Well, not specifically because I want to make them feel included, it is to stimulate them and satisfy their curiosity. Also helps skittish cats and dogs to gain confidence by introducing them to new smells constantly in a safe way.
Smells are way more important to both cats and dogs than humans, and more than most people realize. Example: I see a lot of people around walk their dogs and not letting them sniff properly but just tug them along, thinking that the physical exercise and waste management are the sole purpose of walks.
We have a retired hunting dog, turned 11 on Sunday actually, and she’s still ridiculously hard to tire by physical exercise. The only way to get her proper tired is mental stimulation. Sniffing is a big part of that. 30min calm patient walk is way better than 60min of “COME OON” -hurried impatient walk.
My dog’s long gone but I remember that she liked the slower walks with more pauses better. She’d nap after those and run in her sleep (little paw twitches would tell me the gait). I think you’re right about the mental stimulation. It seemed to give her more stuff to dream about.
I tend to think differently than most people but it seems obvious to me. As humans we have technology to itneract with and enrich our lives, but animals are unwilling/unable to create enrichment for themselves. Its led me to think about what they consider fun and the nature of fun, and it would seem to me that they would make the most of their senses. Considering their sense of smell is so strong, ive always equated them sniffing things to us taking a nice stare at an inpressive bit of scenery, or tasting the finer details of an intricately crafted meal. Thats why i try to bring home things that will have an interesting scent, to my animals it would be the same as bringing them a tasty treat.
Well, not specifically because I want to make them feel included, it is to stimulate them and satisfy their curiosity. Also helps skittish cats and dogs to gain confidence by introducing them to new smells constantly in a safe way.
Smells are way more important to both cats and dogs than humans, and more than most people realize. Example: I see a lot of people around walk their dogs and not letting them sniff properly but just tug them along, thinking that the physical exercise and waste management are the sole purpose of walks.
We have a retired hunting dog, turned 11 on Sunday actually, and she’s still ridiculously hard to tire by physical exercise. The only way to get her proper tired is mental stimulation. Sniffing is a big part of that. 30min calm patient walk is way better than 60min of “COME OON” -hurried impatient walk.
Disclaimer: not all dogs etc., but… most dogs.
My dog’s long gone but I remember that she liked the slower walks with more pauses better. She’d nap after those and run in her sleep (little paw twitches would tell me the gait). I think you’re right about the mental stimulation. It seemed to give her more stuff to dream about.
I tend to think differently than most people but it seems obvious to me. As humans we have technology to itneract with and enrich our lives, but animals are unwilling/unable to create enrichment for themselves. Its led me to think about what they consider fun and the nature of fun, and it would seem to me that they would make the most of their senses. Considering their sense of smell is so strong, ive always equated them sniffing things to us taking a nice stare at an inpressive bit of scenery, or tasting the finer details of an intricately crafted meal. Thats why i try to bring home things that will have an interesting scent, to my animals it would be the same as bringing them a tasty treat.