Are You Using Your Dog's Nose Enough? How to Encourage Your Dog's Sense of Smell | Pupford
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Filed under behavior+ pup parenting+ training
Sorry to come at you like that, but I'm nearly certain you aren't using your dog's nose to its full advantage. It is likely your dog's strongest scent, yet as humans, we rarely use it to its full advantage and even sometimes discourage sniffing...
Our dogs understand the world around them through their nose. They can't speak to us and they sure can't read, so instead, they use their noses.
A dog's nose is said to be over 1,000 times stronger than the human nose. That's why there are drug-sniffing dogs and not drug-sniffing humans.
So instead of being bothered by your dog sniffing on a walk, here is what you can do.
There are so many different enrichment games to play with your dog. With most of these toys, a lot of the enrichment comes from smelling and searching out treats, etc.
Here are a few different games:
Foraging Boxes
With this game, you can get a few different boxes you have laying around your house, and put a few treats in them. Then place smaller boxes in the larger ones, and give to your dog to let them sniff out!
Hide and Seek
Put your dog in a separate room and go hide treats (or toys) in a few different places. Then let your dog in the room and have them explore!
Get a snuffle mat and place some treats (or their food) in the mat. Then let your dog go at it! If needed, make it easier at the start and leave some of the treats visible so your dog knows what to do!
The main thing to remember is your dog's sense of smell should be encouraged! Let them explore, let them find new smells, let them explore on walks, let them be a dog!!
I’m constantly challenging my Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Gucci, to use her nose. Especially with her meals. She never eats her meals from a bowl. I spread her kibble on the floor, or in a snuffle mat, or in treat puzzles, or in a Kong, sometimes I put her in another room and hide her kibble all around the room hidden in towels, underneath furniture, etc. I let her out and she “hunts for it” and she does a quick job finding all the places. I started to scatter her kibble on the back porch, connect her collar to the tie out, open the door, and watch her sniff out her kibble. I love watching her “hunt for it”!
M
Monica01/26/2025
When I walk my 115lb Ridgeback, we walk for a couple of blocks with him at my side. Loose leash. Then when I see his body language seeming interested in something I tell him “go smell” Before he starts to pull. Then I give him some leash and he runs over to sniff. Then I go one block with him sniffing and the next at my side…etc… I change it up with each walk. If he tries to “go smell” with out the command, then I gather him by my side and we walk a bit before I say it again. If he knows at some point he will get to sniff around, I feel he listens better when I tell him, “by me.”
M
Marlo Adrian01/26/2025
I throw kibble or small treats around the yard and my 2 dogs love going to hunt them out and tires them out as well :)
B
Barbara01/26/2025
How do you balance giving your dog the freedom to sniff with training them to walk at your side without lunging or pulling toward things they want to sniff? Our goldendoodle is 77 lbs and walking him is getting to be very difficult!
T
Team Pupford01/26/2025
Here are some leash walking tips: https://pupford.com/loose-leash-walking-tips/
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20 comments
Leave a CommentI’m constantly challenging my Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Gucci, to use her nose. Especially with her meals. She never eats her meals from a bowl. I spread her kibble on the floor, or in a snuffle mat, or in treat puzzles, or in a Kong, sometimes I put her in another room and hide her kibble all around the room hidden in towels, underneath furniture, etc. I let her out and she “hunts for it” and she does a quick job finding all the places. I started to scatter her kibble on the back porch, connect her collar to the tie out, open the door, and watch her sniff out her kibble. I love watching her “hunt for it”!
When I walk my 115lb Ridgeback, we walk for a couple of blocks with him at my side. Loose leash. Then when I see his body language seeming interested in something I tell him “go smell” Before he starts to pull. Then I give him some leash and he runs over to sniff. Then I go one block with him sniffing and the next at my side…etc… I change it up with each walk. If he tries to “go smell” with out the command, then I gather him by my side and we walk a bit before I say it again. If he knows at some point he will get to sniff around, I feel he listens better when I tell him, “by me.”
I throw kibble or small treats around the yard and my 2 dogs love going to hunt them out and tires them out as well :)
How do you balance giving your dog the freedom to sniff with training them to walk at your side without lunging or pulling toward things they want to sniff? Our goldendoodle is 77 lbs and walking him is getting to be very difficult!
Here are some leash walking tips: https://pupford.com/loose-leash-walking-tips/