Can I punish my dog by ignoring him?
Most owners will tell you it simply impossible to ignore this behavior. After all, you cannot ignore Read More
Do dogs grow out of sniffing?
Talia Stiedemann
2025-07-23 15:10:09
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Dogs who can’t seem to stop sniffing an area where other dogs have been, are often dogs who have problems with other dogs, especially unfamiliar ones.
I did indeed find a correlation that dogs who sniff obsessively are often dog-dog aggressive.
It makes sense when you think about it… if one is nervous/anxious/deeply concerned about unfamiliar dogs, then one would spend an abnormal amount of time checking “them” out, scent-wise that is.
One of the markers, as a matter of fact, that I used to judge Willie’s progress was how intense he seemed about smelling the scents of other dogs.
I can tell you that I’ve seen dozens of dogs now who are dog-dog aggressive to unfamiliar dogs who attach their noses to the ground and will not stop investigating the scents of other dogs.
He, for over a year, acted as if every unfamiliar dog he saw was a monster.
Now when he sees another dog he wags his entire body and whines to get closer.
He’s doing extremely well, and I am proud and relieved.
Brianne Becker
2025-07-13 15:35:01
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Sniffing is a natural behavior for dogs. It's how they explore their environment, learn about other animals, and even find food. If you want to improve the overall welfare of your dog it is important to allow them plenty of time to sniff on walks when they desire. Be patient: It may take some time for your dog to get used to sniffing on walks. Sniffing is a great way to mentally enrich and stimulate your dog and encourage natural species specific behavior. This can help to keep them engaged and one study indicated that these positive emotional state of sniffing lead to a more optimistic outlook.
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How do I stop my dog from sniffing everything on walks?
You can’t (and shouldn’t) put an end to his sniffing habits altogether, but there are some ways to a Read More
Clark Cormier
2025-07-13 14:56:47
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As humans our primary sense is our sight, but for our dogs, smell is their primary sense. They learn most about their environments through sniffing and smell. Processing all that information is pretty tiring for a dog and especially for young dogs and puppies. Allowing your dogs to have a good sniffy walk is a great form of mental, as well as physical, exercise. Just like you prioritize walking your dog, you should also make sniffing a regular activity. Allowing your dog to have a regular outlet for sniffing will put a stop to those less desirable and/or embarrassing moments. Sniffing is a great stress reliever. When dogs sniff their heart rate goes down.
Ramon O'Hara
2025-07-13 14:11:14
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As most dogs age, they become increasingly motivated to sniff, irrespective of whether or not that's what they wanted to do before. Some dogs, especially as they age, prefer to plod slowly and investigate the scents around them. If your dog is also suffering cognitive decline or loss of sight or hearing, a slow walk with plenty of sniffing time is needed to keep them mentally stimulated. Older dogs don't need to be marching for the whole 10 minutes of a walk. If you have 10 minutes and they go 10 metres but spend nine and a half minutes sniffing a lamp post, for that dog that is probably so much better than you trying to drag it around a circular walk around the block. I think it's a massively important part of their quality of life, being able to sniff. You see so many dogs being yanked because the owner thinks either the walk is for the dog and it needs to move, or because they are so fed up of the sniffing - but embracing the 'sniffari' is really important.
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How to stop a dog chasing a scent?
To stop a dog chasing a scent, we want to make sure we manage situations where your dog’s chase beha Read More