Constantly I see people pulling on their dog’s leash while they are on their phone because the dog is taking too long to sniff…. but why is this wrong? Let’s dig in!
Our dogs are born with a heightened sense of smell, but let me give you a clear picture of what this means. Just like us, dogs have a nose with a vomeronasal organ (also known as Jacobson’s organ), which plays an important role in detecting chemical signals and communicating with the brain’s emotional centres. To give you a comparison, humans have roughly 5 million scent receptors, while dogs can have up to 300 million. They also have a specialized brain region for processing odours that is 40 times larger than a human’s. Around 33% of the dog’s brain is dedicated to scent processing, with nostrils that can move independently to help determine where a scent is coming from. This close connection between the nose, the vomeronasal organ, and the brain is one of the reasons why scent plays such an important role in dog behaviour.
So, what do we see whenever our dog sniffs at one spot? Initially, a dog picks up a scent and follows it. This scent can be fresh (within just a few hours) or weeks old, but there is some key piece of information that our dog has picked up on. This can be information regarding other dogs in the area, other animals (local fauna), a female in heat, dietary information on other dogs, or even information regarding humans. To us it may look like “just grass,” but to our dogs it is a rich source of social and environmental information.
What also happens when we see our dog sniffing? Sniffing is associated with activation of the brain’s reward system, including dopamine pathways. Sniffing also helps a dog relax by reducing cortisol levels. This allows the dog to settle more easily in the environment while making better use of their cognitive abilities. Because the olfactory system is closely connected to brain regions involved in emotion, sniffing is not simply about collecting information—it is also a powerful way for dogs to regulate their emotional state.
This is particularly relevant for dogs experiencing fear, anxiety, reactivity, or even separation anxiety, as giving them appropriate opportunities to sniff may help them process their environment in a calmer emotional state. Although sniffing is not a treatment for behaviour problems, it is an important component of good canine welfare and behaviour modification programmes.
All of this just for smelling? Yes, but here is the trick: we need to allow the dog to decide when they have had enough of a scent. Allowing dogs to investigate smells they find interesting, while giving them sufficient time to gather all the information they need, supports their emotional wellbeing, encourages natural behaviour, and may contribute to better decision-making in everyday situations.
So, the next time your dog stops to sniff, remember: they are not wasting time—they are gathering information, regulating themselves, and making sense of their environment in a way we simply cannot. Sometimes, one extra minute spent sniffing may be far more valuable than another minute spent walking.
If your dog struggles with fear, reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety, or other behaviour concerns, I can help you build an evidence-based behaviour modification plan that works with your dog’s emotions—not against them.