Should Your Dog Sniff on the Walk?

Pittsburgh’s Dog Trainer and owner of Say It Once Dog Training (Winner of Pittsburgh’s Best 2019) breaks down the importance of getting your dog to focus on you during a walk. Why the myth of letting your dog sniff is not important, and why it shouldn’t be called stimulating.

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[elvafong]

I am not sure how to address the situation when, while walking in the park with my dog, an an unleashed dog running loose approaches me dog and wants to interact with him. What should I do?

[daniellesharples]

My dog Layla has a lot of anxiety and fear so we taught her "go sniff" when she sees new, unusual objects. It's helped her confidence a lot! She goes to sniff the new package outside every day now—when she used to run away terrified. But now when I try to walk her, she is constantly sniffing everything... For fearful dogs, what do you suggest? At first, it was helping her confidence, but now we don't have structured walks.

[czbfcbc]

By that logic running isn't stimulating either unless it's a job like retrieving.

[Natasha-yqdf]

Ummm, my dog is a hound so he literally WAS bred to sniff, lol

[chihoocheng]

must be so boring being your dog. let dogs be dogs