Dogs process their world in a way that is fundamentally different to humans. We are largely a visual species, relying on our eyes first to make sense of the environment around us. Dogs gather information mainly by the use of their nose. For around 6 million scent receptors in the human, dogs have somewhere in the region of 300 million. Brain area dedicated to analysing scent is approximately 40 times larger in the dog than in the human.
As research continues, more widely known and acknowledged becomes the importance of sniffing for dogs. Many dog blogs and advice sites now promote the benefits of adding in a ‘sniffy walk’ alongside the dog’s usual exercise routine. While this is a step in the right direction, does it go far enough?
The simple answer is no, it does not. Sniffing is a natural canine behaviour. It is up to us as dog guardians to give them sufficient opportunity to exhibit natural behaviours. This includes chewing for which we can give them suitable chews and tough toys, digging which may mean providing a digging pit to save the lawn and flowerbeds from canine excavations, and sniffing. Yes, we can provide scentwork and scatter feeding at home to exercise the nose a little, but that can’t compare to going out into the world to explore all the scents available there.
You are currently reading this article online. Quite likely, you have come across it by seeing a link on social media, or by subscribing to receive an email when a new article appears. Through the online world, emails and social media, we keep in contact with each other and see what is going on in the world around us.
Think of the world outside of your front door as the dog’s version of going online. By sniffing, dogs pick up messages left by other dogs (pee-mails as some like to call them for instance). That telegraph pole that you can never understand why your dog likes to spend so long with their nose welded to it? That is the local canine message board. By sniffing there, they can tell who has been that way and left a message, and then the dog can respond in kind, leaving their own input for other dogs to find later.
It is, of course, not just other dogs that leave behind scent trails. People, cats, squirrels, birds, hedgehogs, other wildlife that might be found in your local area. All of these will leave their own contribution, telling the tale of what has happened on that spot since the last time you and your dog went that way. Do not deny your dog the opportunity to explore this world.
The video above shows a short section of a walk with my own dog. He is an anxious boy, and can be prone to reactive behaviour displays when encountering a range of triggers. Incorporating plenty of sniffing time into walks, both on and off lead, help to keep him calm and relaxed. Studies have shown that letting dogs sniff has massive benefits for them and their stress levels.
Don’t just think of adding in an extra walk to allow your dog to sniff. Let them have time to sniff on every walk. Some people may say they don’t have the time to do this, they have to get on and walk the dog as they have other things to do. That’s a sad reflection on the priority given to the dog in some homes, and also a lack of knowledge of just how important sniffing is, and how much working the brain as concentrated sniffing does will burn energy and relax the dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment