Go Sniff

Prerequisite

Your dog should have been introduced to leash work and this should be something that you are currently working on. This exercise is not where you start, but it is a tool to get you where you want to go.

Tools

Four to six foot leash
Flat buckle collar or harness
Clicker
Treats

Training Environment

Wherever you take your outdoor walk. It does help if you know the area, but it’s not critical.

Recommended Treat Position

This isn’t about giving out treats, although I still want you working on clicking and treating for attention during walks and reinforcing good positioning, so treating where you want your dog is ongoing.

This addition to your current walking exercises will strengthen them without additional treats. Getting to sniff is the reward for walking nicely.

Steps

You can set this up if you like, or you can just go on a walk. To set it up, walk the route first and place items (NOT FOOD) along the route that your dog would enjoy investigating. This is entirely optional, but it gives you an advantage when you first get started.
Walk your dog as you normally would keeping your previous training in mind.
Don’t forget to reward your dog when they look at you.
If you see something coming up ahead of you that you know your dog will want to sniff (like a fire hydrant or other popular “p-mail” location), before you dog has a chance to veer off out of position, say “Go sniff!” in a happy voice.
Move as quickly as you can to the stinky thing.
Let your dog sniff for about 30 seconds.
Say “Let’s go!” and resume your walk.
If your dog finds something you didn’t notice and tries to veer off into the grass to sniff something invisible to you, say “Let’s go!” and hurry past it and walk about ten feet.
Say “Let’s go!” and turn around.
When you are about six feet from the area your dog noticed and tried to drag you over to, say “Go sniff!”
Move as quickly as possible to the spot your dog was interested in.
Let your dog sniff for about 30 seconds.
Say “Let’s go!” and resume your walk until you get to the next place.

Homework

Walk your dog at least 5 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

At the End of This Step

You will see your dog ignoring the areas he wants to sniff more and more. Your dog knows that you are going to let them sniff it if they walk nicely. Be sure you do!