Why it’s im-paw-tant to let your dog sniff on their walk

Dogs have a powerful sense of smell and the act of sniffing out new scents gives them mental and physical enrichment. Whilst puzzle toys are great to stave off boredom in the backyard, the simple act of allowing them to explore and sniff things during their walk is one of the easiest ways you can keep your dog stimulated.

The common belief is a long, brisk walk will tire out your dog more quickly, but this is not always the case, particularly in most suburban locations where dogs are walking along roads and pavements where there may not be anything particularly interesting for your dog to explore.

The mental enrichment your dog receives from a slow walk with plenty of time allowed to sniff and explore, is much greater than what they would experience on a brisk walk. This enrichment means they will tire quicker and generally become more relaxed and less destructive in the home environment.

Try finding alternative routes with grass and other natural elements for your dog to explore and follow their nose on a long leash. Empower your dog by giving them the choice to decide where they want to investigate, and how long they want to spend doing it (within reason of course).

Most importantly, if you have committed to going on this journey with your greyhound, be patient. Sniffing is vital to how dogs communicate with the world and with each other. It's easy to become frustrated with your furball is sniffing its 10th tree and you’ve only managed to get 15 metres from your home.

But be patient, they’re usually checking out the scent marks of other dogs in the neighbourhood, who have left key clues like whether they’re male or female, or whether they have met before.

Of course, your pooch is happy to be by your side and come along on every journey you’ll allow them to because they love you. And you’ll certainly not have enough time to do this kind of walk every day, but try and schedule it into the routine at least once a week and your pooch will thank you for it.