To Sniff or Not To Sniff: Why Sniffing Is Important To Dogs?

We all have messed up one way or another with our pets, especially all you first-time pet parents out there.
It might not even have to be a huge mess up, it could just be something small like missing their vaccine appointment or not realizing how much time and energy they demand.

Something I also didn't realize was - I’d have to teach my dog how to walk on a leash. For some reason, all my daydreams of being a pet parent involved having a very well-mannered dog who would walk right beside me. Little did I know they would want to stop every five seconds to smell every single blade of grass they came across.

I do, however, prefer him smelling grass than shoving his nose up every visitor who enters our house. For reference, he’s not a very small dog. So imagine their horror when this enormous dog comes running up to them to shove his nose up where the sun doesn't shine.

I’m starting to understand why we don't have too many visitors anymore.

What I understood through these moments was how important smell was to dogs. Now the ‘stopping every 5 mins during our walk to smell something that was not there’ made more sense.

To understand exactly how important their wet little nose is to them, I decided to get help from sploot’s canine expert panel.

Here are two cents of advice from Dr Varun, a veterinarian, and Divij Gupta, a canine trainer.

A Secret Superpower
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, sniffing up to 5-10 times per second, which keeps them tuned into their environment.
Each nostril captures scents from different areas, allowing their brains to quickly process and identify the smell.
Their brains also store scent memories, so when they encounter a familiar smell, they instinctively know how to respond.
If it’s their owner’s scent, they’ll wag their tail, get excited, and cry to show affection. If they detect an enemy or a strange smell, they become alert and ready to react. The more they sniff, the sharper and smarter they become.

The Power of Sniffs
Sniffing is essential for dogs, benefiting their physical and mental health, social skills, and overall quality of life. Here are all the things it helps with:
1. Information Gathering: Dogs learn about their surroundings, other animals, and people through scent, even detecting pheromones that convey social signals.
2. Stress Relief: Sniffing soothes and distracts dogs from anxiety.
3. Exercise: It mentally stimulates dogs, offering benefits similar to physical exercise.
4. Social Interaction: Scent is key in canine communication and socialization.
5. Memory Formation: Scents help dogs remember events, people, and places.
6. Tracking: Dogs use sniffing to locate objects, people, and animals.
7. Exploration: Sniffing helps dogs explore and recognize new and familiar scents.

The In-Built Stress Buster

Sniffing during walks is essential for a dog’s mental and emotional health. It reduces stress and anxiety, provides mental stimulation, and exercises the brain. Sniffing also allows for exploration, aids in socialization, and helps dogs recognize and become familiar with their territory, fostering calm behaviour.
To maximize the benefits, allow your dog regular sniffing breaks, choose routes with varied scents like parks or trails, and avoid rushing or pulling them along. Practice loose-leash walking, consider longer walks for more sniffing time, and encourage exploration in different environments to enrich their experience.

Sniffing vs Physical Exercise
Sniffing is a complex process that activates multiple neurons and body systems, making it a valuable exercise for dogs. Like playtime or walks, sniffing significantly contributes to their overall health.
When a dog sniffs, it triggers rapid brain activity, releasing hormones like dopamine, epinephrine, and endorphins, which influence their reactions and well-being.
Relying solely on physical exercise without allowing sniffing is like humans going to the gym, chatting during warm-up, and skipping a real workout. Physical activity alone won’t fully benefit your dog; sniffing is essential to support their health and mental stimulation.

An Invisible Connection
Sniffing activates the efferent and afferent nerves, which carry sensory signals to the brain. The brain processes these signals and sends a response back through nerves, prompting a specific reaction. Each sniff is stored in the brain along with an emotional memory—whether happy, sad, aggressive, or anxious.
Over time, dogs form a mental picture of their environment based on a blend of scents and past experiences, enabling them to recognize and connect with familiar settings.
This same principle is used in training sniffer dogs, as well as therapy dogs for cancer detection and treatment, enhancing their ability to interpret and respond to scents.

The More The Sniffs, The Better The Mental Stimulation
Common areas dogs like to sniff include tree trunks, bushes, lamp posts, scent marks left by other dogs, animal tracks, and food sources. Allowing them to explore these areas during walks enriches their experience and provides essential stimulation.
Incorporating sniffing into walks is crucial for your dog’s overall well-being, as it keeps their mind engaged and connected to their environment. So, encouraging sniffing on walks is a great way to support their mental and physical health.

An Alternative
If it is absolutely pouring outside and your pup refuses to leave the house but also has tons of pent-up energy you could try a few alternatives to a walk.
Indoor sniffing activities are a great alternative for keeping dogs mentally stimulated without outdoor walks. Here are a few engaging options:

Indoor Sniffing Activities: Try hide-and-seek with treats, toys, or scented items. Teach scent work, use snuffle mats with treats, set up sniffing challenges in indoor obstacle courses, or offer interactive puzzle toys filled with treats.

Food-Based Sniffing: Use food puzzle toys, and hidden treat dispensers, or add scented oils to mealtime for an enriching experience.

Other Ideas: Rotate toys to keep sniffing experiences fresh, incorporate nose work, and provide sensory play with varied textures and smells.
Benefits: These activities reduce boredom, relieve stress, provide mental stimulation, exercise the brain, and support natural behaviours.