Is your dog a notorious sniffer every time you go for walkies? Sometimes it seems as if they are thinking, “wait, human… let me do a heckin’ sniff…okay I’m ready to go… WAIT! ANOTHER SMELL!” This nose dive may feel annoying, especially when every second tree is claimed territory by another dog, but letting the snout roam about will have your dog wagging their tail all the way home.
Now presenting: The Sniffari!
A Sniffari (sniffing safari) is a scent walk where your dog’s nose takes the lead. This way of walking mentally stimulates and enriches your pooch, as dogs rely on their sense of smell to piece together the environment around them. It’s also extremely fun for a dog – imagine the stories their nose is forming (“hmm, I can smell that Gerald has been here today”).
All you need is a harness, a long lead, a safe area away from roads, and of course – your perfect pooch!
Science behind the Sniffer
We humans can smell a lot of things. We know when dinner’s ready, which perfume someone is wearing and when our dog didn’t quite reach the toilet in time. Six million scent receptors sounds pretty impressive, right? But how does this compare with up to 300 million?
That’s right – our four-legged friends not only have a sense of smell that is at least 10,000 times greater than ours, they also have more types of sent receptors. Dogs are able to understand smells that humans can’t even recognise or comprehend.
As if that weren't enough, sniffing also releases a whole host of feel-good chemicals which can calm dogs down and lower anxiety!
So what are you waiting for? Grab your pooch and go on Sniffari today!
Book into one of our classes and have your dog walking nicely in no time!