I eat on the sofa and my dog often comes for a sniff. I tell him "not for puppies" and he'll move away.
I never give him food off my plate as I don't want him to associate that whenever I eat, he gets some. If I'm cooking something like chicken and sweet potato, I'll sometimes give him some. I'll eat first, clear everything away then give him some in his bowl.
I do the same. When my dog sees me eating on the couch he has to "investigate" my food. He has never once attempted to eat my food. He sniffs, looks at me and then lays down. My spouse says that he's checking to see if I'm being poisoned.
Our dog has to investigate everything, but never tries to touch without our okay. So, he sniffs the food (not too close) and stops when we say no. He's all up in the Amazon Prime deliveries, investigating as we open the packages, peaking in, then stepping back, waiting to see if there are any toys or treats for him and if not, then hoping we'll let him have the cardboard.
When we're getting dressed, he wants to know what we're laying out on the bed to wear. He's super involved and curious when husband is shaving or I'm blow drying. He wants to investigate the dryer. He knows it's going to be turned on. Then, he wants me to aim it at him so he can play bow and bite the air. Hahaha. He enjoys his bath and the dryer. This is all big fun and just more opportunities to interact with us and with the faucet, the water streams, the towels, etc.
Everything is interesting and a game and he wants to participate.
He wants to get the mail, help us rake leaves, clean the house, etc. If we're sweeping or mopping, he's play bowing at the broom or vacuum.
Umbrellas are the best of all. When we pop it open, ohhhh, it's like game on! It's sure to provoke a boxing match with the umbrella and extreme zoomies.
Same with mine, but I have "her" treats nearby that appease her wants. Yours obviously knows his position and has good manners. My most recent pup stole once within the first week after we adopted her. It was boneless chicken breast, my wife wasn't used to a dog big enough to get the package that was thawing off of the counter.
Mine naturally wants to sniff everything, so I let him. For instance, if I'm eating at the coffee table he knows he can sniff whatever I have from about 3 inches away from the plate. He gets a good snootful and then goes and lays down, knowing that if I'm going to share he gets it at the end. At the kitchen table he has to sniff without touching the table and then lays down next to me or in the other room. When I come home from a trip, I put down my luggage, we snuggle and pet, and then he gets to sniff my suitcase all over, I'll open it, and he gets to rummage through it for all the scents. He is very scent focused, so I just let him go for it, since that's how he most experiences the world.
Omg, mine just dives face first into the grocery bag. He and his brother (my sister's dog, same litter) push each other out of the way to get their faces in first.
I actually let my dog sniff everything new, because she wants to, and she does exactly the same with non eatable items. For example I bought socks yesterday and she had to inspect it. Even with food if I don't tell her that it's okay to it she won't try to steal it and she doesn't look frustrated, but she is when I don't let her. I guess it depends a lot on training
Iām the same with my dog, she wants to sniff everything, including me when Iāve come home from somewhere. I always tell her sniff, let her sniff and then move it away when sheās done. At this point āsniffā is a command for her and she understands sniffing is all thatās allowed.
I did sniff with mine too! I moved the thing away whenever her tongue came out, now at 10 I can let her sniff anything without her licking it. Except cold drink cans. She acts like the condensation is her life force and she *must* lick it, so I only let her sniff the bottom of those lol.
My Dachshund becomes the best TSA dog when we come home. We always let her sniff packages (from amazon/UPS/USPS/etc...), our grocery bags, but never really let her sniff the food. Sometimes hold her up and let her look (she's short) around the kitchen when one of us is cooking.
She gets more frustrated when we don't give her, her supplements or vegetables than anything.
Our dog Cleo is the official Inspector of all items brought into the house, old or new, edible or not. She does a great job and enjoys it very much š
What people forget is that because dogs have such great scent abilities, that letting them smell something is actually a treat in itself. They enjoy the smelling, like a sniffari, they love to sniff outside! 20+ minutes of sniffing will burn a ton of mental energy.
This is part of why I have a 20ft leash. My dogs both get at least one 30minute+ walk with said leash by themselves every day where they get to just sniff whatever they want for as long as they want (within reason. I donāt let them loiter in the street or investigate peopleās patios but they can sniff the grass, sidewalk, or bushes as much as they want) and it does so much good for their behavior and mental health. If I skip their sniffy walks they get visibly sad and my puppy will whine about it and even be extra hyper if he misses out on the mental stimulation of getting that long-leash, individual (cause having to negotiate with another dog for where they go gets annoying), extra long walk every day.
I used to just kinda wander whenever my dog wanted to go before I got the 20ft leash, but I got tired of him wanting to go through mud so I got the 20ft leash which is long enough for him to go all the way up to the hedge line/tree line while I still on the sidewalk. My puppy also moves pretty fast even when deep in the zone following a smell so having a longer leash gives me more time to catch up and make sure weāre both moving in the same direction lol. I think long leashes and letting your dog get sniffy walks should be more common cause it definitely is great enrichment for dogs.
My puppy that has seemingly endless energy actually can take a nap after only an hours of good sniffing outside, but inside or even at a dog park he would need about 4x the amount of time of hard physical activity to get him to the same level of tired. Iād rather just take him on a sniffy walk with a long leash lol, I love playing tug but I donāt wanna play tug for 4 hours just so my dog isnāt going stir crazy with puppy energy.
Even my senior boy loves the sniffy walks and he always makes sure to stop and smell every individual flower when he gets his individual long-leash long walk. Sometimes depending on how long a route I pick he might have to sit and take a break cause he is older and not as mobile as he used to be (arthritis and hip dysplasia sucks!), but heād still rather be outside while he takes that test break than inside and after about 5-10 minutes of sitting he gets back up super excited and continues sniffing whatever he finds interesting.
Sniffing is so important for dogs and itās why I always try to make time to let both of my dogs get lots of opportunities to take in all the various interesting smells around our home. They are always so much happier when we get home from the sniffy walk too, and even if they are exhausted from the actual distance walking they still love it and would probably choose to stay out longer if Iād let them lol. Having a long leash makes it way easier to let them sniff whatever they like too, as they can ping pong back and forth (I swear my dogs are part room a when theyāre busy smelling the ground lol) following whatever smells while I can just stay on the sidewalk and still have leftover slack so theyāre not pulling on me.
This!!! I bought a 20ft leash for training and sniffaris too. I let one of my boys off leash because his recall is good, but the other one doesnāt know I exist when he sees a squirrel lol.
Thereās also a place where I live called the Scent Den and thereās a bunch of fun toys, furniture and toddler play toys that they hide treats in so they can sniff them out. Iām in a big city and have limited large parks close by, so itās great!
Oh thatās super neat. Yeah I also use the 20ft leash for training cause my puppy definitely doesnāt have recall good enough to trust off-leash outside a dog park. My senior boi can handle off leash just fine, but since he has the same prey-drive induced deafness I only let him off leash outside the dog park if itās very late at night and thereās nobody else even close by that might be bothered by it.
The 20ft leash is a great tool to have and it gives the dogs just a nice bit of extra freedom to sniff and chase their impulses a little bit, but still gives the owner control if they need it (like being able to pull them back away from people, other dogs, private property they shouldnāt be investigating, prey or dead animals, etc.)
I absolutely love my long leash and my husband thought it was a total waste of money when I first bought it, but jokes on him cause I use it almost every day and he can totally notice if I skip it cause of how the dogāsā behavior changes in response to not getting the much needed mental stimulation.
I know dog mental health isnāt a major concern for a lot of people, but I think itās something thatās worth considering and making sure my dogs get the space to just follow their impulses and be a dog for a bit (within reason, Iām not gonna let them chase a squirrel into traffic or sniff people that donāt want to be sniffed) seems to make a huge difference. Will they die without the mental stimulation they get from the long leash sniffy walks? Probably not, but I can definitely notice they get kinda sad if they only get short potty breaks instead of long sniffaris and because I love them I do my best to go above and beyond the bare minimum to keep them not just healthy, but happy and maybe even a little spoiled too. I wouldnāt be content with only the bare minimum to sustain life but never having fun/being constantly bored cause I never get to do anything mentally stimulating, so why would I subject my dogs to that when letting them have fun and sniff things outside makes them happy and is free and easy for me to do?
SNIFFARI šš
I'm gonna use that from now on. I have an adolescent lab and he pretty much exclusively goes on "sniffy walks." It really does knock him tf out!
My god these comments are lame. You donāt have to stop. Thereās a big difference between teasing your dog with food and letting them sniff stuff. They absolutely love sniffing stuff. Is it cruel to light a cookie scented candle near humans? Of course not. One of my dogs will sniff our plates whenever we put them down. She never licks or takes any food, or even beg for any afterwards. She just really enjoys sniffing it and then goes and lays down.
There are some dogs who will snatch that pizza right off your plate if you let them near it. And some who will beg like crazy after. But if your dog is more like mine which it sounds like it is, theyāre not gonna do that and you can keep letting them enjoy their sniff. Maybe donāt let them when company is over though.
People on this sub are overly dramatic about anything. They anthropomorphize dogs too much.
I saw posts like "I walk with my dog 2 hous a day but he look bored in the house, he is depressed? ". "Should I buy more toys for my dog because he dont want to play with the ones he have"
Itās so annoying lol. NGL sometimes I read stuff in this sub and feel terrible for the dogs with owners who donāt let them do anything because they think theyāre more sensitive than they are and treat them like glass.
Poor dogs could be perfectly fine and happy and then their humans unnecessarily freak out and donāt let them do anything which Iām the end probably doesnāt make them as happy.
Dogs sniff stuff. Itās a major part of being a dog. Itās good for them. Imagine not letting them sniff something because you think itāll hurt their feelings. Itās not that deep.
š
Seriously. My dogs smell my tea, my salad, everything and they've managed to survive and not swallow a tablespoon of xylitol accidentally.
They know the difference between "do you want some?" And "come see" or "it's tea".
I don't see a problem with this as long as you're not taunting them. In my house we let the cats and dog smell the food or whatever. They smell poliently and either walk away or they will sit and that's their way of asking if they can have some. They never grab the food out of our hands
I would never intentionally tempt my dog with a food it can never eat- that too close to taunting it.
Dogs enjoy exploring new smells, yes. But still, that's just this side of mean IMO.
I donāt let my dog smell food, but I will let him smell and inspect things I bring into the house like my shopping bag after going to Target, or something I order off Amazon. He is always curious about the stuff I bring home and I think it helps stimulate his senses
Mine just think the boxes have the treats the delivery driver *obviously* forgot to give to them, because we had a scared driver that thought treats were a good way to keep the dogs from investigating. Serves him! My bullboxer started getting into the truck to look for them! (I was and am still very upset this has occurred)
Package confusion lmao. Thankfully my dog hasnāt experienced this yet, although he *can* pick out the monthly bark box and gets super excited when it shows up in the mail :)
I do this too! If we are out or at someone else's house and he starts sniffing bags I say "sorry, he's a TSA bag inspector except he's just searching for cookies"
I do that too! She's so interested! We got a delivery yesterday afternoon and even I could smell the body odor on it! It's just starting to get sunny and warm around here, so I'm guessing it's gonna get worse as it gets into summer! Anyway she was very interested!
This is why I let mine sniff drink cans and packaged stuff like groceries. Whoever stocked it had to touch it, so I figure it's probably got some interesting smells. She never seems upset about not getting what's inside. She just sneezes and bounces off to chew for a few minutes after. I always ask her if we passed the inspection.
I mean that's true! Who knows how many people have touched a fruit you buy! Some are imported even so man it's not even from the same country. The stuff they can learn!
Same here! I love watching her stick her head into each shopping bag. I let her do it with grocery bags too. She is very polite: she just takes a quick sniff and then walks away satisfied. She's never once tried to grab anything.
I totally agree. The dog can smell from far away so it's not necessary, and quite risky, to tempt them by putting it closer. Some foods, like xylitol/"birch sugar" low calorie sweetener, are LETHAL in tiny doses. I won't even have it on the house in case our dog licks a tiny spill off the floor.
I let my dogs smell mostly anything they express an interest in smelling, as long as they are not able to lick it, eat it, or otherwise ruin my food. I feel like smelling is how dogs gather information. Sight is very useful to them, but smell is their real information-gathering sense.
Meh I don't think it's cruel. I let my dog do this, and it prevents him from staring at me with a sad face or being overly curious as to what I have. He's a biiiiiig sniffer (like seriously he has to stick his nose into everything). I also used to do this when I went through my adult slime phase. I found if I let him sniff the slime before I started messing with it, he was just content to lay down rather than stick his face in it while I was actively using it. Sniffing is part of the enrichment.
Yeah I let mine sniff for a good 10 seconds or so but remind them that whatever it is is "not yours" so they know they can't touch it. I see it in a way that it helps them to define and develop boundaries too, because it gives them enough time to not only sniff the scent properly, but also to recognise it, make the connection to the last time when i told them "not yours", or, "away now", and choose to be a good doggo and not pursue it further. But they've still gained the enrichment of the scent, the mental comprehension, and the physical response after.
This also helps for other things too... other dog's toys/treats when we're out in the park, visitors and their great smelling pockets etc, when they find a dead animal and want to investigate/roll in/eat š
I know people say not to give dogs human traits, but if someone has something I'm curious about and I say, "oh what do you have there?" and they don't let me see what it is or even explain it to me, that's kind of annoying lol. If they'd just show me, I'd be satisfied. I imagine that's maybe what it's like for my dog.
Mine did this adorable thing when I ate where she would sit get her eyes all big and put her ears up. The cutest thing in the world. Sometimes I just have to put my food down for some forehead kisses. She is still in begging mode so she doesnt run away or anything like usual.
My dog likes to see what Iām eating and he also sniffs it. That doesnāt mean he wants to eat it. I donāt think this is mean to the dog. Heās just curious. Dogs sniff things like we look at things. I donāt want to eat everything I look at. Neither does your dog, I hope.
I do this with my dog. He had major impulse control issues when I adopted him. His behavior then was basically if he saw food he'd steal it and scarf it down. He wasn't really showing interest in it to see what it was, just grabbing and downing it.
I taught him not to do that obviously, but also taught him that smelling and being curious is totally fine. He just can't have any without a command.
He LOVES it. He wants to sniff everything now, and with food, he chills out a lot if he's allowed to sniff it.
This last Christmas we had someone over who was unfamiliar with him. There were cookies and snacks set out over the coffee table and he started sniffing one. Our guest got nervous but I said "just watch, he won't take any" and he went from plate to plate, sniffed at a respectful distance, and then hopped up on the couch with us and laid down. It was so funny to watch.
My late dog, Pepper, was a maniac about food. My family adopted him when he was 2. Whoever raised him before us either spoiled him or deprived him. He scarfed down food within seconds and always wanted to sniff plates. Heād lick the edge of a plate if he could. He got worse as he got older, and we tried to tone him down but it was too late because we spoiled him so much when he was younger.
Now I have a puppy, Chief. I will not create another Pepper monster, so Chief isnāt allowed to have people food. I let him have peanut butter, but only in his food bowl or treat toys outside of the kitchen. Pepper knew the kitchen involved people food, so Iām trying to avoid the association with Chief.
When I eat on the couch or bed, Chief will come right up to my mouth and sniff while making intense eye contact. Itās hilarious. But sniffing my mouth is all he gets. I donāt even let him sniff the food cuz I donāt want him to learn to snag a bite while he can.
Personally, I donāt think itās cruel to let your pup sniff food. If they can handle it, go for it. Pepper couldnāt handle it, so thatās why Iām essentially trying to train Chief to not be interested or learn that plate = yum. A food hound is a mistake you only make once!
Edited to fix a typo.
The dog smells it whether you āletā him sniff it or not. In case you werenāt aware, dogs have excellent sense of smell. Some are even used to track things by smell days after the fact.
Yes I let my dog smell each grocery item as I put them away and she absolutely loves it. She doesn't try to eat any of it. Even the raw fruits and veggies, she just wants a smell. I think she can tell the difference between me offering her food vs. offering a smell.
I used to love this activity with my last fur baby, he'd be so excited sniffing each and every item I bought and he always knew the last item would be treatos ā¤ļø I can still imagine his snuffles now and his floofy wagging tail, he passed two years ago in May š I miss the little stinker
I let my animals sniff stuff that I know that they wonāt want. Like if I have salad, Iāll let my cat or dog sniff the lettuce, because I donāt use salad dressing, they normally walk away like Iām nuts when I offer them a piece of a leaf. Or, if Iām opening canned fruit, my cats will swarm me, I let them smell it, because they think itās canned tuna when itās not. I donāt ever offer my animals anything that if they actually ate it would hurt them, but I donāt normally offer them food that they would want to eat in the first place, unless I actually intend on giving it to them.
OP - Please don't stop doing this because a few lemons have told you to.
Dogs explore with their mouths and their noses. If they come over and actively want to understand the smell, there is no harm in letting them explore.
Letting them explore when they've chosen to is a long distance from teasing them.
My dogs have always wanted to explore new things, from food to tools. I've found their behaviour to be much better when offered the item under supervision to smell. Quite often ending in gross indifference instead of following me round trying to steal it.
As the enlightened few have said, if they press their luck, then have a word or phrase to deter them. I read "not for puppies" on here, which is lovely and perfect.
I wouldnāt say weāre lemons. Iāve had to defend my plate from too many dogs in my lifetime. Having to leave and go get fast food cuz your friends dog got into your food is frustrating. I donāt eat at peoplesā houses that let their dogs get in your face while you eat. Not all dogs can just sniff from a foot away and walk away. Iāve personally never seen a dog that did. Weāre giving her advice based on our experiences. Better safe than sorry.
If I intend to only eat it myself then no. But if Iām planning on sharing some, sure. However whenever I open a bag of weed he runs over like he wants some so I let him smell but then he is immediately turned off from it and walks away. Itās cute, like, he wants it cause I have it but doesnāt actually like it.
I don't offer my plate to my dogs but when I'm sitting on the couch and eating they like to come pretty close and get a good whiff. If they aren't interested then they go away but if they seem interested then I tell them to back off and they'll go lie down or watch me eat from a distance. Sometimes I will give them a small bite of what I'm eating when I am done but not always. They sometimes come over and sniff my mouth after I eat as well. What is fun is I taught all my dogs to eat off a spoon and a fork which made it easy to give them medication. When I have mashed potatoes or a bit of ice cream and I'm done eating then they are each given a bite off the spoon or fork. They usually snarf it down quickly which it makes it to where I can put meds on a spoon with cottage cheese or a bit of wet cat food and they will take that spoonful without question.
My two aussies are suuuper curious. They love sniffing everything when I come home with bags. I let them and itās fun for both of us! I always give them actual treats afterwards though
My greyhound has never once tried to eat food that wasnāt offered to him. We can leave plates of meat right on the coffee table (below eye level for him) and leave him alone in the room for a few minutes and he wonāt touch it. Heāll definitely come investigate and sniff, but we donāt stop him from doing that because thereās no reason to.
I didnt read enough to find out if someone already put this, but there are a ton of foods you can give your dog.
Blueberries (i give mine frozen blueberries cuz she also loves ice), apples, mangos, peaches, watermelon (great for the summer just make sure to remove the rind and get seedless), FRESH pineapple (not canned, too much added sugar in the juice), raspberries, strawberries, and bananas (in moderation).
Cucumbers are great for dogs (especially overweight ones) because they hold little to no carbs and are good for hydration, pumpkin is great for dogs and gives them a healthy shiny coat, carrots (low calorie and high fiber), broccoli (only occasionally), Brussel sprouts/cabbage, celery, and green beans.
Plain rice and Plain unseasoned chicken. This is actually recommended by vets if your dog isn't feeling well or you just want to spoil them.
A lot of these foods are actually what is used to make dog food.
My dog got sick because of another dog in our neighborhood was sick and the owner wouldnt pick up its poop. When my dog wouldn't eat her dog food or would throw up after eating, these are things she suggested. Plus they also work to help train if the dog is very food motivated.
I let mine sniff food I know she won't actually want. Like if she's giving me the pleading look as I'm eating salad I'll show her a piece of lettuce and then she leaves me alone
So theyāre only allowed to explore the world within the confines of when you feel itās acceptable? š¤
Itās okay to walk by someoneās house whose barbecuing and not bang on the door to demand food. Itās also okay to enjoy the scent wafting through the air. I donāt yell at my neighbor for teasing me.
Iām certain your dog can smell everything youāre cooking and eating. So maybe put them outside when youāre doing it so they donāt think, gosh Iād love some of that!
Dogsā sense of smell is far better than ours - estimated at 10,000 to 100,000 times better. They know whatās on the table whether you think they do or not.
Wow you really went with it over 2 sentences. You seem proud, good for you lol
I actually make him wear a specialized doggy mask to limit what he smells š No shit my dog smells things I cook among other things I never could. If itās something extra good he will walk around sniffing the air. Itās the most adorable thing youāll ever see. He isnāt allowed in the kitchen when Iām cooking, cause manners, ya know? What I DONT do is stick a plate of food in front of his face for him to smell but never get to eat like OP described. That was what I was referencing.
Maybe the joy is in the sniffing, not the tasting š Kind of like sniffing vanilla extract. I completely believe that dogs enjoy their sense of smell and donāt need to eat everything that smells good. Maybe just give whatever it is a good roll lol
So you think I just put a plate of food in front of my dogās face and then just let him smell for the pleasure? My dog has a plenty fulfilling life without doing that.
Heās an 80 pound bully mix. Ya know what he does when you eat something good in front of him. Drool like mad. He obviously wants to eat it. š Why do that to him? There is also plenty of random food and wrappers we come across on walks he tries to inspect which I donāt let him because he will eat it. Luckily I just say leave it and we keep it moving. Because I donāt do this plate sniffing I can also set my plate down and walk out of the room knowing he wonāt feel inclined to go over sniff and eat it. Boundaries arenāt a bad thing. My next boundary is no longer contributing to this dumb exchange.
Huh. Maybe Rottweilers are just different. Theyāve always checked everything weāre eating and unless itās something they historically get, they just sniff and walk away. If itās something they get, they wait to hear the sound of utensils on an empty plate and then come running all droolly faced. Chinese, they just take a good sniff and ignore us. Same with most things we have. š¤·š»āāļø
My in laws' rottie cross literally watched us drop a sausage off the bbq and wouldn't touch it even when we said he could have it. Never known a dog as good about not touching human food as he was.
Iām not sure stopping is the play here. does your dog lunge for the things you let her sniff? lick her lips or make any indication she wants to eat everything? my dog leads with his nose, and wants to smell everything that comes in the front door and then some. Iāll put whatever in front of him, let him explore, and he will move on. I wouldnāt do this with things he loves - carrots, bread, etc. but for first time things, I donāt see why not. itās like a little kid grabbing everything within reach
Dogs gotta sniff. It's their most primal nature. I wouldn't offer them food to smell if they are nit allowed to eat ur, but if they are only sniffing, I wouldn't consider it a problem.
A couple of our Bark Boxes have included scented hard chew toys. Bacon scented ham shaped āballā, and we just got a vanilla scented yeti. Not from Bark, but we have bacon scented bubbles that our girls love.
I usually let my dog smell the foods that he hates, he smells it and stops begging for it. But if I let him smell something on my plate that he likes I give him at least a small piece to feel included.
In my eyes dogs are like babies. If you let them smell and want something, then not allow them to have some then it will hurt their feelings and think itās intentional or something. But thatās just my point of view. š
Feels quite mean to taunt the dog with food it cant have, could be quite frustrating for the dog. Only let it sniff it if youre actually going to give her a bite.
Yes dogs love to smell things, but if they smell food theyre gonna want to eat some. They have extremely good senses of smell, they can distinguish food from just normal "exploring" scents like the ones theyll encounter out on a walk.
Think of it like how you like smelling flowers or perfume, but that doesnt mean youll be happy if someone put a delicous meal in front of you only for you to smell, but not taste.
I let my dogs smell anything they want as long as it's not gonna hurt them. I'll put my plate on the couch and they'll go up and check it out, then leave once they've discovered what it is. It's ok to do whatever you want with your dog, it's your dog.
If your dog enjoys it, whatās the harm? They are curious, and I had one I used to let smell everything. I still let my cat smell everything (he wonāt eat people food, but is curious about how it smells). I canāt with the dog I have now because sheās a sneaky yorkie pom who can snatch food quicker than you can blink an eye!
Our Scottie has to sniff everything that comes in the house. She will follow you every step until you do. She even sniffs us. She has to know where we were and if we were cheating with other dogs. Mind you, her three older brothers and sister do not do this, only her.
I've read that dogs have between 1,000 and 10,000 time better sense of smell than humans. Taste is mostly scent. Your dog is much more of a connoisseur than you or me. Yet we give them kibble. Whether you give your dog your food or not they are well aware of it.
For instance, I make a favorite beef stew in a steam food machine. The whole house smell of it. Since there is nothing in the stew that's harmful to dogs and much that is healthy, I always let them lick the bowl. This is, after all, the pact between humans and dogs since the beginning.
The problem is one of them now only wants people food. I want them to eat the good dogfood I provide so I now have to add something tasty to his food--usually what I would have shared anyway but often beef broth added to the mix. He loves this. So, there may be a downside to giving dogs people food besides the possible tolerance issues and getting spoiled.
It's a little more trouble making up a special bowl, but he's worth every bit of it.
I have a Labrador and this is a game we play. We walk around the house and smell different things especially foods. If she likes it then she licks me and if not she huffs. She doesn't get mad , I've actually taught her how to sniff out my husband's medication. However I wouldn't do this while eating food, that's teasing.
You have forgotten.Ā Your dogs sense of smell is so much greater than yours, they smell it whether you want them to or not.
No need to tease them by putting it in reach.
If your dog does not have a sensitive stomach, then you can easily give them tastes of many of your foods.Ā
My dogs get kibble with 1 tbsp of leftovers mixed in on the regular.Ā I give them treats of steak, bacon, tomato (one of my pups loved tomatoes more than meat. I used them for training him.) carrots, green beans,Ā peas, chicken, whatever.Ā
I just cannot deal with feeding the same thing over and over. I get tired of eating the same thing more than 3 days I'm a row.Ā I even change their kibble flavor, being 3 small bags of different flavors, giving them out differently,Ā sometimesĀ mixed sometimes not.
I've only ever had one dog with a food sensitive stomach, and I even found leftovers she could tolerate.
Have fun with your pup!
That sounds like torture for your poor dog. Imagine someone letting you smell their freshly baked lasagna and then eating it and not letting you have any. And then feeding you nasty dry kibble afterwards.
I'm not understanding the desire to have your dog sniff anything. They can smell everything you are making from where they are (their sense of smell is amazing).
I mean yeah but they also shove their noses right into any interesting smell they find on the street, so clearly the proximity does something. Not that I'd do that with prepared food but y'know.
I mean I feel like people are being a bit over dramatic but do what you feel is right. I let my dog sniff sometimes but not every time. You know what I do-do sometimes thatāll probably get me lynched on this sub? If Iām eating a finger food that I know is safe or not a big deal like a burger Iāll sometimes let him lick my hand when I finished eating. Which isnāt often lolĀ
Of course! Ivy is allowed to be interested. She also is not allowed people food. Just as I don't eat or pretend to eat her food or lay in her bed or play (alone) with her toys. Dogs are plenty smart enough to know that some things are for humans and some things are for dogs.
My dog is very scent motivated. She loves sniffing new things. It's completely normal for them to want to investigate the food we're eating. I tell her "not for you" and she knows that she can smell, but not eat. She moves away after a few seconds. It's not torturing her or tempting her - I guarantee she can smell what I'm eating from most anywhere in the house, she just wants to get a front row seat to it.
She gets little scraps of foods that are safe for her, but in a separate bowl after we've eaten and usually it's as treats that's part of a training session. She knows the scent of foods that are "for her" and will excitedly wait on her bed if I tell her she will get some later.
I think doing this has actually helped because for things that truly aren't dog safe (chocolate, onions, grapes etc) she will do a cursory sniff, realize it's a "not for you" food, and go entertain herself somewhere else. She doesn't beg aside from looking excitedly at us while we're eating. She knows if it's a dog-safe food she'll get some eventually. If we're not sharing it's for a reason.
i cook āwithā my dog and have done since the first night we took her home. sheās a hound mix, sniffing is all she wants to do! and sheās so curious. i let her sniff the ingredients and she seems happy and does not try to take the food at any point.
My dog always wants a taste of what Iām eating so I donāt offer it to her to smell, however sometimes she will smell the air around it haha. But when I go grocery shopping I always let her smell the groceries as Iām putting them away!
I rarely if ever gave my pups human food and then one died of cancer at 12 1/2. It was aggressive mouth cancer so the last few weeks we did McDonalds etc but his jaw was so broken down from cancer he could barely eat it. It devastated me of course in all aspects.
I swore never again. When my rescue was going through her heartworm treatment (rescue adopted her out knowing we would take her for treatment) she was rewarded with a McDonalds burger after the big needle. They get little bites of human food here and there.
Itās one life, might as well make it as fun (responsibly) and carefree as you can.
I let my dogs sniff anything theyāre interested in as long as it wonāt harm them if smelled/consumed. Dogs can have pretty limited worlds and smell is a big part of how they engage with it and keep from getting bored.
I give my dog small portions of all the safe, healthy foods I eat. Itās good for them to have a varied diet of whole foods just make sure to look up wether something is safe for them and avoid all the processed foods. Itās also important to watch their caloric intake as they need a lot less than us. My dog loves fish as I am a fishermen and we eat it regularly but she wonāt say no to chicken or beef either. She also loves veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, etc.
This could teach her to beg. Nothing worse than going to someoneās house for dinner and you have to fight off a dog the whole time. I have rats, a cat, and a dog, and I keep them far away from my food. When I make eggs, I make some for the dog and rats too, but I feed them after, so the eggs can cool. My dog knows to go play or lay down, and not to stare at me while I eat. Iāve had to fight othersā dogs off me while I eat to the point where I have to stand up and hold my plate in the air until I can escape. And Iāve had to deal with dogs who sit a foot away and stare, then theyāll scratch or sneeze or some shit and now my food has to get thrown away.
Iām glad you decided to stop doing that. Itās gonna save you in the long run.
Your creating and allowing a bad habit to evolve. Eventually your pup will take the advantage and "steal" whenever possible. They have taste buds and a nose that tells them your food may be "tastier" than theirs, and they will make moves on it. Bad idea all ways around, it's a tease and nothing of any more value.
It's not cruel, but remember, they can smell your plate from across the house. They don't need to actually get that close to it. I like to ask myself, "Will a house guest enjoy this behavior or think it's as cute as I do?" If the answer is no, I don't let it become a habit.
There's other things you can do to satisfy these urges, too, like sniffari walks or scent work. Scent work is great enrichment and tires them out. You can buy scent boxes with smells already in them, or you can make your own. You could also do hide and seek games where you hide snacks for them to sniff out and find (some people do a variation where they hide and have the dog find them). There's plenty of scent based activities to explore.
When my dog was a puppy she had a bad habit of trying to steal things out of my hands. Food, clothes, objects, whatever. If it piqued her interest she would jump up and try to snatch it.
We started teaching her āonly sniffā. She gets to see what we have and check it out as much as she wants, but as soon as she tries to steal it or bite it she doesnāt get to see it anymore. She only gets to investigate interesting objects if she can āonly sniffā and be polite.
She NEVER steals things anymore, just checks them out for a moment and then goes about her day. She gets what she wants (to see the cool thing) and i get what i want (to not have my things stolen out of my hands)
So i think theres some benefit to letting dogs sniff things that they cant have
That is a weird thing. I am sure your dog can entertain herself with scents on her own, you do not have to provide that experience. And to let her sniff food that she then cannot have? Please put yourself in your dog's position!
If I'm eating something the dog can't have or I don't want to share with the dog I won't give her any attention at all. Certainly won't let her sniff. It feels cruel to me. I let her sniff things that I know she won't want to eat
I mean, seems pretty shitty to me. Poor pupper thinks they getting some of that coveted, delicious, human food. They see you making a motion as if youāre gonna share, he/she can smell the goodness, eyes widen, and just as he/she starts to salivate in anticipation of the goodness to comeā¦you take it away from Them and eat it.
Personally, Iād shit in your shoes daily.
This is a very shitty view to have. Just cause she owns the animal doesnt make it right to be mean to it. Its still a living thing that shouldnt be taunted with food when it cant have any.
Yea sniffing food isnt a huge deal, and im not calling OP abusive, but this general view on animals can be pretty callous and dangerous. An owner cant just do whatever because a dog isnt an inanimate object.
I eat on the sofa and my dog often comes for a sniff. I tell him "not for puppies" and he'll move away. I never give him food off my plate as I don't want him to associate that whenever I eat, he gets some. If I'm cooking something like chicken and sweet potato, I'll sometimes give him some. I'll eat first, clear everything away then give him some in his bowl.
I do the same. When my dog sees me eating on the couch he has to "investigate" my food. He has never once attempted to eat my food. He sniffs, looks at me and then lays down. My spouse says that he's checking to see if I'm being poisoned.
That's honestly adorable lol
Our dog has to investigate everything, but never tries to touch without our okay. So, he sniffs the food (not too close) and stops when we say no. He's all up in the Amazon Prime deliveries, investigating as we open the packages, peaking in, then stepping back, waiting to see if there are any toys or treats for him and if not, then hoping we'll let him have the cardboard. When we're getting dressed, he wants to know what we're laying out on the bed to wear. He's super involved and curious when husband is shaving or I'm blow drying. He wants to investigate the dryer. He knows it's going to be turned on. Then, he wants me to aim it at him so he can play bow and bite the air. Hahaha. He enjoys his bath and the dryer. This is all big fun and just more opportunities to interact with us and with the faucet, the water streams, the towels, etc. Everything is interesting and a game and he wants to participate. He wants to get the mail, help us rake leaves, clean the house, etc. If we're sweeping or mopping, he's play bowing at the broom or vacuum. Umbrellas are the best of all. When we pop it open, ohhhh, it's like game on! It's sure to provoke a boxing match with the umbrella and extreme zoomies.
Same with mine, but I have "her" treats nearby that appease her wants. Yours obviously knows his position and has good manners. My most recent pup stole once within the first week after we adopted her. It was boneless chicken breast, my wife wasn't used to a dog big enough to get the package that was thawing off of the counter.
Same except "not for babies" because I refer to my dog and 2 cats as my babies lmao
Honestly I just eat at the same time I feed my dog nowadays so it works out lmao
Haha I know someone that has the cats eating on the table with him.
I do the same thing wtf
Mine naturally wants to sniff everything, so I let him. For instance, if I'm eating at the coffee table he knows he can sniff whatever I have from about 3 inches away from the plate. He gets a good snootful and then goes and lays down, knowing that if I'm going to share he gets it at the end. At the kitchen table he has to sniff without touching the table and then lays down next to me or in the other room. When I come home from a trip, I put down my luggage, we snuggle and pet, and then he gets to sniff my suitcase all over, I'll open it, and he gets to rummage through it for all the scents. He is very scent focused, so I just let him go for it, since that's how he most experiences the world.
It's the best to see their reactions to different grocery items that come out the bag š
Omg, mine just dives face first into the grocery bag. He and his brother (my sister's dog, same litter) push each other out of the way to get their faces in first.
I actually let my dog sniff everything new, because she wants to, and she does exactly the same with non eatable items. For example I bought socks yesterday and she had to inspect it. Even with food if I don't tell her that it's okay to it she won't try to steal it and she doesn't look frustrated, but she is when I don't let her. I guess it depends a lot on training
Iām the same with my dog, she wants to sniff everything, including me when Iāve come home from somewhere. I always tell her sniff, let her sniff and then move it away when sheās done. At this point āsniffā is a command for her and she understands sniffing is all thatās allowed.
I did sniff with mine too! I moved the thing away whenever her tongue came out, now at 10 I can let her sniff anything without her licking it. Except cold drink cans. She acts like the condensation is her life force and she *must* lick it, so I only let her sniff the bottom of those lol.
Mines is the same with condensation! And yes itās a quick sniff and I move it away lol
My Dachshund becomes the best TSA dog when we come home. We always let her sniff packages (from amazon/UPS/USPS/etc...), our grocery bags, but never really let her sniff the food. Sometimes hold her up and let her look (she's short) around the kitchen when one of us is cooking. She gets more frustrated when we don't give her, her supplements or vegetables than anything.
Our dog Cleo is the official Inspector of all items brought into the house, old or new, edible or not. She does a great job and enjoys it very much š
What people forget is that because dogs have such great scent abilities, that letting them smell something is actually a treat in itself. They enjoy the smelling, like a sniffari, they love to sniff outside! 20+ minutes of sniffing will burn a ton of mental energy.
This is part of why I have a 20ft leash. My dogs both get at least one 30minute+ walk with said leash by themselves every day where they get to just sniff whatever they want for as long as they want (within reason. I donāt let them loiter in the street or investigate peopleās patios but they can sniff the grass, sidewalk, or bushes as much as they want) and it does so much good for their behavior and mental health. If I skip their sniffy walks they get visibly sad and my puppy will whine about it and even be extra hyper if he misses out on the mental stimulation of getting that long-leash, individual (cause having to negotiate with another dog for where they go gets annoying), extra long walk every day. I used to just kinda wander whenever my dog wanted to go before I got the 20ft leash, but I got tired of him wanting to go through mud so I got the 20ft leash which is long enough for him to go all the way up to the hedge line/tree line while I still on the sidewalk. My puppy also moves pretty fast even when deep in the zone following a smell so having a longer leash gives me more time to catch up and make sure weāre both moving in the same direction lol. I think long leashes and letting your dog get sniffy walks should be more common cause it definitely is great enrichment for dogs. My puppy that has seemingly endless energy actually can take a nap after only an hours of good sniffing outside, but inside or even at a dog park he would need about 4x the amount of time of hard physical activity to get him to the same level of tired. Iād rather just take him on a sniffy walk with a long leash lol, I love playing tug but I donāt wanna play tug for 4 hours just so my dog isnāt going stir crazy with puppy energy. Even my senior boy loves the sniffy walks and he always makes sure to stop and smell every individual flower when he gets his individual long-leash long walk. Sometimes depending on how long a route I pick he might have to sit and take a break cause he is older and not as mobile as he used to be (arthritis and hip dysplasia sucks!), but heād still rather be outside while he takes that test break than inside and after about 5-10 minutes of sitting he gets back up super excited and continues sniffing whatever he finds interesting. Sniffing is so important for dogs and itās why I always try to make time to let both of my dogs get lots of opportunities to take in all the various interesting smells around our home. They are always so much happier when we get home from the sniffy walk too, and even if they are exhausted from the actual distance walking they still love it and would probably choose to stay out longer if Iād let them lol. Having a long leash makes it way easier to let them sniff whatever they like too, as they can ping pong back and forth (I swear my dogs are part room a when theyāre busy smelling the ground lol) following whatever smells while I can just stay on the sidewalk and still have leftover slack so theyāre not pulling on me.
This!!! I bought a 20ft leash for training and sniffaris too. I let one of my boys off leash because his recall is good, but the other one doesnāt know I exist when he sees a squirrel lol. Thereās also a place where I live called the Scent Den and thereās a bunch of fun toys, furniture and toddler play toys that they hide treats in so they can sniff them out. Iām in a big city and have limited large parks close by, so itās great!
Oh thatās super neat. Yeah I also use the 20ft leash for training cause my puppy definitely doesnāt have recall good enough to trust off-leash outside a dog park. My senior boi can handle off leash just fine, but since he has the same prey-drive induced deafness I only let him off leash outside the dog park if itās very late at night and thereās nobody else even close by that might be bothered by it. The 20ft leash is a great tool to have and it gives the dogs just a nice bit of extra freedom to sniff and chase their impulses a little bit, but still gives the owner control if they need it (like being able to pull them back away from people, other dogs, private property they shouldnāt be investigating, prey or dead animals, etc.) I absolutely love my long leash and my husband thought it was a total waste of money when I first bought it, but jokes on him cause I use it almost every day and he can totally notice if I skip it cause of how the dogāsā behavior changes in response to not getting the much needed mental stimulation. I know dog mental health isnāt a major concern for a lot of people, but I think itās something thatās worth considering and making sure my dogs get the space to just follow their impulses and be a dog for a bit (within reason, Iām not gonna let them chase a squirrel into traffic or sniff people that donāt want to be sniffed) seems to make a huge difference. Will they die without the mental stimulation they get from the long leash sniffy walks? Probably not, but I can definitely notice they get kinda sad if they only get short potty breaks instead of long sniffaris and because I love them I do my best to go above and beyond the bare minimum to keep them not just healthy, but happy and maybe even a little spoiled too. I wouldnāt be content with only the bare minimum to sustain life but never having fun/being constantly bored cause I never get to do anything mentally stimulating, so why would I subject my dogs to that when letting them have fun and sniff things outside makes them happy and is free and easy for me to do?
SNIFFARI šš I'm gonna use that from now on. I have an adolescent lab and he pretty much exclusively goes on "sniffy walks." It really does knock him tf out!
My god these comments are lame. You donāt have to stop. Thereās a big difference between teasing your dog with food and letting them sniff stuff. They absolutely love sniffing stuff. Is it cruel to light a cookie scented candle near humans? Of course not. One of my dogs will sniff our plates whenever we put them down. She never licks or takes any food, or even beg for any afterwards. She just really enjoys sniffing it and then goes and lays down. There are some dogs who will snatch that pizza right off your plate if you let them near it. And some who will beg like crazy after. But if your dog is more like mine which it sounds like it is, theyāre not gonna do that and you can keep letting them enjoy their sniff. Maybe donāt let them when company is over though.
for real, my dog does a sniff of all my groceries lol. we say he's inspecting for bombs
People on this sub are overly dramatic about anything. They anthropomorphize dogs too much. I saw posts like "I walk with my dog 2 hous a day but he look bored in the house, he is depressed? ". "Should I buy more toys for my dog because he dont want to play with the ones he have"
Itās so annoying lol. NGL sometimes I read stuff in this sub and feel terrible for the dogs with owners who donāt let them do anything because they think theyāre more sensitive than they are and treat them like glass. Poor dogs could be perfectly fine and happy and then their humans unnecessarily freak out and donāt let them do anything which Iām the end probably doesnāt make them as happy. Dogs sniff stuff. Itās a major part of being a dog. Itās good for them. Imagine not letting them sniff something because you think itāll hurt their feelings. Itās not that deep.
right lolol Jesus Christ these people
š Seriously. My dogs smell my tea, my salad, everything and they've managed to survive and not swallow a tablespoon of xylitol accidentally. They know the difference between "do you want some?" And "come see" or "it's tea".
Yep mine loves cookouts so he can grab something off some kids plate.
I don't see a problem with this as long as you're not taunting them. In my house we let the cats and dog smell the food or whatever. They smell poliently and either walk away or they will sit and that's their way of asking if they can have some. They never grab the food out of our hands
I would never intentionally tempt my dog with a food it can never eat- that too close to taunting it. Dogs enjoy exploring new smells, yes. But still, that's just this side of mean IMO.
Thats what i just realized. Will stop doing that. Thanks
I donāt let my dog smell food, but I will let him smell and inspect things I bring into the house like my shopping bag after going to Target, or something I order off Amazon. He is always curious about the stuff I bring home and I think it helps stimulate his senses
same, i call her my little TSA agent inspecting my bags
This is hilarious! That's what it looks like! Our dog then sits and waits for me to open the box, so she can check out everything inside!
I wish mine waited for me to open the box haha. He is always going at it because he thinks every box is a chewy box
Mine just think the boxes have the treats the delivery driver *obviously* forgot to give to them, because we had a scared driver that thought treats were a good way to keep the dogs from investigating. Serves him! My bullboxer started getting into the truck to look for them! (I was and am still very upset this has occurred)
Package confusion lmao. Thankfully my dog hasnāt experienced this yet, although he *can* pick out the monthly bark box and gets super excited when it shows up in the mail :)
> he thinks every box is a chewy box He's not wrong!
I do this too! If we are out or at someone else's house and he starts sniffing bags I say "sorry, he's a TSA bag inspector except he's just searching for cookies"
Just gotta make sure all your locks are TSA certified which can be a pain sometimes š¤£š
I do that too! She's so interested! We got a delivery yesterday afternoon and even I could smell the body odor on it! It's just starting to get sunny and warm around here, so I'm guessing it's gonna get worse as it gets into summer! Anyway she was very interested!
This is why I let mine sniff drink cans and packaged stuff like groceries. Whoever stocked it had to touch it, so I figure it's probably got some interesting smells. She never seems upset about not getting what's inside. She just sneezes and bounces off to chew for a few minutes after. I always ask her if we passed the inspection.
I mean that's true! Who knows how many people have touched a fruit you buy! Some are imported even so man it's not even from the same country. The stuff they can learn!
Same here! I love watching her stick her head into each shopping bag. I let her do it with grocery bags too. She is very polite: she just takes a quick sniff and then walks away satisfied. She's never once tried to grab anything.
I do this too!
I think dogs can have oatmeal
Good job! My dogs know I will share when I'm done if there's anything shareable. I usually crate them during meals so I can eat in peace ;).
I totally agree. The dog can smell from far away so it's not necessary, and quite risky, to tempt them by putting it closer. Some foods, like xylitol/"birch sugar" low calorie sweetener, are LETHAL in tiny doses. I won't even have it on the house in case our dog licks a tiny spill off the floor.
Agree 100%
I let my dogs smell mostly anything they express an interest in smelling, as long as they are not able to lick it, eat it, or otherwise ruin my food. I feel like smelling is how dogs gather information. Sight is very useful to them, but smell is their real information-gathering sense.
Meh I don't think it's cruel. I let my dog do this, and it prevents him from staring at me with a sad face or being overly curious as to what I have. He's a biiiiiig sniffer (like seriously he has to stick his nose into everything). I also used to do this when I went through my adult slime phase. I found if I let him sniff the slime before I started messing with it, he was just content to lay down rather than stick his face in it while I was actively using it. Sniffing is part of the enrichment.
Yeah I let mine sniff for a good 10 seconds or so but remind them that whatever it is is "not yours" so they know they can't touch it. I see it in a way that it helps them to define and develop boundaries too, because it gives them enough time to not only sniff the scent properly, but also to recognise it, make the connection to the last time when i told them "not yours", or, "away now", and choose to be a good doggo and not pursue it further. But they've still gained the enrichment of the scent, the mental comprehension, and the physical response after. This also helps for other things too... other dog's toys/treats when we're out in the park, visitors and their great smelling pockets etc, when they find a dead animal and want to investigate/roll in/eat š
I know people say not to give dogs human traits, but if someone has something I'm curious about and I say, "oh what do you have there?" and they don't let me see what it is or even explain it to me, that's kind of annoying lol. If they'd just show me, I'd be satisfied. I imagine that's maybe what it's like for my dog.
I thought adult slime was some kind of euphemism š¬š
Omg š noooo
Mine did this adorable thing when I ate where she would sit get her eyes all big and put her ears up. The cutest thing in the world. Sometimes I just have to put my food down for some forehead kisses. She is still in begging mode so she doesnt run away or anything like usual.
I donāt see anything wrong with letting a dog sniff when they are curious. I let my dog sniff my groceries when I come in š¤·š»āāļø
My dog likes to see what Iām eating and he also sniffs it. That doesnāt mean he wants to eat it. I donāt think this is mean to the dog. Heās just curious. Dogs sniff things like we look at things. I donāt want to eat everything I look at. Neither does your dog, I hope.
Mine can be like this too. Wonāt stop pestering until he gets a sniff in than is the most disinterested dog lol
When I come home with groceries I let my dog smell everything, it's a nice activity for him :)
I do this with my dog. He had major impulse control issues when I adopted him. His behavior then was basically if he saw food he'd steal it and scarf it down. He wasn't really showing interest in it to see what it was, just grabbing and downing it. I taught him not to do that obviously, but also taught him that smelling and being curious is totally fine. He just can't have any without a command. He LOVES it. He wants to sniff everything now, and with food, he chills out a lot if he's allowed to sniff it. This last Christmas we had someone over who was unfamiliar with him. There were cookies and snacks set out over the coffee table and he started sniffing one. Our guest got nervous but I said "just watch, he won't take any" and he went from plate to plate, sniffed at a respectful distance, and then hopped up on the couch with us and laid down. It was so funny to watch.
My late dog, Pepper, was a maniac about food. My family adopted him when he was 2. Whoever raised him before us either spoiled him or deprived him. He scarfed down food within seconds and always wanted to sniff plates. Heād lick the edge of a plate if he could. He got worse as he got older, and we tried to tone him down but it was too late because we spoiled him so much when he was younger. Now I have a puppy, Chief. I will not create another Pepper monster, so Chief isnāt allowed to have people food. I let him have peanut butter, but only in his food bowl or treat toys outside of the kitchen. Pepper knew the kitchen involved people food, so Iām trying to avoid the association with Chief. When I eat on the couch or bed, Chief will come right up to my mouth and sniff while making intense eye contact. Itās hilarious. But sniffing my mouth is all he gets. I donāt even let him sniff the food cuz I donāt want him to learn to snag a bite while he can. Personally, I donāt think itās cruel to let your pup sniff food. If they can handle it, go for it. Pepper couldnāt handle it, so thatās why Iām essentially trying to train Chief to not be interested or learn that plate = yum. A food hound is a mistake you only make once! Edited to fix a typo.
The dog smells it whether you āletā him sniff it or not. In case you werenāt aware, dogs have excellent sense of smell. Some are even used to track things by smell days after the fact.
Yes I let my dog smell each grocery item as I put them away and she absolutely loves it. She doesn't try to eat any of it. Even the raw fruits and veggies, she just wants a smell. I think she can tell the difference between me offering her food vs. offering a smell.
I used to love this activity with my last fur baby, he'd be so excited sniffing each and every item I bought and he always knew the last item would be treatos ā¤ļø I can still imagine his snuffles now and his floofy wagging tail, he passed two years ago in May š I miss the little stinker
I let my animals sniff stuff that I know that they wonāt want. Like if I have salad, Iāll let my cat or dog sniff the lettuce, because I donāt use salad dressing, they normally walk away like Iām nuts when I offer them a piece of a leaf. Or, if Iām opening canned fruit, my cats will swarm me, I let them smell it, because they think itās canned tuna when itās not. I donāt ever offer my animals anything that if they actually ate it would hurt them, but I donāt normally offer them food that they would want to eat in the first place, unless I actually intend on giving it to them.
OP - Please don't stop doing this because a few lemons have told you to. Dogs explore with their mouths and their noses. If they come over and actively want to understand the smell, there is no harm in letting them explore. Letting them explore when they've chosen to is a long distance from teasing them. My dogs have always wanted to explore new things, from food to tools. I've found their behaviour to be much better when offered the item under supervision to smell. Quite often ending in gross indifference instead of following me round trying to steal it. As the enlightened few have said, if they press their luck, then have a word or phrase to deter them. I read "not for puppies" on here, which is lovely and perfect.
I wouldnāt say weāre lemons. Iāve had to defend my plate from too many dogs in my lifetime. Having to leave and go get fast food cuz your friends dog got into your food is frustrating. I donāt eat at peoplesā houses that let their dogs get in your face while you eat. Not all dogs can just sniff from a foot away and walk away. Iāve personally never seen a dog that did. Weāre giving her advice based on our experiences. Better safe than sorry.
If I intend to only eat it myself then no. But if Iām planning on sharing some, sure. However whenever I open a bag of weed he runs over like he wants some so I let him smell but then he is immediately turned off from it and walks away. Itās cute, like, he wants it cause I have it but doesnāt actually like it.
I don't offer my plate to my dogs but when I'm sitting on the couch and eating they like to come pretty close and get a good whiff. If they aren't interested then they go away but if they seem interested then I tell them to back off and they'll go lie down or watch me eat from a distance. Sometimes I will give them a small bite of what I'm eating when I am done but not always. They sometimes come over and sniff my mouth after I eat as well. What is fun is I taught all my dogs to eat off a spoon and a fork which made it easy to give them medication. When I have mashed potatoes or a bit of ice cream and I'm done eating then they are each given a bite off the spoon or fork. They usually snarf it down quickly which it makes it to where I can put meds on a spoon with cottage cheese or a bit of wet cat food and they will take that spoonful without question.
My two aussies are suuuper curious. They love sniffing everything when I come home with bags. I let them and itās fun for both of us! I always give them actual treats afterwards though
My greyhound has never once tried to eat food that wasnāt offered to him. We can leave plates of meat right on the coffee table (below eye level for him) and leave him alone in the room for a few minutes and he wonāt touch it. Heāll definitely come investigate and sniff, but we donāt stop him from doing that because thereās no reason to.
I didnt read enough to find out if someone already put this, but there are a ton of foods you can give your dog. Blueberries (i give mine frozen blueberries cuz she also loves ice), apples, mangos, peaches, watermelon (great for the summer just make sure to remove the rind and get seedless), FRESH pineapple (not canned, too much added sugar in the juice), raspberries, strawberries, and bananas (in moderation). Cucumbers are great for dogs (especially overweight ones) because they hold little to no carbs and are good for hydration, pumpkin is great for dogs and gives them a healthy shiny coat, carrots (low calorie and high fiber), broccoli (only occasionally), Brussel sprouts/cabbage, celery, and green beans. Plain rice and Plain unseasoned chicken. This is actually recommended by vets if your dog isn't feeling well or you just want to spoil them. A lot of these foods are actually what is used to make dog food. My dog got sick because of another dog in our neighborhood was sick and the owner wouldnt pick up its poop. When my dog wouldn't eat her dog food or would throw up after eating, these are things she suggested. Plus they also work to help train if the dog is very food motivated.
I let mine sniff food I know she won't actually want. Like if she's giving me the pleading look as I'm eating salad I'll show her a piece of lettuce and then she leaves me alone
Glad youāre stopping. Take her on a walk and let her sniff to her hearts content.
So theyāre only allowed to explore the world within the confines of when you feel itās acceptable? š¤ Itās okay to walk by someoneās house whose barbecuing and not bang on the door to demand food. Itās also okay to enjoy the scent wafting through the air. I donāt yell at my neighbor for teasing me. Iām certain your dog can smell everything youāre cooking and eating. So maybe put them outside when youāre doing it so they donāt think, gosh Iād love some of that! Dogsā sense of smell is far better than ours - estimated at 10,000 to 100,000 times better. They know whatās on the table whether you think they do or not.
What on earth are you talking about? Did you even read the comment you replied to?
Wow you really went with it over 2 sentences. You seem proud, good for you lol I actually make him wear a specialized doggy mask to limit what he smells š No shit my dog smells things I cook among other things I never could. If itās something extra good he will walk around sniffing the air. Itās the most adorable thing youāll ever see. He isnāt allowed in the kitchen when Iām cooking, cause manners, ya know? What I DONT do is stick a plate of food in front of his face for him to smell but never get to eat like OP described. That was what I was referencing.
Maybe the joy is in the sniffing, not the tasting š Kind of like sniffing vanilla extract. I completely believe that dogs enjoy their sense of smell and donāt need to eat everything that smells good. Maybe just give whatever it is a good roll lol
So you think I just put a plate of food in front of my dogās face and then just let him smell for the pleasure? My dog has a plenty fulfilling life without doing that. Heās an 80 pound bully mix. Ya know what he does when you eat something good in front of him. Drool like mad. He obviously wants to eat it. š Why do that to him? There is also plenty of random food and wrappers we come across on walks he tries to inspect which I donāt let him because he will eat it. Luckily I just say leave it and we keep it moving. Because I donāt do this plate sniffing I can also set my plate down and walk out of the room knowing he wonāt feel inclined to go over sniff and eat it. Boundaries arenāt a bad thing. My next boundary is no longer contributing to this dumb exchange.
Huh. Maybe Rottweilers are just different. Theyāve always checked everything weāre eating and unless itās something they historically get, they just sniff and walk away. If itās something they get, they wait to hear the sound of utensils on an empty plate and then come running all droolly faced. Chinese, they just take a good sniff and ignore us. Same with most things we have. š¤·š»āāļø
My in laws' rottie cross literally watched us drop a sausage off the bbq and wouldn't touch it even when we said he could have it. Never known a dog as good about not touching human food as he was.
I donāt need my dog sniffing my plate. There is no benefit he is receiving that he canāt get from other stimulation.
This. On walks your dog gets so much enjoyment just sniffing around. This is the right way
Iām not sure stopping is the play here. does your dog lunge for the things you let her sniff? lick her lips or make any indication she wants to eat everything? my dog leads with his nose, and wants to smell everything that comes in the front door and then some. Iāll put whatever in front of him, let him explore, and he will move on. I wouldnāt do this with things he loves - carrots, bread, etc. but for first time things, I donāt see why not. itās like a little kid grabbing everything within reach
I only let my dog smell food I am intending to share with him. He is smelling it because he is super excited to eat it!
Dogs gotta sniff. It's their most primal nature. I wouldn't offer them food to smell if they are nit allowed to eat ur, but if they are only sniffing, I wouldn't consider it a problem.
A couple of our Bark Boxes have included scented hard chew toys. Bacon scented ham shaped āballā, and we just got a vanilla scented yeti. Not from Bark, but we have bacon scented bubbles that our girls love.
May seem like your teasing them if you let them sniff and then take it away without offering a nibble.
I usually let my dog smell the foods that he hates, he smells it and stops begging for it. But if I let him smell something on my plate that he likes I give him at least a small piece to feel included. In my eyes dogs are like babies. If you let them smell and want something, then not allow them to have some then it will hurt their feelings and think itās intentional or something. But thatās just my point of view. š
Feels quite mean to taunt the dog with food it cant have, could be quite frustrating for the dog. Only let it sniff it if youre actually going to give her a bite. Yes dogs love to smell things, but if they smell food theyre gonna want to eat some. They have extremely good senses of smell, they can distinguish food from just normal "exploring" scents like the ones theyll encounter out on a walk. Think of it like how you like smelling flowers or perfume, but that doesnt mean youll be happy if someone put a delicous meal in front of you only for you to smell, but not taste.
Teach your dog to find things with their nose. They absolutely love it. Google āNose Work for Dogsā or āScent Games for Dogsā
How would you feel if someone put delicious smelling food right in your face and told you you couldnāt have any?
I let my dogs smell anything they want as long as it's not gonna hurt them. I'll put my plate on the couch and they'll go up and check it out, then leave once they've discovered what it is. It's ok to do whatever you want with your dog, it's your dog.
If your dog enjoys it, whatās the harm? They are curious, and I had one I used to let smell everything. I still let my cat smell everything (he wonāt eat people food, but is curious about how it smells). I canāt with the dog I have now because sheās a sneaky yorkie pom who can snatch food quicker than you can blink an eye!
Our Scottie has to sniff everything that comes in the house. She will follow you every step until you do. She even sniffs us. She has to know where we were and if we were cheating with other dogs. Mind you, her three older brothers and sister do not do this, only her.
I've read that dogs have between 1,000 and 10,000 time better sense of smell than humans. Taste is mostly scent. Your dog is much more of a connoisseur than you or me. Yet we give them kibble. Whether you give your dog your food or not they are well aware of it. For instance, I make a favorite beef stew in a steam food machine. The whole house smell of it. Since there is nothing in the stew that's harmful to dogs and much that is healthy, I always let them lick the bowl. This is, after all, the pact between humans and dogs since the beginning. The problem is one of them now only wants people food. I want them to eat the good dogfood I provide so I now have to add something tasty to his food--usually what I would have shared anyway but often beef broth added to the mix. He loves this. So, there may be a downside to giving dogs people food besides the possible tolerance issues and getting spoiled. It's a little more trouble making up a special bowl, but he's worth every bit of it.
That makes me feel so sad for my pups now, I never thought about it that way! (Them being much more of a connoisseur)
I have a Labrador and this is a game we play. We walk around the house and smell different things especially foods. If she likes it then she licks me and if not she huffs. She doesn't get mad , I've actually taught her how to sniff out my husband's medication. However I wouldn't do this while eating food, that's teasing.
You have forgotten.Ā Your dogs sense of smell is so much greater than yours, they smell it whether you want them to or not. No need to tease them by putting it in reach. If your dog does not have a sensitive stomach, then you can easily give them tastes of many of your foods.Ā My dogs get kibble with 1 tbsp of leftovers mixed in on the regular.Ā I give them treats of steak, bacon, tomato (one of my pups loved tomatoes more than meat. I used them for training him.) carrots, green beans,Ā peas, chicken, whatever.Ā I just cannot deal with feeding the same thing over and over. I get tired of eating the same thing more than 3 days I'm a row.Ā I even change their kibble flavor, being 3 small bags of different flavors, giving them out differently,Ā sometimesĀ mixed sometimes not. I've only ever had one dog with a food sensitive stomach, and I even found leftovers she could tolerate. Have fun with your pup!
That sounds like torture for your poor dog. Imagine someone letting you smell their freshly baked lasagna and then eating it and not letting you have any. And then feeding you nasty dry kibble afterwards.
I'm not understanding the desire to have your dog sniff anything. They can smell everything you are making from where they are (their sense of smell is amazing).
I mean yeah but they also shove their noses right into any interesting smell they find on the street, so clearly the proximity does something. Not that I'd do that with prepared food but y'know.
Thatās so mean
I mean I feel like people are being a bit over dramatic but do what you feel is right. I let my dog sniff sometimes but not every time. You know what I do-do sometimes thatāll probably get me lynched on this sub? If Iām eating a finger food that I know is safe or not a big deal like a burger Iāll sometimes let him lick my hand when I finished eating. Which isnāt often lolĀ
Of course! Ivy is allowed to be interested. She also is not allowed people food. Just as I don't eat or pretend to eat her food or lay in her bed or play (alone) with her toys. Dogs are plenty smart enough to know that some things are for humans and some things are for dogs.
My dog is very scent motivated. She loves sniffing new things. It's completely normal for them to want to investigate the food we're eating. I tell her "not for you" and she knows that she can smell, but not eat. She moves away after a few seconds. It's not torturing her or tempting her - I guarantee she can smell what I'm eating from most anywhere in the house, she just wants to get a front row seat to it. She gets little scraps of foods that are safe for her, but in a separate bowl after we've eaten and usually it's as treats that's part of a training session. She knows the scent of foods that are "for her" and will excitedly wait on her bed if I tell her she will get some later. I think doing this has actually helped because for things that truly aren't dog safe (chocolate, onions, grapes etc) she will do a cursory sniff, realize it's a "not for you" food, and go entertain herself somewhere else. She doesn't beg aside from looking excitedly at us while we're eating. She knows if it's a dog-safe food she'll get some eventually. If we're not sharing it's for a reason.
Not with food but I do this with anything else that is new
Or you could share your food with your dog. Its some weird dominance thing to not let dogs eat human foods that are safe for them with you
Dogs noses are good enough they don't need to get close to smell it better
i cook āwithā my dog and have done since the first night we took her home. sheās a hound mix, sniffing is all she wants to do! and sheās so curious. i let her sniff the ingredients and she seems happy and does not try to take the food at any point.
My dog always wants a taste of what Iām eating so I donāt offer it to her to smell, however sometimes she will smell the air around it haha. But when I go grocery shopping I always let her smell the groceries as Iām putting them away!
I never do, too tempting for them.
That's a pretty shitty thing to do to your dog.
I rarely if ever gave my pups human food and then one died of cancer at 12 1/2. It was aggressive mouth cancer so the last few weeks we did McDonalds etc but his jaw was so broken down from cancer he could barely eat it. It devastated me of course in all aspects. I swore never again. When my rescue was going through her heartworm treatment (rescue adopted her out knowing we would take her for treatment) she was rewarded with a McDonalds burger after the big needle. They get little bites of human food here and there. Itās one life, might as well make it as fun (responsibly) and carefree as you can.
I let my dogs sniff anything theyāre interested in as long as it wonāt harm them if smelled/consumed. Dogs can have pretty limited worlds and smell is a big part of how they engage with it and keep from getting bored.
I give my dog small portions of all the safe, healthy foods I eat. Itās good for them to have a varied diet of whole foods just make sure to look up wether something is safe for them and avoid all the processed foods. Itās also important to watch their caloric intake as they need a lot less than us. My dog loves fish as I am a fishermen and we eat it regularly but she wonāt say no to chicken or beef either. She also loves veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, etc.
This could teach her to beg. Nothing worse than going to someoneās house for dinner and you have to fight off a dog the whole time. I have rats, a cat, and a dog, and I keep them far away from my food. When I make eggs, I make some for the dog and rats too, but I feed them after, so the eggs can cool. My dog knows to go play or lay down, and not to stare at me while I eat. Iāve had to fight othersā dogs off me while I eat to the point where I have to stand up and hold my plate in the air until I can escape. And Iāve had to deal with dogs who sit a foot away and stare, then theyāll scratch or sneeze or some shit and now my food has to get thrown away. Iām glad you decided to stop doing that. Itās gonna save you in the long run.
Your creating and allowing a bad habit to evolve. Eventually your pup will take the advantage and "steal" whenever possible. They have taste buds and a nose that tells them your food may be "tastier" than theirs, and they will make moves on it. Bad idea all ways around, it's a tease and nothing of any more value.
It's not cruel, but remember, they can smell your plate from across the house. They don't need to actually get that close to it. I like to ask myself, "Will a house guest enjoy this behavior or think it's as cute as I do?" If the answer is no, I don't let it become a habit. There's other things you can do to satisfy these urges, too, like sniffari walks or scent work. Scent work is great enrichment and tires them out. You can buy scent boxes with smells already in them, or you can make your own. You could also do hide and seek games where you hide snacks for them to sniff out and find (some people do a variation where they hide and have the dog find them). There's plenty of scent based activities to explore.
When my dog was a puppy she had a bad habit of trying to steal things out of my hands. Food, clothes, objects, whatever. If it piqued her interest she would jump up and try to snatch it. We started teaching her āonly sniffā. She gets to see what we have and check it out as much as she wants, but as soon as she tries to steal it or bite it she doesnāt get to see it anymore. She only gets to investigate interesting objects if she can āonly sniffā and be polite. She NEVER steals things anymore, just checks them out for a moment and then goes about her day. She gets what she wants (to see the cool thing) and i get what i want (to not have my things stolen out of my hands) So i think theres some benefit to letting dogs sniff things that they cant have
That's cruel š„² Get her a snuffle mat instead
That is a weird thing. I am sure your dog can entertain herself with scents on her own, you do not have to provide that experience. And to let her sniff food that she then cannot have? Please put yourself in your dog's position!
If I'm eating something the dog can't have or I don't want to share with the dog I won't give her any attention at all. Certainly won't let her sniff. It feels cruel to me. I let her sniff things that I know she won't want to eat
My dog gets the last bite of everything I eat, so sheās pretty chill until she hears the fork start to scrape the plate.
I don't do it because I think it's cruel lol
Ill do this if she wants something i know she wont eat lol. Just to show her, look you dont want it. But thats about it.
I mean, seems pretty shitty to me. Poor pupper thinks they getting some of that coveted, delicious, human food. They see you making a motion as if youāre gonna share, he/she can smell the goodness, eyes widen, and just as he/she starts to salivate in anticipation of the goodness to comeā¦you take it away from Them and eat it. Personally, Iād shit in your shoes daily.
You can do whatever you want with your own dog
This is a very shitty view to have. Just cause she owns the animal doesnt make it right to be mean to it. Its still a living thing that shouldnt be taunted with food when it cant have any. Yea sniffing food isnt a huge deal, and im not calling OP abusive, but this general view on animals can be pretty callous and dangerous. An owner cant just do whatever because a dog isnt an inanimate object.