Sniffing Success

Susie, a redbone coonhound mix, is able to rest outside after working on relaxation & decompression outdoors.

In our culture of productivity, it can feel counterintuitive to just stand there while your dog sniffs a rock for 45 seconds. Shouldn’t we be training something?

Actually, you are.

Decompression walks, choice-based exploration, and somatic experiences aren’t just trendy buzzwords: they’re crucial to your dog’s well-being. Sarah Stremming has long advocated for decompression walks, especially for reactive or working dogs. These walks reduce stress, regulate the nervous system, and provide a dog with control over their experience. It’s not "just a walk." It’s healing.

Liza Radar’s work in somatic training highlights how dogs need access to rest, sniffing, and agency in order to self-regulate and feel safe. Dogs that are constantly “on,” constantly performing, eventually burn out or shut down. When we allow our dogs to just be—to choose where to sniff, when to pause, how fast or slow to walk—we’re building real-world coping skills.

When I adopted my dog, Susie, in 2023, she was extremely over-aroused. She had spent most of her life, and all of her adult life in a shelter. She had never been in a house, asked to do anything, or been able to relax. For the first few months, we worked on house training and some manners, yes, but my primary source of focus was getting her to regulate her emotions. Every meal was scattered in the grass outside, and we spent hours just sitting outside. It was overwhelming and difficult, but now, she does mantrailing, tracking, and trailing through the woods without getting distracted. She can fall asleep outside on nice days, and even attend group classes. If we hadn’t focused on the foundational somatic work, we would never have been able to get where we are today.

From a training perspective, teaching dogs to settle, disengage, and exist peacefully in the world is as foundational as sit, stay, and come. In fact, it may be more important.

So next time your dog stops to sniff the wind, don’t rush them. That moment might be the most therapeutic part of their day.

References:

• Stremming, S. (2019). "Decompression Walks." The Cognitive Canine Blog.

• Radar, L. (2021). Somatic Practices in Dog Training. School of Canine Science.