Dog trainer urges owners to stop mistake when pets sniff

A dog trainer has issued a stark warning against interrupting your dog when they stop to sniff their surroundings during a walk.

The trainer, who is known as @SouthenDogTraining on social media, has explained why it’s important to allow your dog to perform this natural behaviour without cutting their sniff time short.

Answering the question, ‘Is it OK for your dog to sniff on a walk’, he said: “Yes and it should be encouraged.”

He added: “If you have a trainer tell you your dog shouldn’t be sniffing on a walk, you need a new trainer.

“A dog is primarily sent driven. When a dog is sniffing, it is taking in all that information, it’s collecting data. When a dog is sniffing it is very relaxing and mentally enriching.”

He says taking your dog on a sniff walk, especially to somewhere new, is “so beneficial”.

But within this, he says the dog shouldn’t control the direction and be lead with their nose, instead they should sniff along the route you’ve laid out for them.

Not only this but sniff walks can tire your dog out more than allowing them to run around a field for hours on end as it stimulates their nose, brains and bodies. 

Commenting on the trainer’s video, one user said: “I heard it was good for his mental health and it happened he sniffed the whole wall came home and slept for hours.”

Another user added: “I hate it when I see people yank their dog away from sniffing. It’s like taking a book away from us when we are engrossed!”

A third user said: “We do this with our Tia. She’s so much happier and always much more tired and super well behaved.”

Another user added: “When we’re on walks we do dog stuff, sniffing digging jumping in puddles, to be honest I have more fun than he does.”

Speaking about sniff walks, an American Kennel Club statement reads: “Staci Lemke, CPDT-KA, RVT explains that sniffing is how dogs gather and process information to interpret the world.

“Imagine someone taking you to an art gallery, then blindfolding you. You wouldn’t get much out of it, would you? I imagine that’s how it is for dogs that are rushed along on walks without the opportunity to stop and sniff,” she says.

“When you look at the science, it’s no surprise dogs love to sniff everything. Dogs’ noses have more than 200 million scent receptors – compared to a measly six million in humans. Plus, dogs sniff five to 10 times a second, which we only do once every 1.5 seconds.

“Studies even suggest sniffing makes dogs feel more optimistic. Sniffing offers your pet the chance to make more of their own choices and engage in naturally enriching behaviours.”