It's common knowledge that dogs have am excellent sense of smell. You hear heartwarming stories of pups sniffing out danger or illness for their families. They aid in rescue and recovery efforts during tragedies, often sniffing out victims, helping bring them to safety. They're common sights at public places around the globe, sniffing out dangerous items, keeping humans safe. This incredible sense of dogs serves us as humans time and time again.

But, do you really know exactly how important this sense is for and to them? We humans reap the benefits of their olfactory amazement, but sniffing and scent are really how dogs explore, learn about, and understand the world around them. Scent is to dogs what your vision is to us. 

When was the last time you received a group text message? What about the last time you were asleep and woke up to 65 texts in your friend thread. You scroll through and try to catch up on all of the excitement you missed. Your dog goes through that exact feeling every he stops at a pole that is the neighborhood pee hot spot. 

Dogs communicate through their urine, feces, and sniffing. They can learn a lot about what dogs visited a spot, if they were looking for a mate, if they are neutered or spayed, and many other things. That is why they spend so much time sniffing that pole or mailbox or fire hydrant. They are playing catch up on their group text thread. 

Alexandra Horowitz is an author and Senior Research Fellow and head of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College. In her book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, she explains that dogs are "nosed-creatures." She makes the connection that "as we see the world, the dog smells it." When you tug your pup away from an interesting scent, that you perhaps find nasty, you are essentially putting a blindfold over your furry companion on your walk. They learn about their world and ours, through their noses. It doesn't just occur when they see a delectable dropping in the grass, their noses are always smelling and evaluating their world, just like your eyes! 

While, to humans, it seems incredibly rude when your pup sniffs the crotch of a guest, really, they're just getting to know this new person in their home or reacquaint themselves with a familiar visitor. The same goes for canine caboose sniffs, they are learning critical information about other furry friends out and about in the world. They can tell age, sex, and even mating readiness just by sniffing the booty of another dog. 

In their book Unleashing Your Dog: A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible, Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce explain that on-leash dogs are often not allowed as much sniff time as off-leash dogs are. Off-leash dogs spend about 1/3 of their off-leash time sniffing and exploring their world through scent. Think about the last time you were on a walk with your pup or you observed another human walking with their dog, were you or they scolding the pup for sniffing something gross to humans or pulling them along or urging them to "come on?" Chances are you may have witnessed this or been guilty of it. I know I was guilty, until I delved into the world of dog cognition, psychology, and development. Once I learned exactly how much they rely on their snout skills, I made a cognizant effort to stop myself from always being in a hurry on a walk. 

My sniff acceptance transformation began with Duke, the initial inspiration behind Very Good Dog. Once I began my own, very visual, exploration reading about dog cognition, I began to put myself in his paws and let him sniff, even if I personally found the item of interest less than appealing. He was learning something about our neighborhood or street or yard. He leads with his nose all of the time, everything is scent for him. I plan walks when I know I have time to be leisurely, so I don't have to give a yank and say "we have to go!" I let him linger, even if it seems nasty. I don't scold him for sniffing the booty or underbelly of another dog. I understand why he can't pull himself away from certain spots in our neighborhood. Often, the same spots every time. He is checking his messages! 

Then, we rescued Bosco and I noticed, he wasn't as nose-forward as Duke. I began to wonder, perhaps the other people scolded him for sniff habits. We are over three months into our furever journey and I've watched him reengage with his snout. First, it was slow, he'd watch Duke happily snout deep in some leaves or grass, then he would tentatively join in for a few seconds. As the months have gone on, his smell curiosity has increased! He leads with his nose (almost) as much as my sniff happy golden Duke. 

Have you ever wondered how your dog knows when to expect your arrival home? Do you wonder if your pup is savvy and can tell time? Especially if you have a very clear daily routine and schedule? Horowitz theorizes that it revolves around the scent molecules in the air. Your scent lingers after you've exited. As the day, and time, progresses, scent molecules break down and weaken. If your scent is strong when you are there, then you leave for the same amount of time everyday, and your dog is always aware of scents in the air, they begin to understand that when your scent weakens to a certain level, you will likely be returning around that time. Their noses, and brains, are fascinating! 

It is tempting to beg your dog to get their move on, keep their noses out of butts and crotches, and to stop trying to investigate that nasty pile in the grass. But, in a way, when you do that so often that they become conditioned to not even bother to try snout investigations, you are essentially taking away their most valuable and crucial sense. Our human world is much different than their canine world and we do run on a schedule most often. One thing Bekoff suggests is to ask yourself what is the purpose of your walk? Who is the walk for? Most often, the walk is for your dog. I try to remind myself of this on all of our walks, even if I do have other things to do. The dogs are getting in exercise but it is not just a physical exercise, the smelling and exploring their world is a mental exercise. They are building cognitive connections about their world and yours. So, when tempted to give them a tug and beg them to get a move on, pause, and recall precisely why you're on the walk. 

Of course, safety always comes before exploration, your job as their human companion is to keep them safe. Break these sniffing rules if it's something clearly toxic or they put themselves and/or you in danger. Nuance is key and safety is most important. We live in the mountains and if their noses are leading them to a cliff edge on a hike, I will redirect them because none of us will be smelling anything if we take a tumble down a mountainside. 

On your next walk, on or off leash, take some time to stop and smell the flowers, while your dog smells the poop!