The Nose Knows
Did you know that smell is the most powerful of all the dog’s senses? Yep, that’s right, a dog’s nose can have an internal nose area (Olfactory epithelium) of between 20-200 sq cm depending on breed, we as humans have 2-4 sq cm. They can have up to 300 million scent receptor cells, humans have five million and the area of a dog’s brain used to analyse smells is 40 times larger than ours. Yep, I bet you feel stupid now for asking your dog on a walk, what do you smell, mate? The answer is, so many things you cannot smell human!
If your dog is hyper aroused or anxious harnessing your dog's natural sniffing behaviour is a calm and relaxing option. It makes your dog feel better and who does not want to do that for their dog.
The mental enrichment your dog gets on a slow walk with lots of time for sniffing is much greater than they would get on a fast-paced walk. This means a shorter sniffy walk can tire them out and they will generally be more relaxed and less likely to exhibit destructive or mischievous behaviour when at home.
Do not forget that sniffing is also a vital part of how your dog communicates. You may get frustrated when your dog wants to sniff every blade of grass, tree or fence post, but dogs are usually just checking out the scent marks of another dog in the neighbourhood. This PeeMail is like humans reading the Newspaper for all the daily updates. By checking peemail, a dog can determine: the gender of the dog, is it spayed or neutered, if it is a female in heat, the health, and stress level as well as a dog's social status. Remember, walking the dog is supposed to be about the dog, not you, so slow your dog walk down and give the dog some choices.
Owners can be embarrassed when their dog automatically gravitates towards sniffing another dog's butt when they first meet. For a dog though, this is like an evaluative handshake. They are getting to know the other dog's distinct smell.
Let you dog do some sniffing at home by allowing them to forage for food. Scattering dry kibble or treats over a safe, non-distracting, grassy environment and then allowing your dog to come out and naturally forage for the food can be an inexpensive and easy way to offer your dog extra enrichment. This is an excellent activity for less mobile dogs that may be on restricted exercise, and it can also be a useful tool for helping nervous dogs to feel more relaxed and confident.
On a rainy day, you can still do this sort of activity on a smaller scale with the use of a snuffle mat indoors. These are usually rubber mats that have felt "grass" strands tied through them, and you can bury your dog's food or treats into them to sniff out. If your have never used a snuffle mat, ask me about them, I am happy to show you how they work. We regularly use them in our Puppy School classes to bring the excitement level down!
If your dog love sniffing or is a hound breed, enrol them in Scent Work Classes. This will harness your dog's scenting capabilities. Your dog will learn to rediscover their search instincts. As a supportive partner in the game, you will also be able to test your canine body language reading skill and watch their confidence grow. It is a great bonding exercise.