Why Is Sniffing So Beneficial For My Dog?
“Why do you have to stop every minute?”
“Do you have to sniff that much?!”
“Can we please just walk without stopping?”
So often we can get irritated with our dogs for keeping their nose on the ground when we just want to take a stroll around the park. It’s easy to just drag them away, thinking that time is being wasted and better exercise would be a walk. The problem, though, is that owners don’t understand just how beneficial sniffing is for a dog.
Sniffing is the way a dog gathers and processes information to interpret the world around them. Dogs’ noses have more than 200 million scent receptors compared to only 6 million in humans AND they will sniff 5-10 times a second, whereas a human only sniffs once every 1.5 seconds. Sniffing is a paw-some form of mental stimulation for your canine and it increases their respiration rate, making this activity tiring!
One of the best ways to encourage your dog to sniff is to go on a Sniff Walk. This walk is different from a regular walk around your neighborhood because it focuses on your dog using their nose rather than using their legs to cover a long distance. This sniff-centered walk lets your dog choose where they want to go and how long they will linger at each smell.
During a sniff walk, you will be covering very little distance and making it all about the smells and the sniffer! Rather than planning to reach a certain location at a certain time, on a sniff walk you should pick a safe, peaceful spot and allow your dog to take the lead and explore at their own pace. You will just need a well fitting harness and a long line that measures between 10 and 15 feet; putting your dog on a harness and line instead of a retractable leash will enable your dog to not feel pressure on their neck and to also let them get ahead of you to set their own pace. The best locations for a sniff walk include areas that offer a lot of grass, trees, bushes and natural terrain.
Centering a walk around just sniffing is a great way to get your dogs mental stimulation going and can also help to tire them out, even though you will be covering less ground than going for a walk. Remember, sniffing 5-10 times a second is a lot of work for your canine friend! If you’re still unsure of the benefits of sniffing, here are 4 reasons why you should just let your dog sniff:
It works your dog’s brain. A large portion of their brains are dedicated to their sense of smell so sniffing turns out to be a great workout for their brain! It’s a way to mentally enrich and stimulate your dog while encouraging them to use their natural species specific behavior. A paw-some side effect to this is a more calm, relaxed and tired dog.
Sniffing can actually relieve stress. Sniffing actually involves many subtle movements and has natural stress relief and calming effects, such as decreasing your dog's heart rate and releasing endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. If your dog is showing signs of being anxious or stressed, taking them for a walk in a quiet place to let them just sniff freely can help to calm them down.
Sniffing is their way of communicating! It’s actually a huge part of how they communicate with each other, speaking through scent instead of sound. They use their sense of smell to gather information about other dogs and their environment, which can include their gender, health status, emotional state and even if they’ve met before! A quick sniff helps dogs to get a general idea about each other while getting up close and personal helps your dog to get a more detailed profile of their furry friend, which is why sometimes dogs will sniff the parts of anatomy we like to shoo them away from.
It can help manage behaviors. Sniffing provides mental stimulation, which acts as a natural form of exploration to provide mental enrichment for your dog by engaging a large part of their brain. It can be mentally tiring to process complex scents and interpret their surroundings, leading to a more calm, relaxed and less energetic dog after a really good sniff session. For dogs that are super active, pull a lot while walking due to excitement or seem to be all over the place, some time spent sniffing can take the edge off of their unfocused energy.
Sniffing is one of the easiest ways to just let your dog be a dog. As much as physical and mental exercise fulfills your dogs physical needs, a chance to sniff fulfills a major part of their sensory needs. Although sniffing may drive some of us pet parents a little crazy, we need to remember that it makes them happy and gives them an outlet to use their natural species-specific behaviors.
Letting your dog explore and to just be a dog is the best gift you could give your furry friend and we at Going Mutts Pet Services can help with that! A good ‘ol daily walk with some sniffing is what our paw-some dog walkers are here for. A walk around the neighborhood, a stroll through the park or some playtime in the backyard can help to take the edge off of their energy and give you a more relaxed pup. Contact us today to see how we can help with your pet care needs in the Lancaster County area!
SOURCES:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-sniffing-a-dog-s-version-of-social-media/
https://www.purina.co.uk/articles/dogs/behaviour/understanding-dogs/dog-sense-of-smell
https://www.acanineaffinity.com/blog/why-sniffing-is-essential-for-dogs
https://wildatheartfoundation.org/why-you-should-let-your-dog-sniff/
