When walking dogs, when is it appropriate to let them sniff around?

It depends on the stage of training you’re at with your dog. If you’ve just started training then you should limit the sniffing and the freedom to wander and explore the surrounds because your dog is still learning to listen to and respect you.

In the case of this “early training” scenario, your goal is to first master the “No pulling on the leash” lesson. After this, you should incorporate “drop line” work as you begin the process of weaning your dog down to the shorter freedom training lines. As you introduce drop line work, freedoms will be gradually increased as long as your dog is 1) respectfully staying within an acceptable radius at all times (no matter the distractions or temptations), and 2) immediately returning directly to you when called.

You will want to reach this Freedom Obedience level because this is when your dog gets to maximize its enjoyment of life, and your dog gets way more exercise! In fact, for both of you, life gets really fun and fulfilling at this point. 

The other scenario where sniffing limitations are applied is when it comes to “Heel.” Even when your dog is fully trained, issuing a heel command communicates that you expect your dog to stay right by your side until released, and your dog should follow suit. Here are some examples where a heel command comes in handy:

• When walking through a very crowded area.

• When navigating a dangerous situation.

  When you want to restrict socialization for some reason e.g. you don’t want to overwhelm someone that might not be comfortable with the presence of a dog.

Once your dog has completed my Perfect Dog training, however, most walks should be “freedom” walks versus expecting your dog to remain at a strict “Heel.” Meaning, you allow your dog to enjoy the fullness of its surroundings (minus anything you tell your dog to ignore) and, in return, your dog respects this freedom by exercising self-governance i.e. not wandering too far away, and ignoring anything that’s “out of bounds.”

On these types of walks or hikes, your dog should be completely free to sniff as desired, but s/he should continue to shadow you as you travel where YOU want to as the leader. It’s a level of mutual trust and harmony at this point.

If ever things start to get a bit out of hand, you will need to go back a few steps, reinforce the lessons (behaviors) you’re struggling with (generally at the fault of the owner), and then only revert to offering the freedoms when the training gaps have been addressed.

Happy training!

- Don Sullivan, “The DogFather”