Perhaps that seems like an odd cue.
But “Wanna smell?” has done wonders in helping Lucas and now Cooper overcome random fears.
I think it works so well because it plays off their love of stink. Dogs are incredible smellers. In much the same way that we rely on sight to understand what’s in front of us, dogs rely on scent. So I decided to harness that strength to help them learn about their world, particularly things that they are unsure of.
And, with very few exceptions (they do NOT want to sniff the vacuum), it’s worked remarkably well.
Here’s how to teach it:
Start with something really interesting.
Here’s where teaching this differs from teaching a trick. Instead of starting with incremental steps and marking progressive behaviors to eventually get to the cue, I say just dive right in. This is an extremely rewarding game for your dog anyway, so I don’t see a need for working piece by piece.
As your dog sniffs the exciting item, say, “Wanna smell?” You can click and treat if you want, but if you can find objects that are interesting enough, that will be reward enough. You’ll be amazed – they’ll catch onto it quickly. (It’s sort of like kids who love a particular subject learn it quicker than the subjects they don’t care for.)
Repeat this with a variety of super smelly objects. In addition to flowers, I’d recommend your socks when you take them off at night, your washcloth or loofah before it goes in the wash, a pile of weeds freshly pulled from your garden, a bag of groceries, an open box of Band-Aids, and so on. (Let me know if you think of any other good ones!!)
Really, anytime you have something novel, hold it out to your dog and repeat the cue, “Wanna smell?” Let them sniff until they’ve had their fill.
They absolutely love this game!
Down the road, when your dog encounters something new that frightens him – in Cooper’s case, this has been everything from a new broom to a box dropped off by UPS to a rake left in front of someone’s house – entice him to explore the object with the “Wanna smell?” cue. Your pup may approach tentatively, but that’s better than backing off in fear!
The important thing, though, is not to reserve this cue for only scary objects. Mix it into your day. Your dog will enjoy smelling all sorts of new smells, and if your dog is like Lucas or Cooper, it’ll build confidence over time.
Have you tried this tactic before? Any success stories to share? Or, perhaps, other unique cues that work well for your dog?
MayzieMom
I love this approach! We kind of do the same thing with Mayzie. She loves “touch.” Seriously. She gets a kick out of going up to random things and booping them with her nose. So with the scary things, we’ll say “touch” and then leave it up to her if she wants to or not. Like Cooper, sometimes she’ll be tentative about it but she’ll almost always touch it. And then she’s all, “Hey! I just booped that with my nose! It wasn’t so scary after all!” But now you’ve got the wheels turning on “Wanna smell.” I’m going to have to see how I can integrate that. Thanks!
MayzieMom
Maggie
Oooh! I love the idea of trying this same strategy with “touch.” I’ve taught them to target my hand, so I think it would be easy to translate. Thanks for the suggestion!!
Heather
I love the term “booping” – that is so cute! I am totally going to integrate both “wanna smell?” and “touch” into Charlie’s games! Thanks for sharing.
Maggie
I know! I’m trying to find a way to start using “booping” throughout my day! 🙂
Carol Bryant
Great pics and post. I taught Dexter “Sniff” and his little nose goes to and fro. I taught him while he had a scent and kept associating the word with the action. Wha-la!
Maggie
So cute, Carol!
sofia
Great idea Maggie! Cash is skiddish? (I think that’s the best way to describe him) he is scared of the doggie gate, (which works out because he has absolutely no interest in anything on the other side or it or within 3 feet of it, including the bunny who lives on the other side of it), our living room, the basement stairs, the neighbour kids kite, etc. being so skiddish of almost everything new or not so new is not good. We work on getting him close to the scary things by usung the hand targetting but never thought about ‘smell it’. will try rubbing some bacon grease on the dog gate this weekend ;o)
Maggie
It sounds like Cash and Cooper are more alike than just looks!! Bacon grease should do the trick! 🙂 Please let us know if you try this out with Cash. I’d love to hear other success stories.
sofia
sorry about all the typos, chubby fingers
Erik
I’m starting to do “smell walks” after reading an article about them. It lets the dog set the agenda for the walk and follow her/his nose. Hershey and I did it for about 40 minutes before I took control and started working on walking nicely and ‘leave its.’ Giving her the time to be her smelling self really seemed to improve her focus!
Maggie
What a fun concept, Erik! Thanks for sharing! I bet that keeps them more mentally stimulated throughout the walk, too!
Freddie P. Daniels
my dog does that too, but to the dirt, some dogs just love smelling like dirt I guess.
Pamela | Something Wagging This Way Comes
Thank you for this suggestion. I already used it in a slightly different way with my new fearful foster.
He’s very unsure of himself outside on leash. So I encourage sniffing to distract him from the scary people and sounds. I’ve gotten really good at looking for pee stains on plants and electrical poles.
I figure if he’s comfortable enough to sniff he won’t shut down in fear. And, when he is too scared to sniff, I’ve already stayed outside too long.
Thanks for the creative idea.