Constant Sniffing On Walks

[Guest lovemyblackgrey]

Hi All,

 

Firstly, I know this is perfectly normal dog behaviour and it probably more a nuisance for the humans at times but my grey is constantly sniffing when we are out on walks. Everything has to be sniffed; grass, trees, lightpoles,fences,the concrete EVERYTHING ! some 'sniffs' are reasonably short, others require her devoted attention for a loooooong time I don't have a problem with her sniffing things it is just that a 20 minute walk easily turns into 40 mins. if I'd let her have her way. When she is into a 'sniffathon' it is quite hard to pull her away (she's strong). I am working on the 'close' command which is working but only if I keep her on a short leash. Wondering if there are some different tricks out there to try and find a balance between her 'sniff-time' and my 'wanting to be home before dark' timeframe?!

cheers

[Guest aowam]

You can do the whole Cesar Millan thing where you keep control with the leash rather short and keep walking for a good amount of time, without allowing her to sniff or do anything. And then allow her free time for any required sniffing/peeing after that "migrating". It works quite well, I've found. She'll get the idea pretty quickly if you keep firm. If you are using a harness, however, it becomes much harder to accomplish.

[Guest DragonflyDM]

I allow Boomer some slack on the leash until he goes potty. Then I keep him close and on the leash. I may change directions when he tries to stop to sniff. Or I will keep the walking pace up so that he knows that we are "going somewhere."

[Feisty49]

I do pretty much what Dragonfly does, unless it's obvious Annie Bella is not anywhere near P&Ping then I keep her walking until her need to P&P is obvious. I doubt that she knows it, but our morning walk is for the exercise, and I do not allow much sniffing/stopping for anything other than P&P. The afternoon walk, though, is hers and I allow her to stop often, sniff and snuffle within reason. A reasonable time is 60 seconds or so because of the number of places she wants to stop.

 

So the "tricks" and tips is to set the tone for a walk, by walking a good pace and not slowing down for him unless you recognize he has to potty. In the beginning it can be work getting them to understand we're not stopping much or for long, but they learn.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Feisty49

[jaym1]

it took me about a week of walks to turn a serial sniffer into a power walker. it seems cruel, but you just have to deny them the ability to do what they want on the leash. look for when she seems to be ABOUT to start sniffing, and give a tug of the leash. and keep a brisk pace. i walk two like this, and they know that when its time to walk, they have to follow me.

[GeorgeofNE]

When I take George for a walk (for exercise, before work) he walks where I walk, when I walk, at the pace I want to walk. I think most any dog would turn a 20 minute "walk" into a 40 minute sniffathon given the chance.

 

Make sure your dog's martingale fits properly, and when YOU want to proceed, just do it. A brief tug and release and a "let's go" or "heel" and march on.

 

Any dog training book should cover the heel command, and while I do not insist my dog heel while we walk, I do not let him just poke along and sniff all morning. We're out there to get some exercise and to empty his bladder.

 

Once I reach the end of our walk, I take him to the park for his "sniffabouts." That's when the leash goes slack and I let him go and sniff what he wants, but when we're walkin', we're walkin'!

[Guest giantsfan]

I don't have a routine when I walk our 2 dogs - some days they get more time to sniff than others, it just depends on how much time we have and how far we are going. But when I shorten the leash and keep them closer, they understand that it's time to get a move on it and we can pick up the pace.

[Brandiandwe]

I like to let my dogs sniff. I figure the walk is their time to have some stimulation. But if I'm in a hurry..... we go a very familiar and boring route where they know all the smells. I also have the choice between a quiet residential street and the grassy verge. A quick walk means the concrete so there's less interest. I've also let them sniff then called them away with a 'Let's go!' in a happy voice. Now if they want to sniff and i want to keep moving, the 'Let's go!' calls them back immediately and I don't need to break stride.

[jaym1]

regardless of how you decide to walk them -- letting them sniff to their hearts content, or power walking -- its best to do the training first, so you have the option. once they learn youre the head of the pack, and you determine the pace, they wont forget it, and that will always come in handy.

[Guest sophiesmum]

I've been having the same problem. I tried to do the "set the tone" thing but I ended up just dragging Sophie down the street, which kinda made us both unhappy. I also tried calling her away so I didn't have to physically pull her, but then I thought I was probably over using her name and that if this plan wasn't successful then she would grow to think her name is optional.

 

So, to cut a long story short, I've been using the word "Walkies" to get her attention and she's starting to the gist that this means we are moving on now. "Walkies" is a word that already makes her crazy and happy so its been working pretty well. I do feel like a bit of a dufus when I use it (those of you from the UK who remember the famous dog trainer of the 70's Barbara Woodehouse would probably know why)but hey, whatever works.

[Guest DragonflyDM]

When the “set the tone” doesn’t seem to work check a few things. … how closely are you holding a leash. When we are power walking, I have my hand on the loop right next to the harness. I mean, I am almost holding the harness. Just keep power walking..and they will get the idea. Also…give lots of praise.. Greyhounds are tall so you can definitely get a pet on the head every now again. Keep an occasional treat on hand to redirect-- not reward.

[Fruitycake]

Monty has two words that he knows (when I say them, anyway - hubby isn't quite as successful because lack of consistency).

 

"nope" in a conversational tone means "that tree you're looking at or the direction you're veering is off limits right now. Carry on with the walking" It requires close observation of your dog (which is why my hubby doesn't have success with it, because he, well, doesn't focus on the dogs as much as I do)

 

"Too slow" is what I use to tell him that his sniffing time has expired, and we're moving on even if I have to drag or nudge him with my thighs. At first this was a warning that he was going to be pulled or pushed away from his sniffs, but now it means "we're moving on" because he gets about half a second before we move and he steps along about 90-95% of the time without reaching the end of the leash.

[Guest greytgrandma]

when I walk Hot Rod he pretty much sniffs when he wants. Im not much of a power walker I enjoy watching him enjoy his sniff

[tra708]

i have the same problem with my two. the walk would take 5 hrs if i let them sniff as much as they want. so, i let them sniff for a short time, and then i give a tug and say "let's walk!". sometimes, i pick a landmark in the distance, and then make them walk swiftly with me until that point, and then we can stop for some sniffing as a reward.

[Hubcitypam]

...once they learn youre the head of the pack, and you determine the pace, they wont forget it, and that will always come in handy.

Honestly, I've never done all the things people swear you need to do to be "head of the pack" and even the terrier has turned into a decent well behaved dog as well as the 6 greys, lots of fosters and Poodle over the years.

 

We go out the door in whatever order we fall into place, I don't make them wait for anything just to make me the "alpha". For some reason they pay attention to me. I swear if I say their name and give the hairy eyeball, everyone straightens up and flies right. Don't know why, but it's sort of like we respect each other. They'[ll come to me and tell me it's time to walk (5 or 6 p.m.) and we'll go. I know exactly what they are saying.Crazy, I know.

 

On walks I try and do a balance of letting them check P mail and a brisk walk...which is becoming harder as Poodle gets more frail. What I've been doing lately is a saunter down the block with all three, stashing Poodle then Barkley, Buddy and I go back out for a power walk. Works great.

[Guest SusanP]

I like to walk fast, and I am happy to allow some sniffing, but not every yard or two. Some of my dogs are just sniffier than others, and nothing I do entirely alters that, but I find keeping a peppy pace and lots of happy talk keeps them moving best. It's amazing how just telling them what good dogs they are will cause them to pick up the pace immediately. When I'm preoccupied and stop talking to them, that's when I find I have the most trouble getting them to move well. (I walk 4 at a time, so it's especially important to me to keep them moving smoothly when we aren't "officially" stopped to sniff).

[Guest IrskasMom]

When I take my Morty for a Walk , It's HIS time and he can sniff wherever and whenever

Edited April 5, 2012 by IrskasMom

[XTRAWLD]

I let them sniff some stuff, and others I drag them along to stop.

 

The problem I have with Kasey is he likes to LICK what he sniffs and it's so quick, and very hard to stop. It's a prime way for him to pick up leptospirosis from wildlife or from other pets for that matter.

[Guest DebSzal]

I'm glad to see a variety of responses because at first I thought I was the only one who allows a significant amount of sniffing. I figure I read E-mail to get the news, my hounds read the P-mail to see what is happening in their neighborhood. Primo and Gracie are rather diligent "readers" and Sami is more of a looker. Still there are some times that the sniffing can get too long, so a "Let's go" and leash tug is usually sufficient for Primo. Gracie is not so easily swayed but she is 10 years old and doesn't always want to go on walks, so when she does I let her lead. As a compromise, I drop Gracie off at home when she says she has had enough. I take Primo and Sami for a little longer and drop Primo off. Then Sami and I power walk for awhile since he is not a sniffer at all. This arrangement makes for a long evening but my hounds are happy and I have some downtime enjoying the outside. Win-Win as far as I am concerned.

[PatricksMom]

When I take my Morty for a Walk , It's HIS time and he can sniff wherever and whenever

 

This isn't always feasible if you need to keep your dog at a good pace, whether that's because your time is limited or, in the case of arthritis, the dog needs the exercise of walking more swiftly.

 

We taught Patrick that we count to 3 and then it's time to move on.

[Guest SusanP]

I think it's reasonable to strike a balance during a walk between dogs' needs and walker's needs. I *do* let my guys do a significant amount of sniffing, but there comes a point when it's just not even a "walk" anymore. Our walks are more of a mutual thing, and we don't have endless time to spend standing still every yard or two. It's taken us half an hour just to walk up our short block about 7 houses and back if I wait until the last dog has finished sniffing everything. That ceases to be exercise.

[Guest Giselle]

In my opinion, it has nothing to do with being a "lead dog" or letting your dog "know" the "flow".

 

What it DOES have to do with is defining clear criteria for your dog. Think: Can a child read your mind and "know" that he should study each night so that he can attain higher education/comfortable career? Unless you've got an insanely precocious and mature child, probably not. But what a child DOES know is that you will explicitly reward him when he does well in school. The child also knows that you will take away his TV or Internet privileges if he fails to obtain good grades. This is the explicit, clearly defined criteria that guides his behavior.

 

This is the same way one should approach dog training. As far as we know, dogs don't have a demonstrated theory of mind, at least, not in the way that we understand it. Therefore, if you want your dog to stop sniffing on walks, you need to clearly define what behaviors you want and when you want them. For example, when I'm walking Ivy, I have defined that she must be on a strict "Heel" or she must be a loose-leash (these are two different behaviors that must be taught to the dog). I give constant reinforcement by treating her. When we approach an area that I want her to sniff, I explicitly release her from the Heel/loose-leash and let her sniff to her heart's content. Then, we walk back home on a Heel/loose leash. Does it require more effort on your part? Yes, it certainly does. But it's much more effective and relaxing than getting frustrated over a dog who's confused about what behaviors you want.

 

Here's a two-year-old video showing the difference between Heel and Loose-leash (for me, at least). It also shows how you release a dog from one behavior to the next. (Note: It was raining, so we look sloppy and our Heel has improved greatly since then. ) The idea is that you'd walk like this until you reach an area you want your dog to sniff. Then, release him to sniff, and then call him back to a Heel/loose-leash.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/Videos/?action=view&current=HeelingExercisenotext.mp4

[Guest Psycmeistr]

When I go for walks with Conan & Chesney, it's usually a business walk. They never stop to sniff, or even to go potty-- they never seemed to want to; which is alright with me, because it's not a pleasant thing to pick up a bunch of logs off of a street or sidewalk. As soon as we get home, I immediately let them out into the back yard, where they go and do their business.

 

They still love to go on walks, because when I have anything that even looks remotely like a leash in my hand, they go nuts )