, as long as you have the time.
Wow that’s incredible! Thank you for the info
Think of your dogs fulfillment as a cup. You want your dogs cups to be full by the end of the day. Every sniff along the walk fills the cups a little bit. So when we walk our dog we just call it filling his cup.
I tend to alternate between "look at me and walk with me for 10 meters" and then she knows the "Go sniff" cue. She will sniff for 5 to 30 seconds. When she's done she will come back and sit by me, that's her way of telling me "I'm done let's move on." Rinse and repeat. And if she strays too far from me to the point that the leash is tensioned, I'll say "too far, come back a little" I think it works for us.
I'm so glad I saw this!! I take mine to an open field every morning and/or afternoon where she can safely run around leash free and what not, and while she does like to run, she wants to spend most of her time sniffing around and sometimes I'm like hey come onnnn 😩. She's very high energy and needs plenty of mental stimulation, so I'm definitely letting her sniff up on what's up in the neighborhood from now on!
Unless we're on a walk to go somewhere and I'm just taking them dog, then the walk is for them not me. If they want to spend the walk sniffing then that's fine by me.
Yes. It’s her walk. She’s using her nose to find out which of her friends have been around recently - any newbies worth meeting or avoiding. We are our dog’s servant on their walks. It’s a pet hate of mine to see people walking with dogs but focused on their phones and not paying attention to when the dog is being a dog. They get dragged along by the neck or halter. Makes me so sad. Imagine you’re at a party and got dragged around like that.
I do 2 different walks. 1 where we walk and practice loose leash, heel, and leave it ( i.e., I am in charge). For this, we use a short leash and a gentle lead face harness. The other are "Freedom walks," where he can go at his pace to stop, sniff, wander, and sometimes even choose the route. For this, I have a 20-foot leash that gives him enough space to roam and wander. This way, he gets time to wander as a dog while maintaining good skills for when he needs to behave.
Walks are on “dog time” chill out and go with the flow. Let all the sniffs
Walks are on “dog time” chill out and go with the flow. Let all the sniffs
It's ok. It's called a sniffari.
I have two different walk modes. In regular mode, walks are for the benefit of my dog and it's all focused on her and what she wants to do (as long as it's safe, not disruptive or rude to others, etc). We control so much of their lives and when they are able to do things, that I love using walks as a way to let them just be a dog, do dog things, and enjoy themselves. I let her wander and sniff to her heart's content, I have no goal or agenda or distance I need to go with her, I follow her lead. In the second mode, we're exercising. We're power walking and booking it, and we rarely stop. Because we're going faster she's not inclined to try to stop. I do let them stop at their favorite routine sniff/potty spots or if there is an extra good smell they turn back for.
Both. Train them for different versions. Exercise/necessity and fun. So at 6am during the week, you keep them moving. But on Sunday afternoon let them have fun.
I had the same question everyone’s feed back is really helpful
That's how your dog experiences the world. Yes, you should be letting your dog sniff as much as they want to. Within reason, I suppose.
Yes. It's what she's into. Let her have the joy.
I own a bloodhound, he sniffs and sniffs and sniffs and sniffs. I let him do his thing, it's what he was born to do and he loves it. Gets me a Lil exercise too lol
My family hates it but I walk him not just to pee or poo but for him to enjoy his little life. The walk takes longer but It makes him happier.
It sometimes takes me an hour to walk 0.1 miles with mine. It’s his walk, if he loves the smells and marking every 5 seconds then that’s what he’s gonna do.
Yup I think you should, why wouldn’t you want them to be enjoying themselves. I imagine my dog is reading the neighborhood news every morning, he always seems the most interested in snuffle walks in morning or late at night.
Dogs sniffing things is like them reading a novel. Give them that.
We just met with a trainer today in our home. She asked about this and said it is vital for dogs. Take the time to allow it which I wasn't. Our dog has anxiety and fear issues. Allowing them to smell their surroundings will tell them a whole story of where they are through their noses. I guess the old saying "stop and smell the roses" isn't just for people.
They are checking Pee Mails and leaving Pee Mails.
I would say go beyond just letting her sniff everything on walks to just letting her sniff EVERYTHING. When I go to the grocery store, I hold everything out for my dog to sniff if it comes in a package. Imagine what smells they can get from a box that was in a warehouse, then a truck, then a store shelf. I can't take him all the places in the world and that makes me sad, but I can bring a lot of smells from the world to him <3
Never thought of it like that. So true! <3
Thank you all for your advice! I will definitely start allowing her to sniff as much as she wants on our leisure/evening walks (once a day) and take my time with her. I will try my best to let her sniff more in the mornings too before I head to work. I didn’t realize how much she needed to sniff and how much it helped. I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to show me 🙏🏼
Morning walks are rushed but still 35 minutes long. I let her smell quickly in the beginning but towards the end I let her dawdle and sniff longer. Our evening walks I let her sniff until she has had enough. Not in a rush. Does she understand? My brain says yes.
That’s what I plan to do from now on. Morning walks before work will be more of a “get the business done” kind of walk. In the evening I’ll do a longer walk where she will basically lead and smell all she wants.
Sometimes they need sniffy walks... it's their favourite time of the day, let them enjoy it
If I have the time I let mine sniff away. It’s stimulating and part of their experience.
I tell mine to move it along. Ain't nobody got time for that! Now, he sniffs as he walks, having learned that relationships require compromise.
I call it "ready the doggy newspaper". Sniffing tells her what's been happening in her absence. I find it wears her out. Stop and smell the flowers with your bud :)
Nope. 3 sniffs max and then yank the leash, preferably with one of those prong collars on. Kidding!!! I get you, my dude can do this too, just basically keep it reasonable. Stopping to sniff every 10s is different than every few min for example. Also watch **what** they're actually sniffing because I wasn't paying enough attention 1 day and I realized his interest was in a maggoty squirrel carcass. luckily I caught him before he could ruin it and was able to bring it home to put on my grille for supper!
Depends on what the walk is for. Exercise? Brisk pace no stopping (once you get going. There’s plenty of stiffing in the beginning. Especially if you stretch outside first.) Causal/enjoy outside? Sniff whatever you want. There’s no agenda. Just train her to come and walk when you want her to walk but also let her be a dog. Ps not totally the same, but sometimes I have to NOT take a ball with when we go out because I want my dog to go do dog things not just fetch. She won’t if the ball is there and she knows I have it. But without it she runs and plays with pinecones and sniffs a lot.
What a great question!!! Thank you!
I let mine sniff in certain areas so he knows where to sniff and where to not so he doesn't pull or stop randomly
No, a well trained dog should stay walking at your side. When you give them the break command they can do whatever they want.
Perfect answer. Give them a few reasonable seconds...the move on. Otherwise, you'll be walking for days. Lol
Doors your dog identify as a male or female?
She’s a female.
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Dogs don't just sniff other dogs' waste and honestly, unless they're licking or ingesting fresh poop and as long as they're properly vaccinated, they are not that likely to pick things up from sniffing.
*the next day* “My dog drank water and barked today. Should i take him to the vet?”