We have a 17 month old standard poodle and all our walks involve him sniffing as he wants to. I’m fine with it, he gets really tired out, I think we also do a nice balance of him walking and sniffing (and peeing). I think the main thing is around the dog parent mindset, it’s about being willing to literally stop and smell the roses so to speak and not be as focused on going from point a to point b in a certain time period; and it’s about thinking who is this walk for? When my dog is doing his thing I look at trees, flowers, listen to bird song, breath in the air, and treat the walk as part of my daily mindfulness.
As a guide dog puppy raiser we try to discourage sniffing unless it's allowed by the handler. A colleague visited a blind persona to check on their somewhat older guide dog. On examination she realised something was wrong with the dog and a Vet confirmed the dog was also blind. It could still function as a guide dog mainly because of it's nose.
@@SIedgeHammer83 In the UK the handler gets the opportunity for ownership of the dog as a pet for the rest of it's life when they get a replacement guide dog.
My dog was never trained to be a service dog, but he is excellent with my anxiety. He warns me of an impending panic attack with excellent accuracy. He also knows how to calm an attack that’s already happening. I never trained him for any of it. We got him from a shelter.
My dog isn’t that good but he does lay on my foot if I’m tapping from anxiety. The first time melted my heart! I didn’t even realize how restless I was.
Its never occurred to me to not let my dog sniff as much as he wants! He lives for his walks. And I just love watching him enjoy it. My old elderly dog had a little cart he could get into when tired. Id push it up to his favorite sniff spots for him, and you could tell how much he apprieciated it. Great video!
I had a dog that picked up the blood sugar thing on her own. My grandson is type 1 diabetic and my friend got us a puppy to bond over. When she got older, I would hear him whining in the other room going, "papa the dog wont leave me alone." I'd go in there and she'd be pushing him toward me. We'd check his blood sugar and it would be off every time she did it.
I loved this episode, it's fascinating how the senses work. The emphasis on not suppressing instinctive behaviors is really important. I think it's easy for people to see sniffing as a way to be lazy/avoid walking, even though it isn't. Understanding how the dog's olfactory system works is really helpful in being more empathetic and effective in your training.
Zak, I've learnt so much from you! I have my first puppy and thanks to you she has learned so many things already. People ask me if I have had dogs before, since I seem to be such a good trainer. Of course I tell them 'no' and tell them about you. Thank you for helping us!
I get to take my dog to an off-leash forest for one kind of walk (heaven!) and a town walk. On the first she’s free to sniff the whole time. On the second she gets to sniff at her pace for the first third, then it’s stop and go for the rest. I use a form of “Let’s go” to break it up. I loved all the science in this video. Very informative. And respectful if dog’s’ biological needs. As usual. Thanks Zak!
This is now my favorite video of yours. I learned that sniffing burns MAJOR calories (if a dog sniffs for 10 minutes, they burn as many calories as if they’ve taken a 1 mile walk). They use their noses to tell time, too! I have a dog client who has pretty severe people/dog reactivity and so we start each walk with a 10 minute snuffle mat session, and the reactivity reliably goes down afterward on our walk.
@@jdrankwalter Dogs can't be in heel all the time. Thats no fun. Sometimes a dog needs to be a dog. As long as they are not dragging you and as long as they come close and into heel position when asked, that's the way to go.
Feel free to disregard JDrankWalter’s opinion if you wish. The belief that dogs must always heel and submit is an outdated concept that often fuels a culture of punishment in training. Such ideas stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how dogs experience the world and fail to take into account their emotional well-being. This lack of empathy during training is one of our industry’s most pressing challenges. Unfortunately, those who adhere to these beliefs are hindered rather than helped by them. They may be unaware of the harm they cause, or unwilling to acknowledge it, often due to societal influence and misguided notions about dominance or control.
I have two commands for walks, one for "walk for exercise" and one for "sniff away" lol. We tend to do half the walk sniffing, and half the walk walking at a greater pace
Also the reason this was so timely was because I’ve had problems with this the last month or so. I figured out just before your video it’s because I wasn’t giving her enough sniffing time. I was doing a group class for obedience (not serious more like skills to live peacefully with your dog all force free) then I had mantrailing and a reactive dog class and a 1-2-1 agility. As she was doing so much I knew I’d have to cut down on walks in between. This is where I had the issue that during obedience no matter what I did or had she would not bring her nose up. I realised that actually by giving her cortisol breaks after filling up her week I’d actually eliminated all her chances for sniffing. Today I went to a 25 acre private dog field rented just by us and let her have the best time ever
Dogs are so fascinating. I have a blind Pug and she does trouble navigating but at home, as long as we don't switch things around, she's comfortable getting around. I taught her "step" so she knows when we're going up or down a curb or steps and she also stops immediately when I say "watch out". The one thing she does that gets her in trouble is pull far to the side. She falls off the curb a lot.
I’m in the uk and have a reactive dog to people and dogs. We do a thing called mantrailing which is basically search and rescue but for fun. It’s done with so many reactive dogs because they love it. When doing mantrailing my dog will go up to anyone and eliminate or indicate if they are the person. We could not do that in real life. Fun fact when you said about odour changes over time. In mantrialing we learn it’s a soup of your skin cells and sweat. The scent therefore behaves like bacteria and if it’s a cold day with frost it’s harder for the dog as the bacteria doesn’t grow. If it’s warmer it grows and is a lot easier. They can also take routes which might seem slightly off track to the person they are finding however this is because scent sticks to things like water in a pond or walls etc
Playing "find it" with my dog is one of my favorite things to watch him do. It's like his brain changes how it's functioning- he might be sniffing out a treat he would be able to see but takes extra time to find with his nose because he is simply not looking with his eyes. It's amazing and so fun and he gets better and better at finding things the more we play the "find it" game
My dog is a 5 year-old field retriever. He follows his nose everywhere and that can get frustrating for me on our walks. Thanks for the insight into his behaviour. You gave me some good ideas about managing him.
You should really seek out professional trainers videos instead of his charlatan. There’s a reason the majority of the video is of his face, without a dog, inside. He’s full of crap. Go watch trainers who show you getting results with dogs on camera, with tried and true methods, who don’t spit some random dog facts and show you how to play hide and seek with treats to cater to your cute side. For your dogs sake, sack up and put in the work.
I simply have 2 commands. One is heel walk and then free time, when he can smell whatever he wants. My standard poodle is so bloody clever, that we can actually communicate quite well. So when we walk with the heel command and he smells something he can't resist, he stops and looks at me and I know exactly what he wants, so I let him 💁♀️
What a great video and I am so glad I found your channel..and I of course subscribed. I love taking my dogs out for smell walks. I wish they could tell me what they are smelling because some of those smells they will really get their noses in deep. Just watching them smell things and seeming to derive such pleasure just brings me joy..what makes my dogs happy makes me happy..
I say "what do you smell? When he puts his nose high in the air to smell something on the breeze. Then I make sniffing noises with my nose. It gets him really excited that I'm taking part in the activity and recognizing how good the scent is. Ha!
We just did a course on finding mushrooms! It was amazing to see my dog work and she was happy-tired after and has been sleeping next to me for hours ❤❤ Normally she is very intense indoors. Someone in the class asked the instructor about problematic sniffing. The answer? Is he sniffing the same place more than 10-20 minutes? Then you can consider it too long. Be patient. The walk is for your dog.
Is there anything better than watching a dog use their nose? Its their superpower and never fails to amaze me. I think i get more excited to play "find it" than my dog does 😂
What you said about our own Jacobson's organ bring vestigial is so interesting. I wonder if it still works in some people because there's a lady on England called Joy Milne who can sniff out Parkinson's disease and there's actually a new test being rolled out here based on what researchers learned about the scent she can detect. The test accurately diagnoses Parkinson's before any symptoms show up which means treatments should be more effective. 😊
Zak George. Are you able to give training to a hyper aggressive dog that is on the euthanizia list? He needs help desperately or he will be put down... Can you train him?
thanks again for such an informative, inportant, and enjoyable video. So many things regarding dog smelling i did not know. this was a great video for me. You are the best. We ruff you- Carol... and Toula & Telly & baby Nia. my pups love- go find it!!
I taught my dog “go sniff “. I like the idea that this helps him relax. He is my service dog so he helps me a lot. I like to help him too. I have found that hiding a treat is really fun for kids. I really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
As a certified dog trainer your my favorite on YT and i love your methods. Im against DD and what hes doing to dogs mental health. 😢 He needs to be shut down and stop abusing dogs. People seem to not understand dog psychology and the proper way to train isn't fear or dominance over dogs but giving dogs confidence and being able to be calm by reading there body language and helping them get to being calm. Adversives are very risky. When i went to dog training school adversives are no no's. Love you zak!
@jeannefoster3331 of course I have. I'm a trainer at the shelter here too and have never used force in any way. Every dog is different so I couldn't tell you exactly how to handle it because that's why I'm a professional, I do it very carefully with patience and trust.
My Jocko partakes in "recreational sniffing" for the first 20 minutes of each walk. He then settles into an occasional sniff mode for the next 30 minutes. It's all cool with me. I also find he sniffs more on his morning walk than his midday walk.
I've found that as well, probably to check out who's been on their territory or if that pesky squirrel is around. All of my long gone dogs have done this too. My little terrier loves to slide her belly along the tracks of where rabbits like to roam, disguising her smell I think.
Last night my girl was very interested in a dog on tv. I noticed that my boy sniffed it out, and then he became interested that she was interested. That part in the beginning about dogs essentially smelling each others feelings made what happened last night very interesting
I read when dogs are sniffing and "Marking" this is also hunting to them. Fulfilling their basic instincts. So, I give my dog more free time when walking.
It's so great to see training working with the dog rather than against. My boy is fearfully reactive and all the training is promoting prong collars and other awful things. My dog isn't aggressive but I currently walk him late at night so he can get exercise and SNIFF. We've been playing sniff games as part of his training so this video was great! Thank you, I won't hurt my dog and I often compare their sniffing to our scrolling on Facebook
My English 1000% can smell emotions. Just a feeling of sadness felt completely alone on thee couch when he is across the house brings him to my aid. He gives me a gentle dog hug for as long as it takes until I feel better.
I let my new puppy sniff when he wants too, it satisfies him, makes him more tired, and he doesn't drag me across the neighborhood (Also, it gives me a moment to relax before he pulls again, I haven't been able to give him much walks. It's way too hot here, but I'm going to teach him to not pull in the fall, tons of walks through fall, winter, and spring!)
I usually let my dog sniff. He has certain areas where I know he enjoys his sniffing the most, so we spend more time in those areas for him. It is interesting to watch his behavior and I always laugh when he does the rolling routine. He looks so happy. 💖💖🎶🎶
Thank you so much for all your videos! Your videos have helped my husband and I so much with a rescue pup! Especially, the body language videos and videos like this one have help us understand him so much when he is nervous, anxious and all other emotions!
When we are in a busy place with lots or people and dog traffic, my dog will want to sniff every tree/lamppost. One thing that I find helps, is to actually encourage her to sniff. I let her sniff one lamppost for a bit, say let’s go and then run with her to the next lamppost for another sniff. After doing a few times, her interest in sniffing reduces and we can walk with very minor stops.
We do some nose work classes. For tracking I say “spor” (means track in danish), for lavender search, I say “search”, and for finding snacks around the house, I say “søge”, which means search in danish. And for jus go sniff, I say “snuse”, which is danish for sniff.
My doggo loves some scent work, we learnt it mainly off the books and on our own, as there's not much free content specifically about scent work. We use a bottle with a deer scent on it, and he'll hunt round the whole house for it and bring it to me for a few bits of kibble. Would absolutely love to see how a professional approaches teaching scent work to see if we were on the right tracks
One thing I've learned is to change up the environment and take them to a park or trail to give them a new area of sniffs. Sometimes (especially in cities/suburban areas), a dog can get very bored, smelling the same area over and over. Also, I take a moment to hide treats without my dogs in an area. (Multiple treats) Then let them go in and search around. In a multi dog situation like I have I have to separate them and allow each of them in so there isn't a fight. Since I've had dogs I never understood why humans were so bent on stopping a dog from be themselves...as long as you have a boundary set up for them...I just let them sniff and go on when they are ready. The walks are not about my 'exercise routine' but them having the time to explore their world I brought them into. So I've been doing these smell walks for years and boy does it wear them out.
Thanks for the great info as always! Have you found the cross country travel has changed Inertia and Veronica’s mental map? Specifically registering the travel time/process? We have been doing cross country travel for a couple years and have always been curious if our pup know where she is, or where she is headed.
Thanks! Well-timed for us, we were just wondering how to manage this. Our vet informed us that our pup cannot play with other dogs for a couple months because of a virus. This is a bummer because it’s his #1 joy. Any and all advice while he is quarantine is appreciated!
My dogs go on sniffing walks and walking walks. They know the difference and are happy in either one. All it takes is a redirect once when they sniff, then it’s walk without sniffing or pulling or wandering.
Years ago we started doing a leisurely morning smell walk and found there is less sniffing on the afternoon and evening walks. It also really calms our dog down.
Yeah time of day seems to make a big difference - I bet because in the night, animals come out (cats, rabbits, foxes etc.) and make the ground smell much more interesting.
@@alexandradittmann8588 And consistency. I knew a family that got their dog to stop howling by howling every day at 5pm and giving treats. Eventually the dog refused to howl at any other time. After 5 years our dog won't play fetch more than a couple of throws on her morning walk. She knows that is smell walk time.
Adding another comment lol. Although my dog is reactive and I’ve read that they can sniff and therefore feed if your emotions. I have found the opposite to be true. If I go out and I’m happy she’s her usual self. If I go out and I’m panicky or nervous she takes over the situation for her both. She would do voluntary look backs at every trigger we see and just show me what she can do and that she can handle the situation for both of us
Personally I walk my dog on heel when on the lead and then let him be a dog and do whatever he wants off the lead. He was a rescue and when I first got him he would launch on lead to get to a smell and yank my arm, only way to stop it was to keep his focus on staying next to me and not let him sniff about, but I'd do this with all dogs I have in the future, makes the walk so much better for both of us.
My rescue dog wouldn't sniff for a long time due to anxiety and also guarding me. Having encouraged her to sniff and training to teach guarding me isn't necessary ,she now loves her walks. She spends lots of time sniffing but will also want to just walk. I go with what she wants because it is her time.
And then there is Coco, my boomer dog, which is mostly Shih Tzu, and luckily doesn't smell everything while walking, because the breed is known for a far less strong of a nose :P
this was so interesting to hear. i have a 8 yr old irish setter and 8 months ago i brought home a 6 months old setter from a kennel, both girls. the little one has since day one peed on the same spots right after my old dog were done. i'm thinking it was a security thing. as in if she pees with her pack she's not as vunerable in a new place. it's stopped almost completely at this point, especially after she's been in heat. is this something you've come across before?
Hi, I and my standard poodle like to watch your videos. Unfortunately, in the summertime, I can't let my dog sniff freely because of poisonous vipers. I've seen several this summer. To keep my dog safe, I check the area first. My dog enjoys treatsearching in- and outdoors.
I’ve got two German shepherds, I walk them on 8metre retractable leads, now both dogs are avid sniffers, and because they share my home with me, getting out is their time so I let them sniff, they pull a bit at times and both dogs will walk to heel either side of me but they are so miserable doing it, they look so bored, so I let them do what dogs do best, sniff! They are just so much happier.
I see my own dog mirrored in Inertia on those walks! Something you didn't mention, I know you know this but worth bringing up anyway, is using Go Sniff as a reward instead of food for dogs who find sniffing to be a highly rewarding activity. Sure we love hot dogs, but that's not the only source of positive reinforcement we can use to our advantage!
I actually use this for my Boxer pup as he's responsive to treats outside only sometimes and tug toy excites him too much (but still good to use every now and then to train regulating his level of excitement). He loves sniffing, even if he is pretty sucky at it, and also still needs to learn impulse control. So now on our walks to the park or the woods, or just potty walks, he needs to ask permission first to sniff. "That's enough, let's go" means switching back to heel. When he does well and makes eye contact, I tell him "go sniff" as a reward. This drill on the walks combined with fetch (with impulse control training)/go find/playing with his neighborhood gang/tug o war/treat hunt at home (not all at once but over the span of the day), if we don't go to a longer sniffari in the woods, always manages to tire him out.
We had 3 dogs that was killed by sniffing. Because of chemicals that were used on plants , poisonous plants and dead animal corpse. I allow sniff only in our own yard. I will also play sniffing games with my dogs and bring in new cents maybe a blanket from one of my friends dogs or stick from a area I worked in a few leafs or anything that is save for them to sniff. When I work on a farm I like to bring home some samples of the animals I worked with. Meaning ( fur or feather or grass samples) This is how I stimulate them safely.
I just tried the find it hiding treats around me while sitting on the floor as you are. She found it challenging only because I just baked the treats and the whole room smells of them. my trainer taught me much of what you say here but I'm still having frustrations because even the high value treats become invisible to her on walks after awhile as the environment is a million times more rewarding. thoughts? I just played a bit with find it out from of our house with some leash training mixed in. Thanks zak for this refresher,. I feel a bit more confident and less dismayed today. my 15 month standard poodle does the stress sniffing on walks. yes I say let's go maybe too much.
Something Zak has said several times previously is, if your dog is too overstimulated by the environment to listen or take treats, you can spend more time in that environment until the "newness" wears off So for example if you're walking through a park and your dog is only interested in the environment but you want to train there, stay in the same small section of park (walk back and forth) and eventually they'll get bored and be interested in treats and training again
Every time before I eat my dog barks even when it doesn't see me , besides their exceptional sense of smell im convinced that dogs can see through walls too
I have a German Shepherd with limited hearing. I've found this seems to have heightened his sense of smell, loss of one sense, seems to be compensated by another. Also, my two male shepherds pee over and over each others urine, often 5 times on the same tree! I wonder if it's also a dominance thing, as the older shepherd is ALWAYS the last to pee on the tree!😂
At one time I had three dogs. There was a German Shepherd male, a border collie male and a cross breed female. At mealtimes the female used to go in the garden and pee and the males would follow to cover it. Meanwhile the female would run inside and eat their food.
Interestingly the males also both made use of a gate post that had clover growing. And that clump of clover had a lot of four and five leaves. Coincidence?
I play a fun game with my dog & peanut butter in my back yard. I hide 2 bowls with a modest amount of peanut butter putting them behind trees and bushes. Then I come back into the house. I open and close the jar of peanut butter in front of my dog and then cue him to " find it " outdoors. Such fun for both of us!
Interesting facts! I often wondered why my 9 month puppy insists on leaning his teeth against my chin or nose and slowly put his his tongue on my chin/nose when I'm resting. (having MS and are resting most of the 24 hours of the day). I wonder what it is he's sniffing? My fatigue? Me being boring?😆
Phone must have been listening in on the fight between my dog and I on our walk yesterday about this very thing. Creepy, but thanks Google. This was helpful.
My Frenchie starts excessive sniffing as a stalling method when he realizes we are headed back home. He also knows the route to the local coffee shop where he flirts with the baristas and gets his weekly pup-cup. If he ever wanders off, I know where to find him. LOL
Hi Zak, i am all for letting the dogs sniff as it gives them dopamine and awareness of the world. My issue is that my 7 month old dog sniffs AND eats everything. So i dont feel comfortable letting him sniff as much as he wants to, because thats also a way to contract worms, especially with the eating. What do you suggest? Will he grow out of it or should i train him on sniffing time?
I 100% hundred percent completely understand if my dog is sniffing every block every step and exploring at first when I got him when he was eight weeks old I was at times a little frustrated but then I learned as the weeks and months when I’m like you know what I’m just gonna let him do that whenever he wants because it genuinely stimulates him which makes the walk a lot shorter than just having a longer walk with no sniffing Maybe I’m wrong but I noticed 20 minutes of him sniffing around and exploring equates to his energy loss of just walking straight for one hour Although every dog is different. Also, there are cases where you gotta guide them away from sniffing if there’s something harmful or it just matters from circumstance circumstance but obviously when I’m just walking around my neighborhood and he’s super high energy dog sniffing all the time really helps in regards to when we get back home. He won’t be jumping off the walls as usual. (Shiba inu)
I have a two year old Karin Terrier. Really loves her walks. She remembers the exact spots she sees a rabbit, bird, etc. However, I have been working with her on looking at me, rewarding this behavior. Secondly, working on “come”, which is harder. She loves to run, though, and I have long leash to let her run. I can’t get her to leave it, though. Been extremely tough to to “ leave it” when outside. I can drop a treat and say leave it, and she will until I say o.k. But- outside is the toughest. She may pick up something I find inappropriate, etc. Any thoughts? Thanks. Great vid!
My nose isn't really good, I can barely smell things. Only really if it's a super strong smell or if it's right up to my nose can I smell it, so I really want to be understand my dog's nose
Thanks for the reminder of allowing some sniffing time on walks. I used to do this consciously but, I realized that I have recently hurried them up too much. I would add that I never let my dogs sniff poop if I can see it before they do. They have gotten giardia before from contact with a poop that they probably sniffed and then licked their nose. Sorry dogs, poop sniffing is just not worth the risk.
We have a 17 month old standard poodle and all our walks involve him sniffing as he wants to. I’m fine with it, he gets really tired out, I think we also do a nice balance of him walking and sniffing (and peeing). I think the main thing is around the dog parent mindset, it’s about being willing to literally stop and smell the roses so to speak and not be as focused on going from point a to point b in a certain time period; and it’s about thinking who is this walk for? When my dog is doing his thing I look at trees, flowers, listen to bird song, breath in the air, and treat the walk as part of my daily mindfulness.
As a guide dog puppy raiser we try to discourage sniffing unless it's allowed by the handler. A colleague visited a blind persona to check on their somewhat older guide dog. On examination she realised something was wrong with the dog and a Vet confirmed the dog was also blind. It could still function as a guide dog mainly because of it's nose.
Someone needs to give that dog steak, that is dedication and royalty to the blind owner.
This just proves how amazing guide dogs and dogs in general are they never complain no matter the situation ❤️
@@SIedgeHammer83 In the UK the handler gets the opportunity for ownership of the dog as a pet for the rest of it's life when they get a replacement guide dog.
@@rickharriss That's nice. The dog gets to retire with someone familiar.
❤
My dog was never trained to be a service dog, but he is excellent with my anxiety. He warns me of an impending panic attack with excellent accuracy. He also knows how to calm an attack that’s already happening. I never trained him for any of it. We got him from a shelter.
My dog isn’t that good but he does lay on my foot if I’m tapping from anxiety. The first time melted my heart! I didn’t even realize how restless I was.
Its never occurred to me to not let my dog sniff as much as he wants! He lives for his walks. And I just love watching him enjoy it.
My old elderly dog had a little cart he could get into when tired. Id push it up to his favorite sniff spots for him, and you could tell how much he apprieciated it.
Great video!
I had a dog that picked up the blood sugar thing on her own. My grandson is type 1 diabetic and my friend got us a puppy to bond over. When she got older, I would hear him whining in the other room going, "papa the dog wont leave me alone." I'd go in there and she'd be pushing him toward me. We'd check his blood sugar and it would be off every time she did it.
I loved this episode, it's fascinating how the senses work. The emphasis on not suppressing instinctive behaviors is really important. I think it's easy for people to see sniffing as a way to be lazy/avoid walking, even though it isn't. Understanding how the dog's olfactory system works is really helpful in being more empathetic and effective in your training.
Zak, I've learnt so much from you! I have my first puppy and thanks to you she has learned so many things already. People ask me if I have had dogs before, since I seem to be such a good trainer. Of course I tell them 'no' and tell them about you. Thank you for helping us!
That is awesome!
I get to take my dog to an off-leash forest for one kind of walk (heaven!) and a town walk. On the first she’s free to sniff the whole time. On the second she gets to sniff at her pace for the first third, then it’s stop and go for the rest. I use a form of “Let’s go” to break it up. I loved all the science in this video. Very informative. And respectful if dog’s’ biological needs. As usual. Thanks Zak!
This is now my favorite video of yours. I learned that sniffing burns MAJOR calories (if a dog sniffs for 10 minutes, they burn as many calories as if they’ve taken a 1 mile walk). They use their noses to tell time, too!
I have a dog client who has pretty severe people/dog reactivity and so we start each walk with a 10 minute snuffle mat session, and the reactivity reliably goes down afterward on our walk.
Hey there how do you use your snuffle mat?
Wtf is this? So you just let your dog do whatever it wants on a walk? Gross.
very interesting. Sometimes I get upset with the amount of sniffing my dog wants to do on a walk. I now see it differently. Thank you
Don't listen to this nonsense. If your dog is sniffing on a walk, you need to get the dog on a better heel and not allow as much.
@@jdrankwalter Dogs can't be in heel all the time. Thats no fun. Sometimes a dog needs to be a dog. As long as they are not dragging you and as long as they come close and into heel position when asked, that's the way to go.
Feel free to disregard JDrankWalter’s opinion if you wish. The belief that dogs must always heel and submit is an outdated concept that often fuels a culture of punishment in training. Such ideas stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how dogs experience the world and fail to take into account their emotional well-being. This lack of empathy during training is one of our industry’s most pressing challenges. Unfortunately, those who adhere to these beliefs are hindered rather than helped by them. They may be unaware of the harm they cause, or unwilling to acknowledge it, often due to societal influence and misguided notions about dominance or control.
@@jdrankwalterSniffy walks are very beneficial and have a much better outcome than just a long boring walk ☺️
@@zakgeorgeOh I will 😁
I have two commands for walks, one for "walk for exercise" and one for "sniff away" lol. We tend to do half the walk sniffing, and half the walk walking at a greater pace
Great video! This is something I can personally use. I really appreciate you showing the entire process the way you did.
@xAppzakgeorge_YT Oh. That’s awesome! What do you need from me? This is my first time winning anything. 😅
i agree
well said
I love watching my dog having a good sniff when we go for a walk. I find myself imagining his world and slightly envying it.
Also the reason this was so timely was because I’ve had problems with this the last month or so. I figured out just before your video it’s because I wasn’t giving her enough sniffing time. I was doing a group class for obedience (not serious more like skills to live peacefully with your dog all force free) then I had mantrailing and a reactive dog class and a 1-2-1 agility. As she was doing so much I knew I’d have to cut down on walks in between. This is where I had the issue that during obedience no matter what I did or had she would not bring her nose up. I realised that actually by giving her cortisol breaks after filling up her week I’d actually eliminated all her chances for sniffing. Today I went to a 25 acre private dog field rented just by us and let her have the best time ever
Dogs are so fascinating. I have a blind Pug and she does trouble navigating but at home, as long as we don't switch things around, she's comfortable getting around. I taught her "step" so she knows when we're going up or down a curb or steps and she also stops immediately when I say "watch out". The one thing she does that gets her in trouble is pull far to the side. She falls off the curb a lot.
I’m in the uk and have a reactive dog to people and dogs. We do a thing called mantrailing which is basically search and rescue but for fun. It’s done with so many reactive dogs because they love it. When doing mantrailing my dog will go up to anyone and eliminate or indicate if they are the person. We could not do that in real life.
Fun fact when you said about odour changes over time. In mantrialing we learn it’s a soup of your skin cells and sweat. The scent therefore behaves like bacteria and if it’s a cold day with frost it’s harder for the dog as the bacteria doesn’t grow. If it’s warmer it grows and is a lot easier. They can also take routes which might seem slightly off track to the person they are finding however this is because scent sticks to things like water in a pond or walls etc
Playing "find it" with my dog is one of my favorite things to watch him do. It's like his brain changes how it's functioning- he might be sniffing out a treat he would be able to see but takes extra time to find with his nose because he is simply not looking with his eyes. It's amazing and so fun and he gets better and better at finding things the more we play the "find it" game
Thank you for making this video! I've been searching for a video like this everywhere. No one seems to address it. This is very helpful :)
My dog is a 5 year-old field retriever. He follows his nose everywhere and that can get frustrating for me on our walks. Thanks for the insight into his behaviour. You gave me some good ideas about managing him.
You should really seek out professional trainers videos instead of his charlatan. There’s a reason the majority of the video is of his face, without a dog, inside. He’s full of crap. Go watch trainers who show you getting results with dogs on camera, with tried and true methods, who don’t spit some random dog facts and show you how to play hide and seek with treats to cater to your cute side. For your dogs sake, sack up and put in the work.
Love the video! Mark Rober did an awesome fun video on search and rescue dogs that put one through a series of challenges to find him!
I simply have 2 commands. One is heel walk and then free time, when he can smell whatever he wants.
My standard poodle is so bloody clever, that we can actually communicate quite well. So when we walk with the heel command and he smells something he can't resist, he stops and looks at me and I know exactly what he wants, so I let him 💁♀️
thank God a real trainer and excellent teacher for us stewards
Amen!!!
What a great video and I am so glad I found your channel..and I of course subscribed. I love taking my dogs out for smell walks. I wish they could tell me what they are smelling because some of those smells they will really get their noses in deep. Just watching them smell things and seeming to derive such pleasure just brings me joy..what makes my dogs happy makes me happy..
Such a unique and fascinating video! If you’re up for it I’d love to see more videos like this every now and then. 💜
I say "what do you smell? When he puts his nose high in the air to smell something on the breeze. Then I make sniffing noises with my nose. It gets him really excited that I'm taking part in the activity and recognizing how good the scent is. Ha!
We just did a course on finding mushrooms! It was amazing to see my dog work and she was happy-tired after and has been sleeping next to me for hours ❤❤ Normally she is very intense indoors.
Someone in the class asked the instructor about problematic sniffing. The answer? Is he sniffing the same place more than 10-20 minutes? Then you can consider it too long. Be patient. The walk is for your dog.
There it is! Awesome job!
Is there anything better than watching a dog use their nose? Its their superpower and never fails to amaze me. I think i get more excited to play "find it" than my dog does 😂
What you said about our own Jacobson's organ bring vestigial is so interesting. I wonder if it still works in some people because there's a lady on England called Joy Milne who can sniff out Parkinson's disease and there's actually a new test being rolled out here based on what researchers learned about the scent she can detect. The test accurately diagnoses Parkinson's before any symptoms show up which means treatments should be more effective. 😊
I have been wondering the same thing!
Thank you for this video topic Zak!
my dog watches yhe video too! love it!!!
i have to train him to be calm and safe around our chickens
Zak George. Are you able to give training to a hyper aggressive dog that is on the euthanizia list?
He needs help desperately or he will be put down...
Can you train him?
thanks again for such an informative, inportant, and enjoyable video. So many things regarding dog smelling i did not know. this was a great video for me. You are the best. We ruff you- Carol... and Toula & Telly & baby Nia. my pups love- go find it!!
I learned a handful of things in this video myself! I’m really glad we did this one and I’m glad you saw what we saw!
I taught my dog “go sniff “. I like the idea that this helps him relax. He is my service dog so he helps me a lot. I like to help him too.
I have found that hiding a treat is really fun for kids. I really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
Great video. Many useful ideas to train.
As a certified dog trainer your my favorite on YT and i love your methods. Im against DD and what hes doing to dogs mental health. 😢 He needs to be shut down and stop abusing dogs. People seem to not understand dog psychology and the proper way to train isn't fear or dominance over dogs but giving dogs confidence and being able to be calm by reading there body language and helping them get to being calm. Adversives are very risky. When i went to dog training school adversives are no no's. Love you zak!
Have you dealt with reactive/aggressive dogs? How do you handle them?
@jeannefoster3331 of course I have. I'm a trainer at the shelter here too and have never used force in any way. Every dog is different so I couldn't tell you exactly how to handle it because that's why I'm a professional, I do it very carefully with patience and trust.
This is awesome! Thank you! Soo interesting!
Hey Zak, I'm buying both of your books today, in spiral bound form
My Jocko partakes in "recreational sniffing" for the first 20 minutes of each walk. He then settles into an occasional sniff mode for the next 30 minutes. It's all cool with me. I also find he sniffs more on his morning walk than his midday walk.
I've found that as well, probably to check out who's been on their territory or if that pesky squirrel is around. All of my long gone dogs have done this too. My little terrier loves to slide her belly along the tracks of where rabbits like to roam, disguising her smell I think.
Last night my girl was very interested in a dog on tv. I noticed that my boy sniffed it out, and then he became interested that she was interested. That part in the beginning about dogs essentially smelling each others feelings made what happened last night very interesting
I read when dogs are sniffing and "Marking" this is also hunting to them. Fulfilling their basic instincts. So, I give my dog more free time when walking.
It's so great to see training working with the dog rather than against. My boy is fearfully reactive and all the training is promoting prong collars and other awful things. My dog isn't aggressive but I currently walk him late at night so he can get exercise and SNIFF. We've been playing sniff games as part of his training so this video was great! Thank you, I won't hurt my dog and I often compare their sniffing to our scrolling on Facebook
zack cant even walk his 3 year old dog without pulling
My English 1000% can smell emotions. Just a feeling of sadness felt completely alone on thee couch when he is across the house brings him to my aid. He gives me a gentle dog hug for as long as it takes until I feel better.
My Labrador is being trained as a seizure alert dog: he can smell an oncoming seizure over a minute before it happens. Dogs are incredible!
Zak do you have videos l can show my puppy to learn from? You're a great help with our new puppy, thanks.
I let my new puppy sniff when he wants too, it satisfies him, makes him more tired, and he doesn't drag me across the neighborhood
(Also, it gives me a moment to relax before he pulls again, I haven't been able to give him much walks. It's way too hot here, but I'm going to teach him to not pull in the fall, tons of walks through fall, winter, and spring!)
I usually let my dog sniff. He has certain areas where I know he enjoys his sniffing the most, so we spend more time in those areas for him. It is interesting to watch his behavior and I always laugh when he does the rolling routine. He looks so happy. 💖💖🎶🎶
My dog sniffs and rolls too, I do find that when she's busy sniffing she's doesn't pull on the lead.
Thank you so much for all your videos! Your videos have helped my husband and I so much with a rescue pup! Especially, the body language videos and videos like this one have help us understand him so much when he is nervous, anxious and all other emotions!
Smells great!
As always, brilliant -
Thank you Zak, your clear n precise training videos are just the best !
Excellent episode Zak 😎
When we are in a busy place with lots or people and dog traffic, my dog will want to sniff every tree/lamppost. One thing that I find helps, is to actually encourage her to sniff. I let her sniff one lamppost for a bit, say let’s go and then run with her to the next lamppost for another sniff. After doing a few times, her interest in sniffing reduces and we can walk with very minor stops.
Great ideas, my German Shepard is a super sniffer, some games and boundaries might help
We do some nose work classes. For tracking I say “spor” (means track in danish), for lavender search, I say “search”, and for finding snacks around the house, I say “søge”, which means search in danish. And for jus go sniff, I say “snuse”, which is danish for sniff.
My doggo loves some scent work, we learnt it mainly off the books and on our own, as there's not much free content specifically about scent work. We use a bottle with a deer scent on it, and he'll hunt round the whole house for it and bring it to me for a few bits of kibble. Would absolutely love to see how a professional approaches teaching scent work to see if we were on the right tracks
Great video! I learned some new things.
Hi zak love your content keep it coming inertia is my favourite 😍 ❤
One thing I've learned is to change up the environment and take them to a park or trail to give them a new area of sniffs.
Sometimes (especially in cities/suburban areas), a dog can get very bored, smelling the same area over and over.
Also, I take a moment to hide treats without my dogs in an area. (Multiple treats) Then let them go in and search around. In a multi dog situation like I have I have to separate them and allow each of them in so there isn't a fight.
Since I've had dogs I never understood why humans were so bent on stopping a dog from be themselves...as long as you have a boundary set up for them...I just let them sniff and go on when they are ready.
The walks are not about my 'exercise routine' but them having the time to explore their world I brought them into. So I've been doing these smell walks for years and boy does it wear them out.
you're a good owner!
Thanks for the great info as always!
Have you found the cross country travel has changed Inertia and Veronica’s mental map? Specifically registering the travel time/process?
We have been doing cross country travel for a couple years and have always been curious if our pup know where she is, or where she is headed.
The more I learn about dogs, the more I marvel at how they're able to live with us and understand us so much more than we understand them
Thanks! Well-timed for us, we were just wondering how to manage this.
Our vet informed us that our pup cannot play with other dogs for a couple months because of a virus. This is a bummer because it’s his #1 joy. Any and all advice while he is quarantine is appreciated!
My dogs go on sniffing walks and walking walks. They know the difference and are happy in either one. All it takes is a redirect once when they sniff, then it’s walk without sniffing or pulling or wandering.
Years ago we started doing a leisurely morning smell walk and found there is less sniffing on the afternoon and evening walks. It also really calms our dog down.
Yeah time of day seems to make a big difference - I bet because in the night, animals come out (cats, rabbits, foxes etc.) and make the ground smell much more interesting.
@@alexandradittmann8588 And consistency. I knew a family that got their dog to stop howling by howling every day at 5pm and giving treats. Eventually the dog refused to howl at any other time. After 5 years our dog won't play fetch more than a couple of throws on her morning walk. She knows that is smell walk time.
aaw I wanted to buy the barkbox but its not for Europe I just found out. Ashame
Amazing video, thank you!!
Adding another comment lol. Although my dog is reactive and I’ve read that they can sniff and therefore feed if your emotions. I have found the opposite to be true. If I go out and I’m happy she’s her usual self. If I go out and I’m panicky or nervous she takes over the situation for her both. She would do voluntary look backs at every trigger we see and just show me what she can do and that she can handle the situation for both of us
Personally I walk my dog on heel when on the lead and then let him be a dog and do whatever he wants off the lead. He was a rescue and when I first got him he would launch on lead to get to a smell and yank my arm, only way to stop it was to keep his focus on staying next to me and not let him sniff about, but I'd do this with all dogs I have in the future, makes the walk so much better for both of us.
Feeling like you made this video for me after liking my comment lol. Much appreciated
My rescue dog wouldn't sniff for a long time due to anxiety and also guarding me. Having encouraged her to sniff and training to teach guarding me isn't necessary ,she now loves her walks. She spends lots of time sniffing but will also want to just walk. I go with what she wants because it is her time.
Where is the training?
So interesting, thank you!!
And then there is Coco, my boomer dog, which is mostly Shih Tzu, and luckily doesn't smell everything while walking, because the breed is known for a far less strong of a nose :P
this was so interesting to hear. i have a 8 yr old irish setter and 8 months ago i brought home a 6 months old setter from a kennel, both girls. the little one has since day one peed on the same spots right after my old dog were done. i'm thinking it was a security thing. as in if she pees with her pack she's not as vunerable in a new place. it's stopped almost completely at this point, especially after she's been in heat. is this something you've come across before?
Hi, I and my standard poodle like to watch your videos. Unfortunately, in the summertime, I can't let my dog sniff freely because of poisonous vipers. I've seen several this summer. To keep my dog safe, I check the area first. My dog enjoys treatsearching in- and outdoors.
What area do you live where there are vipers?
can u please do a haul of training products?
@xAppzakgeorge_YT 🥰
I’ve got two German shepherds, I walk them on 8metre retractable leads, now both dogs are avid sniffers, and because they share my home with me, getting out is their time so I let them sniff, they pull a bit at times and both dogs will walk to heel either side of me but they are so miserable doing it, they look so bored, so I let them do what dogs do best, sniff! They are just so much happier.
I see my own dog mirrored in Inertia on those walks! Something you didn't mention, I know you know this but worth bringing up anyway, is using Go Sniff as a reward instead of food for dogs who find sniffing to be a highly rewarding activity. Sure we love hot dogs, but that's not the only source of positive reinforcement we can use to our advantage!
I actually use this for my Boxer pup as he's responsive to treats outside only sometimes and tug toy excites him too much (but still good to use every now and then to train regulating his level of excitement). He loves sniffing, even if he is pretty sucky at it, and also still needs to learn impulse control. So now on our walks to the park or the woods, or just potty walks, he needs to ask permission first to sniff. "That's enough, let's go" means switching back to heel. When he does well and makes eye contact, I tell him "go sniff" as a reward.
This drill on the walks combined with fetch (with impulse control training)/go find/playing with his neighborhood gang/tug o war/treat hunt at home (not all at once but over the span of the day), if we don't go to a longer sniffari in the woods, always manages to tire him out.
Looking forward to watching this
Same
We had 3 dogs that was killed by sniffing. Because of chemicals that were used on plants , poisonous plants and dead animal corpse. I allow sniff only in our own yard. I will also play sniffing games with my dogs and bring in new cents maybe a blanket from one of my friends dogs or stick from a area I worked in a few leafs or anything that is save for them to sniff. When I work on a farm I like to bring home some samples of the animals I worked with. Meaning ( fur or feather or grass samples)
This is how I stimulate them safely.
I love your videos, btw can i ask a question? How to treat a knock knee to a 3 month old doberman shepherd puppy???
I just tried the find it hiding treats around me while sitting on the floor as you are. She found it challenging only because I just baked the treats and the whole room smells of them.
my trainer taught me much of what you say here but I'm still having frustrations because even the high value treats become invisible to her on walks after awhile as the environment is a million times more rewarding. thoughts? I just played a bit with find it out from of our house with some leash training mixed in. Thanks zak for this refresher,. I feel a bit more confident and less dismayed today. my 15 month standard poodle does the stress sniffing on walks. yes I say let's go maybe too much.
Something Zak has said several times previously is, if your dog is too overstimulated by the environment to listen or take treats, you can spend more time in that environment until the "newness" wears off
So for example if you're walking through a park and your dog is only interested in the environment but you want to train there, stay in the same small section of park (walk back and forth) and eventually they'll get bored and be interested in treats and training again
I was talking about what he was doing in the video. sitting on the floor in the house.@@victoriag7573
Would it be alright with you if I made a similar video in Norwegian for my courses?
I will not copy you, but heavily inspired.
Every time before I eat my dog barks even when it doesn't see me , besides their exceptional sense of smell im convinced that dogs can see through walls too
Could the treats in the grass game make dogs more likely to eat garbage from the ground? If so, how to best help them differentiate?
I have a German Shepherd with limited hearing. I've found this seems to have heightened his sense of smell, loss of one sense, seems to be compensated by another.
Also, my two male shepherds pee over and over each others urine, often 5 times on the same tree! I wonder if it's also a dominance thing, as the older shepherd is ALWAYS the last to pee on the tree!😂
At one time I had three dogs. There was a German Shepherd male, a border collie male and a cross breed female. At mealtimes the female used to go in the garden and pee and the males would follow to cover it. Meanwhile the female would run inside and eat their food.
Interestingly the males also both made use of a gate post that had clover growing. And that clump of clover had a lot of four and five leaves. Coincidence?
I jokingly say that my girls are just "reading each page of the morning paper." 😂
I play a fun game with my dog & peanut butter in my back yard. I hide 2 bowls with a modest amount of peanut butter putting them behind trees and bushes. Then I come back into the house.
I open and close the jar of peanut butter in front of my dog and then cue him to " find it " outdoors.
Such fun for both of us!
Interesting facts! I often wondered why my 9 month puppy insists on leaning his teeth against my chin or nose and slowly put his his tongue on my chin/nose when I'm resting. (having MS and are resting most of the 24 hours of the day). I wonder what it is he's sniffing? My fatigue? Me being boring?😆
Love you channel ❤
Phone must have been listening in on the fight between my dog and I on our walk yesterday about this very thing. Creepy, but thanks Google. This was helpful.
Are hemp calming sticks good for dogs?
My Frenchie starts excessive sniffing as a stalling method when he realizes we are headed back home. He also knows the route to the local coffee shop where he flirts with the baristas and gets his weekly pup-cup. If he ever wanders off, I know where to find him. LOL
Hi Zak, i am all for letting the dogs sniff as it gives them dopamine and awareness of the world. My issue is that my 7 month old dog sniffs AND eats everything. So i dont feel comfortable letting him sniff as much as he wants to, because thats also a way to contract worms, especially with the eating. What do you suggest? Will he grow out of it or should i train him on sniffing time?
I 100% hundred percent completely understand if my dog is sniffing every block every step and exploring at first when I got him when he was eight weeks old I was at times a little frustrated but then I learned as the weeks and months when I’m like you know what I’m just gonna let him do that whenever he wants because it genuinely stimulates him which makes the walk a lot shorter than just having a longer walk with no sniffing Maybe I’m wrong but I noticed 20 minutes of him sniffing around and exploring equates to his energy loss of just walking straight for one hour
Although every dog is different. Also, there are cases where you gotta guide them away from sniffing if there’s something harmful or it just matters from circumstance circumstance but obviously when I’m just walking around my neighborhood and he’s super high energy dog sniffing all the time really helps in regards to when we get back home. He won’t be jumping off the walls as usual. (Shiba inu)
This was a fantastic and informative video ♡ thankyou
I have a two year old Karin Terrier. Really loves her walks. She remembers the exact spots she sees a rabbit, bird, etc. However, I have been working with her on looking at me, rewarding this behavior. Secondly, working on “come”, which is harder. She loves to run, though, and I have long leash to let her run. I can’t get her to leave it, though. Been extremely tough to to “ leave it” when outside. I can drop a treat and say leave it, and she will until I say o.k. But- outside is the toughest. She may pick up something I find inappropriate, etc.
Any thoughts? Thanks. Great vid!
My nose isn't really good, I can barely smell things. Only really if it's a super strong smell or if it's right up to my nose can I smell it, so I really want to be understand my dog's nose
A daily sniffari is my dog’s favorite activity
Thanks for the reminder of allowing some sniffing time on walks. I used to do this consciously but, I realized that I have recently hurried them up too much. I would add that I never let my dogs sniff poop if I can see it before they do. They have gotten giardia before from contact with a poop that they probably sniffed and then licked their nose. Sorry dogs, poop sniffing is just not worth the risk.
Tqsm for information 🙏
Thank you I appreciate you