Let Them Sniff!
October 11th, 2021
While humans are mostly visual creatures, dogs are all about smells.
They have millions more olfactory sensors than humans do, and they even have an extra organ, the vomeronasal organ, on the roof of their mouth for the purpose of processing smells.
Their noses are ideal for reading “scent mail,” and they learn about the world by putting it to anything that seems interesting.
Every tree, light pole, and pant leg is potentially covered in informative smells. So, why is it important to let dogs sniff on a walk?
- Dogs “see” the world through their noses
- Slow scent/sniffy walks lets your dog absorb and process the different scents
- Gives you important insight into their behaviors
- Mentally and physically stimulating to them
- Decrease their heart rate
- Decreases their stress levels
- Improves behavior
- It’s their walk NOT YOURS!