Some of my furry friends attend obedience classes and learn basic commands like sit, stay, and come. Many of them pass with flying colors until they get home and go for a walk. At that point, a green light goes on and so does their nose. Some owners think these sniffing machines will wonder off and get hit by a car, or maybe even get lost. Why does he act this way?

All hound breeds, were bred specifically to track prey by following scent. The scent is on the ground and that is where the nose is placed. Breeds like this has been used for 100′s of years to hunt squirrels, rabbits, fox, and other small creatures.

The olfactory (smelling) power of a dog’s nose is about 10,000 times stronger than humans. So if you ever tell your wife “Something really smells good in the kitchen”, you can imagine how good it smells to us dogs. My furry friends get so focused on searching out wild game, they are difficult to control especially off leash in the park or woods. We hear your voice, but find it hard to listen to. Thus we have a real problem.

Don’t repeat your dogs name over and over. It only helps teach us dogs NOT to listen. I suggest using a long check cord or clothes line while taking walks in the great outdoors. Call our name, if we don’t listen the first time you give us the “come” command, begin reeling us back to you. That will teach us that we are to come when called. I suggest trying this in an area without a bunch of bushes and trees unless you like untangling things.

Bring some treats with you and when you give the command and your dog listens, you can give them praise and a treat. We dogs will do alot of work for food. After several successful days of on leash work, try it without the leash. If your dog doesn’t return on the FIRST command of “come”, then put him back on the leash and repeat. Let’s face it, you may be setting your dog up for failure by trying for total recall in a wilderness area. Try it in a more controlled setting. Does this information smell good to you?

Dear Dog Lovers,

Have you ever been amazed at how hard it is to sneak open a potato chip bag in your house without attracting a dog within seconds? Ever notice how we dogs hear our master’s car coming down the road a block away? I’d like to think it’s Superhuman Senses, but actually it’s just how we are wired.

Canine ears whether they stand up or droop over, capture more sounds at greater distances and wider frequencies than human ears. My favorite word that I can hear from almost a mile away is “treat.”  People  can hear sounds in a frequency range between 63 and 23,000 Hz. Dogs can hear in ranges between 67 and 45,000 Hz, but they take a backseat to the family cat in hearing abilities. Cats can capture sounds between 45 and 64,000 Hz, making them much better at tuning in to a mouse in the house. But, I ask the question “Will a cat come when it’s called?”

The ability to hear is strong, but takes second place to a dog’s ability to smell. Olfactory cells inside the canine nose along with hair help trap scents. People have about 5 million olfactory receptor cells compared with more than 100 million in dogs. Although I may smell worse than humans at times (before my bath), I smell about a million times better than them.

Your pal,

Annie