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the stupid "I love discovering"

4K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  blackshep 
#1 ·
I HATE IT, I HATE IT, I HATE IT, I HATE IT!
Everytime I take her for a walk she keeps sniffing in EVERYTHING,
I really hate this and its annoying me I almost hit her I am just trying to keep my anger inside me, but I don't think I will keep calming my self down like this for long, she also almost felt down into a 10 feet hole.
How do I stop this stupid behavior! I tried using leash pressure but she doesn't stop
 
#2 ·
Dogs use their nose like we use our eyes. I don't understand why it is so annoying to you?
It isn't stupid behavior but natural instinct.
 
#5 ·
Let me tell you why its annoying, first of all this stupid habit started this week only, she was very good when on leash and off leash , always beside me and never goes away
But since Sunday she has been sniffing everything and dragging me and never comes beside me and always busy sniffing the street and everything else, she was just perfect with the leash and then that happened
.
I feel like hitting her is a little extreme if she is not listening to you?
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I didn't hit her , yet...
She is just making me angry with that and I feel so angry that I want to hit her
 
#4 · (Edited)
She's still just a puppy. That's what they do. Even as a young pup, when viewing all the videos of the litter, my pup was sniffing everything out. My puppy uses his nose for everything still. One thing I have tried to work on with him are appropriate times to sniff...basically when to and not to sniff. I do this using a food reward for positive behavior. I always have food on me when out with him to encourage him. Now we have a routine when out walking. If its through the neighborhood he remains more focused on me. I potty him prior to going on our walks, so we have a command of "sidewalk". All my dogs, know this to mean...no sniffing, we're walking. That way we are not stopping at every mailbox. I live in a residential neighborhood, I don't allow to the use the bathroom on other people's property. If we're out in the woods, park, or beach then I let him explore so he's given "free". It's takes a while, but with consistent practice he's coming along. I do allow him the opportunity to explore his surroundings by making sure our walks include areas where his is allowed to check things out. It keeps him happy and interested thus, building that confidence. Good luck with your pup.
 
#7 ·
I'm working on leash training a lot myself right now and I find that if I walk Eugene in the street where there isn't any grass to smell he's great. Then I release him and let him sniff the grass and do whatever he wants. Repeat, repeat. Now I'm at the point where I can get him to walk nicely on a smaller path and then I release him to sniff and do whatever he wants. He seems to be understanding that in order to get what he wants he has to do what I want first. Compromise :)

I'm certainly no expert but that's what's working well for us.
 
#10 ·
Holy smokes, you're really angry over something that's not a big deal at all, I'd hate to see what happens if your dog actually does something worth getting upset over.

Check your emotions at the door when you're walking/training your dog, get some self control.

Dogs explore with their noses, deal with it, or rehome the puppy. Maybe get into a good training class or something. I don't even know what to tell you, if your puppy sniffing around enrages you to the point that you want to hit her, maybe a dog isn't a good choice for a pet for you. :(
 
#11 ·
Walk faster and she may not have as much time to sniff. Require her to keep pace with you and not do her own thing. Give her breaks so she gets to sniff. Work on 'when to sniff and when not to sniff' with her. She shouldn't be slowing you down when you're walking. You get to decide the pace.
 
#13 ·
I wouldn't even use leave it on something so minor as you said above, I'd just say let's go in a high and happy voice, and then do something fun to make it worth doing.

My black GSD in my avatar had a bunch of trackers in her pedigree (and inbred!), and she really loved to sniff when she walked. I didn't really notice a difference? She'd walk with her nose down, my other dog had his head up, and we'd move forward together.
 
#17 ·
My black GSD in my avatar had a bunch of trackers in her pedigree (and inbred!), and she really loved to sniff when she walked. I didn't really notice a difference? She'd walk with her nose down, my other dog had his head up, and we'd move forward together.
I agree. My Lacy is a trained (game) tracking dog. When on a leash, he'll walk with his nose all over the place - but his body follows me. If we are tracking - he is either off leash or on 50' lead. He knows the difference.
 
#14 ·
My pup loves to sniff about and I have absolutely no problem with it. Remember a dog's sense of smell is magnitudes more sensitive than our own - 10,000 - 100,000 times more sensitive. I really cannot even imagine something like that...

Live and let live. She's a pup and this world is entirely new to her. To punish this behaviour would be wrong on a variety of levels imho.
 
#15 ·
Good heavens - my 1 yo still is a fool on a lead. Since we don't get out as much here as we did where we used to live, my 5 yo can be a jerk (pun intended) on lead.

If your pup has a lot of toy drive, remember to bring a toy along. Otherwise, carry treats. I'd also only have her "behave" for a little bit (with the toy) before rewarding her with a sniff fest. Maybe insert some obedience work in the walk, then release, then walk your way, then release, then obedience etc. Keep these bursts short. Keep in mind who that walk is for anyway.

Puppies can be trying. Puppies ARE trying. They make us better people.
 
#16 ·
Holy crap. And I was just beating myself up a little after this morning, when I was feeling impatient and less enthusiastic about being with my puppy on our pre-work walk because she'd awakened me no fewer than four times last night for no apparent reason, and she jumped on me with wet paws (we're still working on keeping those paws on the ground when excited, and she was very happy to see me).

Okay, self-forgiveness over...I'm not an expert but Jean's advice is what works for me. I let her sniff for a few seconds (she's a puppy after all), but if I have a time constraint, I then tell her in an excited voice, "Hey, let's go! Let's go!" and act like it's going to be the coolest thing EVER to keep walking down the sidewalk. She usually responds really well to that. She will want to sniff the patch of grass three feet farther down, but that's a separate event and separate, "Let's go! Let's go see what's up there!"
 
#18 ·
Fiona's nose

Fiona's mom is a certified narcotics dog, and she got her mother's nose. She is constantly sniffing. And when it comes to sniffing boy's pee pee places ... she is a magnet to the spot. But I tell her "later" and give a pull on the leash and most of the time we are off.

I understand how it can be annoying, especially when it is a new behavior. But work on understanding that this is what is in the dog's nature to do and you have to establish when it is ok and when it is not.
 
#19 ·
I will try to use some of your advices thanks

And @blackshep, you would be angry as well if your dog was perfect with something and he suddenly turned into.. What she turned, I used to remove the leash and she always follow me(except when she is ding her 'potty')
 
#20 ·
And @blackshep, you would be angry as well if your dog was perfect with something and he suddenly turned into.. What she turned, I used to remove the leash and she always follow me(except when she is ding her 'potty')
Puppies are babies. Things change every week, sometimes more frequently (my puppy had the "down" command absolutely solid - then she went through about 4 days in which she didn't want to do it, followed by deciding that it wasn't so bad after all). I had a perfect puppy between about 10 and 12 weeks, and then she got challenging. Now we're at 18 weeks and it's getting better again. I'm sure it will get difficult again later on.

I must confess myself surprised at your level of anger at your dog. I was upbraiding myself just this past week for not being a better and more patient owner because I was feeling a little discouraged and frustrated about something that was totally normal. So it isn't that I don't empathize with you feeling frustrated, because I do. That's just as normal as your puppy's behavior is. What concerns me is that you're so VERY angry with her for not being perfect at something when I think our roles as puppy owners are to teach, not expect flawlessness right out of the gate.

I'm far from immune to frustration and can't call myself perfect by any standard (in fact, I just feel lucky that my puppy is solid and can roll with my learning curve), but I also know rationally that these things happen. As my husband likes to say, "She's only been out of the womb for X weeks."
 
#21 ·
Its a baby animal. They carry themselves different than human. We dont lick our butt and they might think its dumb to walk on 2 feet right ? For them smelling the ground its like us enjoying the view . Is it fair if you get hit cause you simply trying to look around ?
 
#23 ·
Youth and there is a slight language barrier. Some things don't translate very well.
 
#24 ·
You have a German Shepherd Dog. It is not a robot. It is dog that has been bred to track and trail things. It is in their genes, it is in most dogs' genes. They want to sniff the world around them, some to hunt, some because it is interesting. Their nose is much more powerful than ours, and they are very interested in everything, especially what or who has passed their way recently.

Getting angry because your dog has a characteristic of canines, is a tad bit unfair.

Yes, you can train your dog to not sniff while heeling. But if you do so when you are angry it will not go well. I use Eh! No Sniff! And quickly move on, but I only do it for short periods. A dog that sniffs all around the ring will get NQ'd. But we are only in the ring for about 2 minutes, and we can train a dog to not sniff for a few minutes at a time.

On regular walks, I allow sniffing, I allow the dog to be at an imperfect heel -- loose lead walking. We heel across streets. No sniffing across streets. But the rest of the walk is for them as well as for me. It is for mental and physical exercise, and to use the instincts that God gave them. Sniffing is one of them.

We expect dogs to share our human lives, and to do that, they need to learn to be less doggy about some stuff, like where they choose to potty. We don't like it in the house, and they may be fine with it in the house so long as it is not where they sleep. So we expect them to adopt our standards in that respect. And they do. We also expect them not to jump on strangers, not to bark at horses, and many other things. But they are still dogs, and smelling the ground and smelling their environment is part of being a dog.

Maybe having a dog isn't the right pet for you? Some people are cat-people, some fish or reptile people. Some like birds better. Just a thought.
 
#26 ·
17 years old is old enough to realize that if you tell a bunch of dog-enthusiasts that you are angry enough that you are wanting to hit your dog, they will give you a reaction, whatever your language.

Holy guacamole, my mother was married when she was seventeen. I was in my second year of college. You're a kid, but you you are old enough to be the adult when it comes to your puppy and its natural behaviors.
 
#31 ·
I for one can't walk my dog more then three steps with out him stoping to sniff. I get frustrated my self but I realise one what his breed is & that this a big part of him & second that he is just a puppy! I will start working on this with him next. BTW I think 17 is way too young to take on a challenge of a gsd by them selfs. A lot of responsibility that goes along with this very strong breed.
 
#32 ·
I just keep moving if my dog wants to sniff and just tell him 'with me' .. I'll let him sniff later when I am ready, but I DO let him sniff. As to too young .. nah. My first GSD was a Christmas present when I had just turned 10. I did all her training myself and she was very biddable but was not human friendly necessarily. She didn't mind being out around people, but they were not allowed to touch. I handled her just fine. In fact, her obedience was solid enough that I was asked to use her to demo the lessons at the local AKC obedience club. I was responsible for her care and feeding.

THIS particular problem isn't a big deal. Try working with my independent, butthead teenager I have currently. :)
 
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