# Sniffing German Shepherd



## Keith1951 (Feb 23, 2006)

My 3 year old full breed male shepherd, Kebar likes to sniff. When he is off leash on his own all he wants to do is sniff the ground as if looking for something. While walking on leash his nose is always on the ground, sniffing. He looks like a wolf sniffing for food the way he sniffs around all the time. Is there something I can do to stop this. I would like for him to hold is head high the way other dogs do while walking or at least stop sniffing the ground so much. Thank you. [email protected]


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi KebarsDaddy, and welcome to the forum! 

My mixed breed did this a lot. It was very difficult to walk her on leash because of that, not to mention that she wanted to eat everything she sniffed out, or mark on everything that wasn't worth eating. 

I taught her a "head-up" command. Basically, if she is heeling, she cannot sniff. I use a prong collar on her, don't know if your boy would need one or not, depends on the dog. I just gave her a prong correction when she lowered her head, and praised her when she raised it. Watch him closely, and try to correct just as he is starting to lower his head. 

Also, have treats on you. Say head-up and stick a treat in front of his nose and lure his head up and reward him when he looks up at you. Correct him if he tries to lower his head and sniff again. For some dogs, just a verbal "ah-ah!" is enough, for others, a leash correction will work. He will learn that keeping his focus on you is much, much more rewarding than sniffing everything! 

When I walk my dog on leash, she either has to heel, which means no sniffing, or she is allowed to roam the lenght of the leash and investigate things and sniff. So I alternate heeling with short periods of "you're free" so that walks are fun for her, and not just one long military exercise. 

If off leash, she is free to explore within reason. If I want or need her close to me, I keep her close by calling her to me, and playing with her, so she pays attention to me.


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## mastercabman (Jun 11, 2007)

Maybe he's looking for gold!
















My gsd's does the same thing,i use prong collars on them and i just give it a tug,with a "leave it" command.They don't do it much now,but still does it.


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## midnight804 (Jun 13, 2008)

my boy (non gsd) loves to track and hunt small vermin...if left to his own devices my dog would sniff out and hunt everything he smelled. I taught him "no tracking" which is only used when his nose is down and he in his "concentrating on vermin scent" mode. A short "no tracking" in the "mandatory command voice" and then we always move to the other side of the road, trail or whatever. if he still insists on pulling towards the scent we turn around and sit-stay until he's calm and not into the scent anymore. he still does it but is getting better. good luck.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

mine does it too
its in their genes!!!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

if he doesnt get out much, or if you're always taking him to new places - it could be that he's just that interested in everything new. if he isnt neutered, or has an alpha personality - he could be looking to mark and constantly logging the info of every dog thats ever passed... if there are lots of dogs in the area, that could be it...

my dogs will do it for the first block or so, but then they're looking around for other people & animals (i guess, i dont know what dogs think when they're looking around, lol)

i like the suggestion of switching the type of collar you use, teaching a heads-up command, and keeping his attention with a ball or treat.

my dogs also know the difference if i'm "working" (training) them, and their attention is much better than if its just a casual walk around the neighborhood.

they're "routine dogs" too - so they know that in the morning they've gotta keep their heads up and hold their bladders. in the evening, they can pretty much do what they want on walks.


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## victoria_warfel (Nov 29, 2007)

Instead of "fixing" it, why not work with it and teach your pup tracking? 
Jedi is a "sniffer", so we found a tracking instructor, and she has a blast!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Victoria & JediInstead of "fixing" it, why not work with it and teach your pup tracking?
> Jedi is a "sniffer", so we found a tracking instructor, and she has a blast!


so does he only do it now while in training, or still during walks as well?


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## victoria_warfel (Nov 29, 2007)

Jedi knows harness = tracking. While on walks, she is wonderful, and doesn't sniff, because she is not in harness. She has an outlet for her sniffing, and it works wonderfully.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Dogs 'see' with their noses...

Try walking more briskly with something for your dog to focus on -- favorite toy tucked under your chin or even a treat (cheese) held between your teeth.

Give her a command like 'heel' when doing so.

Other times let her have fun sniffing along as long as she keeps pace.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i assume you want your dog to stop sniffing so much when he's on the leash. when he's off the leash what difference does it make? that sniffing can be a good thing. why don't you get him involved in detection. he might be really good at it. my dog sniffs alot off the leash. we spend alot of time in the woods. he's all over the place sniffing. on the leash he keeps his head up for the most part. when he's on the leash he has to pay attention because he never knows what i'm going to do. when he's on the leash get him to heel. when you move out have that special treat handy. when he starts to sniff say "no sniffing", pull up on the leash a little, not hard and don't jerk it or snap it, just a little lift to help get his head up. walk a couple of feet repeating "heel" and then treat him. at this point i would place the treat in front of face for a few steps. i wouldn't give it to him immediately. i would walk him a few feet then i would say "heel" and treat him. now walk some without the treat in his face. if he keeps his head up treat him. this method is what i would do. i don't know if it's proven effective. it's working with my dog. our boy is 14 months and we just started to teach him to heel on lead. off the leash he heels beautifully. when the GF and i are walking holding hands he walks between us with the tip of his nose right beside our knees and he holds that position for miles at a time without breaking. we never really taught him to heel on the leash because he was always off the leash. when he was on the leash he never really pulls. he would walk in front of you but there's slack in the leash. we're always in the woods so he has lots of freedom. when he's heeling walking with both of us he never breaks the heel to go and say hello to other dogs, joggers or walkers. sometimes the trail gets narrow and people on horses have to pass. he'll hold his heel untill one of us tells him "other side" and then he moves over to the right of the trail. if he ca't move to the right he moves to left so the riders can pass. we don't wait untill we're not home to practice heel. we do it in the driveway and in the house and we do it 3 to 5 times a day but in short sessions and always ending the session on a positive.


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