What is a sniff walk?

A sniff walk allows your dog to sniff whatever he or she wants during a walk.  Dogs LOVE to sniff.  In fact, a dog’s sense of smell is 1000 times greater than a human’s.  Dogs have around 300 million olfactory receptors, whereas humans only have around 6 million.

Many of us spend time scrolling through social media, reading posts and comments, and sometimes sharing our opinions or stories.   A daily sniff walk can serve as your dog’s version of social media.  

Rather than hurrying along and focusing on the destination, try slowing things down a bit and letting your dog’s nose lead the way for a bit.  At times this can be challenging, but if you really pay close attention to what your dog is doing, you will see the joy this “sniffari” will bring them.  

Sometimes it helps to let your dog lead the way during the first 10 minutes or so, then use command words (ie: heel or leave it) to direct them to an exercise pace without the stop and sniff.  Having a small size treat on hand to reward good behavior can make this transition during your walk much easier.  Positive rewards and consistency with commands and routine can help teach your dog the difference between exercise, sniff walks, late-night potty walks, or hikes with other canine friends.

While improving enrichment for your pet should be a goal, it is important to set boundaries and remember leash manners.  Not all dogs are suited for these types of walks.  It is important that they’ve learned how to properly walk on a leash first. 

You’ve heard the saying “stop and smell the roses.”  Perhaps we can all benefit from a daily sniff walk to decompress and take in nature.   

Dogs “see” the world through scent.  This is how they interact with their environment.  Try giving them an opportunity to “scroll” through their social media on your next walk and comment below to let us know how it went.