08/14/2026
Such important information!!! If you have an anxious dog and would like to see if nosework could help your beloved pet - connect with us and we’ll help you get started!
When a dog lowers their head, slows down, and starts working their nose, there's a shift happening beneath the surface.
The olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that processes scent, sits right next to and communicates closely with the limbic system, the brain's emotional and stress-regulation centre. That wiring means scent processing has a genuine influence on how a dog feels, not just what they learn about their surroundings.
Research backs this up. Duranton and Horowitz (2019) gave one group of dogs two weeks of nosework and another group two weeks of heelwork. Afterwards, the dogs who'd been sniffing showed a measurable shift toward optimism on a cognitive test, approaching an ambiguous situation faster and with more confidence than before. The heelwork dogs showed no such change.
Anxious or overwhelmed dogs often stop to sniff. It gives them a way to gather information, and reduce uncertainty in a world that suddenly feels unpredictable, and all of that can support emotional regulation.
Sniffy walks are one of the few genuinely evidence-backed ways to actively support a dog's emotional state.
Let them sniff. It’s much more important than we often think.
Photo ref: Little Luna looking for her new home with German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund
Reference: Duranton, C., & Horowitz, A. (2019). Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 211, 61–66.
