Sniffathon – DIY Games for Dogs
Hello you lovely pet parent, you!
Going for a good sniffathon was one of the best things I ever discovered – and I’m absolutely sure Roscoe feels the same way too.
It is really wears him out, sniffing is tiring mentally and physically because of the amount of work he does with his breathing. Dogs are actually able to sniff in and breath out at the same time and that really gets their heartrate going.
Roscoe used to struggle with pulling on the lead so I was initially worried about letting him lead me around from one sniff to the next rather than me leading the way (dogs attempting to lead the way is one reason for pulling on a lead).
However having action words like ‘Sniff’ and ‘Walk’ if you intend to just walk are very useful to avoid confusing who is taking who for a walk.
Roscoe is always incredibly grateful on our return from a sniffathon, with all the other dogs that follow the same walk it must be like an incredible social media binge for him.
If you haven’t tried sniff walks yet – they come massively recommended!
‘Sniffathon’ Step by Step – Dog Games for Fun
Here we go …
- A game your dog will LOVE
- Choose a walk with lots of lovely sniffing opportunities
- Near the sniff spot? Look for their focus on you
- When they look at you, say ‘Sniff!’
- And let them sniff
- Let them sniff for as long as they like
- Walk to their next sniffing area and repeat
Tips
-
Smell is your dog’s main sense. It’s how they view the world. So going on a good sniffathon is a wonderful way to enrich your dog’s life.
- A good sniff walk helps with your dog pulling forwards on the lead – the sniff walk becomes the destination.
Thank you
Thank you to Hugo @greatdane_hugo_boss for being this week’s lovely assistant.
You can see more of him here: https://www.instagram.com/greatdane_hugo_boss/
Enjoy!
Darren