If you have a dog, then one thing you no doubt notice is how often they sniff things when out walking. While to a human this can be seen as juvenile and even grotesque depending on what is being sniffed, it is in the nature of a dog. It might seem like a good idea to stop them from doing this, to interrupt them from sniffing around, but we would not recommend that you do so.
The reasons why are quite simple, and we will break them down below.
Your dog picks up valuable knowledge
One primary reason to let your dog go about its duty when sniffing around is the knowledge that they gain when doing so. Sniffing is something that lets your dog know what a threat is and what could be potentially dangerous.
Your canine makes friends this way
You might think it is weird to communicate via sniffing, but for dogs, it is a form of communication. It might seem weird to watch your dog sniff a canine’s posterior, but it is something that canines must do. Do not stop them from doing this because it can actually hurt their communication skills later on in life.
It is natural for a dog to learn by sniffing, so to speak, so do not try and stop them when in the act.
Sniffing uses up energy
The next reason is that your dog will use up a fair amount of energy simply by enjoying the act of sniffing around. Our dogs tend to be bundles of energy, and finding creative ways to tire them out ahead of the evening is always wise. A walk is an easy way to do so, and the sniffing aspect will help them to use up a lot of mental energy. The act itself is something that helps your dog enjoy a sense of mental upliftment, giving them an easy way to use up energy and feel more tired overall.
It relaxes the mind
As noted above, sniffing is something that can give our dogs a nice mental change of pace. They can feel more relaxed after going through a little period of sniffing around the place. Taking your dog on a quiet trail walk and letting them sniff around can actually be better than the stimulus overload that can come from, say, hanging around the local dog park.
There are various things that our dogs do that humans do not, and sniffing everything in the range is one of them. While it might seem odd to you, it is better to simply let your dog enjoy the experience and move on.