Starbarks Dog Training

Staying with socialisation

As humans, we don’t use scent, but for our dogs it’s a primary form of communication.

We all know how amazing our dogs’ noses are: dogs detect underground water leaks, military/police dogs detect and track for us, they can even sniff our breath and detect lung cancer.

With noses and processing power at this level, why do we so often ignore the importance of this sense? We’re told not to let them sniff to show that we are the leader…? We set a pace where the dog ends up grabbing at scent and can’t even stop to wee…?

We can forget that, for dogs, toileting is part of that scent conversation.

When she was on medication, my big Bloodhound would dig a hole in the garden, wee in it, then cover it back over—she was disguising her scent. When Louis arrived, he could be sleeping inside; I knew she was toileting because he would leap up, rush outside, arrow across the lawn, and wee over her wee. Given her age and medical condition at the time, he was disguising her scent.

Many puppies and rescue dogs, when learning about their new environments, don’t toilet on walks—they don’t want to advertise how they are feeling: overwhelmed.

Building a resilient dog who can cope with human environments means allowing time to explore, stop and watch, and sniff.

When our dogs pause, if we look closely we can often see noses flaring. They don’t need to be close to absorb and process scent information, but without our support they can be overwhelmed. This invisible conversation can add to sensory overload and change how they feel.

A little while ago I introduced sweet hound Max. This lovely lad has come so far from the manic boy who arrived with his fabulous adoptive parents. Recently, I caught up with Max. It was a pleasure to see him mooch, sniff, engage with the environment—and be able to listen. Such a difference from the frantic struggle walks used to be...

On one of our walks we explored a new location: a lovely quiet field—just us and the environment. What do you see? There is lovely engagement: with me, and with the exciting new scents. What is missing? Does he add his information via scent? No toileting—not because the tank is empty, but because in this new environment, at this time, he doesn’t want to advertise himself. This is natural and normal, but often missed.

Take a look beyond what you think you’re seeing, and ask yourself: what does the scent conversation look like for my dog?

Another amazing group graduates from puppy school. It's been lovely watching pups grow and learn, thanks for sharing Sunday mornings with me.. good luck🤩