Sniffing on walks. Today, Charlie went on his walk at the hydro centre and I was shown (proudly) how they get him not to stop and sniff on his walks. He is allowed to stop and sniff with me. I don’t really mind them not letting him, it’s not going to do him any harm, but when he comes back home he is going to be allowed to stop and sniff. When I started reading the gundog stuff, and going to gundog lessons, I thought allowing a dog to sniff on walks was a terrible thing. Then, I read a bit more and found out that lots of people don’t think that. Turid Rugass doesn’t think that. She thinks allowing a dog to sniff is essential for its mental well being. Ian Dunbar also thinks the same: Some people have been given the ridiculous notion that dogs should not smell on a walk! This is ludicrous. Imagine being told you could only look at water when you’re thirsty? Allowing dogs to smell on the walk will provide mental stimulation, which will alleviate stress, and it put you on the dog’s team. Karen Pryor doesn’t think so either: Let your dog sniff! I can't tell you how many times I hear "My dog isn't walking perfectly on the leash because all he wants to do is sniff!" Sniffing is an incredible part of a dog's mental state. What do you do and why? Sniff or no sniffing?
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... Definitely sniffing here as to me it's part of dog behaviour and should be allowed. Let dogs be dogs Imagine being told you could never sniff a beautiful flower I was talking to my neighbour the other day and she has a mini Schnauzer (sorry spelling?) and she tapped her on the nose with a rolled up newspaper everytime she sniffed the ground or Hattie, totally unecessary and mean I thought SNIFF, SNIFF, SNIFF and more SNIFF xx
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... Harley is definitely allowed to sniff I see it as part of being a dog
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... Both of mine are sniffers , Millie especially but then I guess she is closer to the ground
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... On lead no sniffing, stopping, pulling, marking, etc, etc...Off lead, do as you please. ;D It'd be chaos if I had 5 or 6 on lead dogs all going off in different directions to sniff and mark, I'd end up like a Maypole, but as they get so much more time off lead than on, I don't feel bad about asking them to just walk nicely while I'm attached to them.
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=Jules link=topic=4873.msg60674#msg60674 date=1394735779] but as they get so much more time off lead than on, I don't feel bad about asking them to just walk nicely while I'm attached to them. [/quote] Yes, I suspect there may be a division of attitudes along an urban/rural, or pet/some working line (which also may often be the same).
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... off lead the skys the limit on sniffing and like Jules my two spend the vast majority of their time off lead so plenty sniffage time. On lead running with me there is no sniffing. they have learnt the command Lets Run and know there's no stopping. on the odd occassion we have lead walks, we sometimes have ambling sniffy lead walks where i dont mind what we do and they sniff to their hearts content and mark, then sometimes we are trying to get somewhere - then its Lets Go after a wee sniff and off we go again. like Jules again its a bit tricky having unfettered sniffage on lead walks with two as they both shoot off after different sniffs .
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... On lead, at heel, mostly no sniffing but he gets lots of off lead time when he can please himself. If he's mooching around on a long lead he can sniff away
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4873.msg60676#msg60676 date=1394736137] Yes, I suspect there may be a division of attitudes along an urban/rural, or pet/some working line (which also may often be the same). [/quote] If I had just the one dog and it was never/rarely allowed off lead, then yes, I'd allow sniffing and other typical dog behaviours, because I do feel a dog has a need to be and to act like a DOG. I'm lucky, in that although I live in a town, there are plenty of country parks close by where dogs are allowed to run off lead, so I stick my dogs in the car every day and take them to one of these. It is quite rare for mine to have an onlead walk for more than a few mins, although they are all trained to just walk nicely, as on holidays, etc, they are often required to walk on lead through towns/to the pub, etc. I must admit, if I lived somewhere or had the lifestyle which meant my dogs could never be allowed off lead, then I very much doubt I'd have Labradors or Poodles. I'd probably stick to Couch Potato Greyhounds or just cats.
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=Jules link=topic=4873.msg60683#msg60683 date=1394738534] I must admit, if I lived somewhere or had the lifestyle which meant my dogs could never be allowed off lead, then I very much doubt I'd have Labradors or Poodles. I'd probably stick to Couch Potato Greyhounds or just cats. [/quote] There are lots of reason why a Lab might have to stay on lead. My boy hasn't been off lead since November. I don't have any plans to rehome him, or put him to sleep, and buy a greyhound though.
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... Meg is always off lead. At nearly 14 she just ambles and spends her time sniffing. Sometimes she stays at the same spot and sniffs for ages. Its what she enjoys and she stays so close to me. I just keep my eyes open for any exuberant pups that come bounding over and thats when I put her back on lead, basically just to keep her safe. Jen
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4873.msg60685#msg60685 date=1394738825] [quote author=Jules link=topic=4873.msg60683#msg60683 date=1394738534] I must admit, if I lived somewhere or had the lifestyle which meant my dogs could never be allowed off lead, then I very much doubt I'd have Labradors or Poodles. I'd probably stick to Couch Potato Greyhounds or just cats. [/quote] There are lots of reason why a Lab might have to stay on lead. My boy hasn't been off lead since November. I don't have any plans to rehome him, or put him to sleep, and buy a greyhound though. [/quote] Sorry, I seemed to have hit a nerve there. It wasn't intentional and was very tongue in cheek, hence the winky face at the end. 8) I know full well there are sometimes occasions when dogs have to stay on lead. My own black Lab had to have a long recovery period of on lead only exercise, thanks to the operations for her ED. I would never have suggested she was PTS or swapped for a Greyhound either. What I meant was, if I was choosing a breed, then I'd choose one to suit where I lived and my lifestyle, because I'd want to give it what I felt it needed, but obviously once you have the dog, if circumstances change for whatever reason, then you have to do what you can to keep the dog happy.
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=Jules link=topic=4873.msg60690#msg60690 date=1394739338] Sorry, I seemed to have hit a nerve there. [/quote] Only a tad, it's not a problem. . It's just there are lots of reasons why Labs are on lead - illness, or where people live (Angela in Dubai with Dex spends a great deal of time on lead), or the weather (I don't think Lisa's Simba's been off lead through the long Canadian winter) or the behaviour of the dog (Helen's Charlie spent a long time on a long lead, I think, while she worked through recall). I'm not so sure these dogs are unhealthy or unhappy - and not sure the owners should have chosen different breed. Or maybe they should, don't know.
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... Julie is correct, my Charlie has spent the best part of 2 years on a long line whilst we work on his recall as he came from a rescue centre with an absconding history (we weren't told). We live in the countryside and Charlie is a very happy, healthy, much loved 3 year old Labrador x Pointer. We make sure his is mentally stimulated and played with and I am sure he would rather be on a long lead then still in the rescue centre
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... We considered rehoming a Greyhound when we lived in the centre of Southampton because of our lifestyle at the time. I'm glad we waited until we could manage a lab but i would definitely put a lot of thought into breed choice if our lifestyle changes significantly. That's not to say labs aren't flexible and have super lives in a variety of circumstances but I do think it's part of responsible dog ownership to think hard about how a dog fits into your life and that you can give it what it needs btw I don't think being on a lead is necessarily detrimental to a dog
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... agree about off lead not necessarily being detrimental...my two really enjoy their on lead walks and actually are more tired after..... and brods is still on a trailing long line in high wildlife chasing zones up hills and does exactly the same as cuilli. i really dont think he cares....i think Helen is right, mental stimulation, being part of their pack, and being loved are just as important as hooning about
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... oops meant on lead . just back from a very sniffy dark lead walk where they met their pal Roxie and had a sniffathon and pee-on-lampostathon...now crashed exhausted with all that wee- smell analysis...i read somewhere that dog wee contains loads of ' data' for other dogs, like sex ( understandable) , status ( not sure what that means) , and whether solo dog or group...ive noticed my two will often wee on the same spot so the last thing makes sense....so a lot of processing going on tonight...
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... In the spaniel world sniffing the ground whilst on the lead is called hunting on the lead, and my dogs are the worst offenders. 8) To some people it is a big deal and they will not allow it, I personally don't mind at all. ;D
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... [quote author=debsie link=topic=4873.msg60705#msg60705 date=1394742824] a sniffathon and pee-on-lampostathon... [/quote] Sometimes, when Charlie pees on the 1001th lamppost, I honestly suspects he must be making it as we walk! [quote author=debsie link=topic=4873.msg60705#msg60705 date=1394742824] dog wee contains loads of ' data' for other dogs [/quote] It's peemail. ;D ;D ;D
Re: to sniff or not to sniff... So true!!!! a few days away and there was clearly some catching up to do aswell as lots of news to convey
