Dog Sniffing Helps Physical and Mental Health Most dog owners recognize the importance of keeping their dogs physically and mentally healthy. Not only is this good for the dog’s overall health, but it can also help reduce the chance of problem behaviors due to boredom or depression. There are a ton of educational toys out there for your dog to try, but often, one of the most simple, natural and enriching behaviors is overlooked by owners—sniffing.
1. Don’t underestimate the power of a dog’s nose It’s important to remember how powerful a dog’s nose is. They may be 100,000 times more sensitive than humans. A common claim is that a dog can smell a drop of blood flowing from an area the size of an Olympic swimming pool! Their sense of smell is critical for communication, exploration, and evaluation.
2. Walk Slowly and Give Your Dog Options Many people often mistakenly believe that faster, longer walks are the best option for exhausting dogs. Typically, dogs are kept on a short leash and walk on roads and sidewalks beside their owners. Maybe they’ll go to the neighborhood and the road, where they’ll rock with lots of other dogs for a while. Walking may not be particularly fun, and community and other animal interactions may be overly stimulating or stressful if interactions are not managed properly. By choosing a quieter walking route with grass and other non-pavement surfaces, letting your dog loose the leash (or at least on a longer leash) and follow their nose, you can provide a more rewarding experience. Your dog has very few options of their own, and by giving them time to decide what they want to investigate, how long to spend on walks, or other suitable circumstances, you are actively empowering them.
3. Sniffing Can Make Your Dog Feel Better Some dogs can be overly excited when doing high-energy activities, but utilizing your dog’s natural sniffing behavior is a calming and relaxing option. A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science even showed that providing ample sniffing opportunities can make your dog feel more optimistic
4. Sniffing makes the dog feel more tired. The spiritual enrichment your dog gets from walking slowly, spending a lot of time sniffing, is much richer than the mental enrichment they get when walking briskly. This means that short sniffs can exhaust them, and they are generally more relaxed at home and less likely to display destructive or mischievous behavior. Sniffing is an important part of dog communication Don’t forget that sniffing is also an important part of dog communication. You might get frustrated when your dog wants to sniff every lamppost on the block, but they’re usually just checking the scent markers of other dogs in the neighborhood. These scents allow them to tell if the dog is male or female, it’s a dog they’re familiar with, and if they’re nearby. When owners find out that the dog is encountering another unfamiliar dog, their dog will involuntarily sniff the other dog’s butt, which can be embarrassing for the owner. But for dogs, it’s almost like an evaluative handshake. They begin to learn about the other dog’s unique scent. Sometimes sniffing can also be a soothing behavior. If your dog is trying to get along with another dog, they may start sniffing the ground to let themselves know that they are not a threat. Asking your dog to do this, rather than pulling them apart, can help both dogs relax.
5. Other Sniffing Activities for Dogs In addition to giving your dog more opportunities to sniff while walking, if your dog likes to use his nose, you can also consider some other rich activities.
6. Foraging Dispersing dry dog food or food in a safe, distraction-free, grassy environment and then letting your dog out and foraging for food naturally is an inexpensive and easy way to provide your dog with extra rich. This is a great activity for a less active dog, possibly restricting movement, and it can also be a useful tool to help a nervous dog feel more relaxed and confident. You can still do this small-scale activity indoors with a nasal pad on a rainy day. These are usually rubber pads that can feel the “grass” tied to them, and you can bury your dog’s food or treats in them to sniff out.
7. Smell Work Class If you want a more structured learning environment to harness your dog’s olfactory abilities, a nose practice class might be worth considering. Not only can this hone your dog’s skills, it can also be a great way to strengthen your relationship. Your dog will learn to recognize a particular scent and learn how to find it and alert the handler to where it hides. So, the next time you go out for a walk with your dog, don’t get impatient when they want to stop and smell; hug him and you may find you have a happier dog.
