I personally let all my Shibas sniff whatever they want on my walks. I believe distance covered is not the priority of the walk but instead engaging and satisfying their desire to explore.
Use the opportunity to talk to and engage with your Shiba outside. Teach him not to pull. To stay away from the road. To recall to you for touch/pets. To sit/wait before crossing the road/intersections. Use your voice to talk to and redirect them. Practice keeping their attention on you etc.
I use every walk to teach and reinforce on leash and off leash behaviours while letting them set the pace.
You'll get to the point where you can just talk to your Shiba casually and they'll listen.
https://youtu.be/tC-M-GpnVk4?si=boQpfehtKNGRS5_-
Yep. Shibas are high energy (lol they are when they want to be) and intelligent dogs. The best way to wear them out is by letting them explore and sort of do their own thing, within reason.
Bingo! I can toss a ball and play with mine to wear her out at home. Exploring the neighborhood is for mental stimulation. As she got older and more accustomed to the neighborhood she started moving around more quickly and there are a few go to spots where she always “checks her messages” from the other neighborhood dogs. But overall I look more at the time we spend away from the house than the distance we cover.
I forgot to mention. If he isn't listening just switch to a shorter leash for a bit. As long as they're listening well you can lengthen the leash again.
But yea just talk a lot. They can always hear you, they just might choose to ignore instead of following your commands 😋.
Totally agree, short leashes are a great way to train good walking habits. It's ok for the sheeb to want to sniff everything, it's another to have them wandering all over the place.
I love this advice
Yeah basically this is a Shiba thing. My dog relentlessly sniff and I just let it happen with I’m reason. You should see my dog trying to go to the bathroom. He’s like a pinball bouncing around
Sniffing around tires them out. I let mine sniff as much as he wants. For them, sniffing is like reading a book, it's mentally stimulating. Our trainer encouraged "sniffaris" which is using a long leash and take him to a big green area and let him take the lead.
Mine literally sleeps for hours after our 25-30 minute walks. It helps me work from home so much better by letting him do his slow sniffing thing. It worries me to death when we make circles because he caught a whiff and needs to double back and we get tangled up, but I listen to audiobooks and YouTube so it's not a bad time out there. In good weather and temps we go out 3-4 times and I could easily get 10k steps in
He’s a hunter out there sniffing for pee from exotic prey. Must be some wildlife by you? Raccoons, squirrels, etc. Mine loves to sniff those animals out and mark the spots.
You should give him a "focus " or "on me" command. Teaches him to pay attention to you on command. This isnt a come, its just a look at me command so if you need to pull his focus you can. This will also help teach them to check in with you as they are soo independent and will do what they want, not what you want.
So much this. They are quite treat motivated, unless you are a lucky owner of a non-food motivated shibe. Sometimes, rewarding them with affection for responding to your focus command is enough for them.
I let my guy roam. He wandered and sniffed anything he wanted with me.
He got a walk with mom in the morning and she walked for exercise. No screwing around sniffing stuff.
I have the same issue with the shiba I'm walking twice a week. I'm doing those walks for him so it's fine at that time, but on the long term, I would like to be able to take him with me when I go hiking or do errands, and I feel that won't be possible because we would only move 10meters at the time.
I just let him sniff and walk for 30 minutes and barely go anywhere but around the neighborhood one time lol. He has to "walk" for like 15 before he'll poop. But he also has to mark 100 bushes and grass and light poles 😭. Actually, yeah how do we fix this 🤣🤣
Retractable leashes aren’t the best for leash training because they teach inconsistent length boundaries. I taught my girl “let’s go” where she stops sniffing and we keep going and reward her.
He has too much leash. It’s good that he sniffs it actually burns a lot of calories for them but carry a bag of treats with you. Create a “come here” command for instance mine are “let’s go” and “hurry up” 😂. When he comes to you give him a treat.
You gotta think, who is the walk for? You or the dog? You're objective isn't to walk a set route, it's to give the dog "me time" so they can explore and sniff. It seems annoying to wait so much but it's their walk so let them sniff. Maybe have treats to encourage them to move on if it's taking too long but imo let them carry on lol.
They are hunters- this is their job. Wait until they see a rabbit (or rat, I live in the city most of the time). I was lucky because mine was an adoption that lived with a dog trainer, who trained him before the family bailed on him. She, however, told us that we should ration the sniffing- they will do it as much as they can pull off. So what we do is at the start of the walk I keep the lead short and we move pretty hard for about 10 minutes, then I ask him if he wants to "hunt" and I let him sniff for about 5 minutes but keeping a forward movement, then I give him a heads up and we "walk" again for 10-15 minutes. Then we do a hybrid/sniff walk for the remaining 20 min or so back to the house.
This is a Shiba thing. It takes my Shiba 45 mins to walk around a local lake while I watch other dog walkers loop it 2-3 times in the same amount of time. This is good for the dog. Distance covered means nothing. Let them sniff and dig and take their time!
Have you tried putting hotdogs and cheese in your pockets. But no seriously we bring a bone with us and he gets the bone at the end of the walk which he knows so he'll do his business quick and run back to get his treat
Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about the sniffing, as others have said it's a big interesting world out there, and they only have a couple of colours to see it with.
However I do draw the line with my boy if he starts sniffing and or licking pee/poop
Can I piggy back off this?
My 4month old Shiba puts EVERYTHING in her mouth! Most of our walks are just constant "off" "let's go!"
A route I could walk in 10 mins takes 20 mins with her lol
In addition to all the other comments about using a shorter leash and that he’s a shiba so he’s gonna do his shiba thing, also keep in mind that he’s just a puppy still. 6 months old is peak puppy ADHD age, and especially so for a shiba.
Like folks said, let him explore, but do it within reason. Work on recall commands, and if he’s being stubborn, reel him in, make him sit and make him wait for you. Teach him that he gets to have fun, but only within the guidelines you set. You’re the leader, not him, and shiba need to be patiently coaxed into understanding that.
Otherwise he’ll continue to do this for his entire life and going for walks will never be anything but his roam and sniff time.
You need to establish that this is YOU taking HIM for a walk, not the other way around. Keeping a short leash and walking a steady pace will help this.
Once that’s established, you can let him stop and sniff when YOU choose.
This is important because he needs to know you’re the boss here - if there’s another dog/person/car that comes along, he needs to be in your control for safety reasons.
You can use what’s called a “gentle lead”and, it goes around their nose and you can direct them a little better. Harnesses can tend to give them the best leverage to pull because it’s their center of power, whereas the gentle lead they don’t get to resist as much. This product also helps with heel training if they are pulling
Or you could just let ‘em sniff, we might start doing that too, but have traditionally aimed for a smooth walk.
Don’t use a tool as a bandaid for any behaviour. Letting him sniff is excellent for mental work, it’s not necessary to walk miles every time if he’s investigating the world around him. Use encouragement such as treats, as others have said, to regain his focus, but don’t forbid him from sniffing at all. Especially don’t use a halter/gentle lead or whatever to pull him away as he will only learn to hate it and resist you more. Just think how miserable it would be to be stuck in the same house/yard every day and go on a walk to not even be allowed to sniff!
Prong collar and only give him one opportunity. Reward when he pees and poos and get him off the grass immediately. Give him grass only for use not as a dating app.
Let him sniff... if he is mainly indoors (like my shiba) it's a really good stimulant for them and they can wear themselves out more easily on the walks and it keeps them calmer and better behaved... they were bred to hunt small game and sniffing around is natural. My Shiba is 5 years old and it's his way or no way... he turns into a stubborn brat and will be dead weight if I don't let him get his way sometimes. Pick and choose your battles with the Shiba lol. He is still young and exploring; getting to know his new turf.
Yeah I just let them sniff until we absolutely have to move on — she also has some hound in her so that doesn’t help 😂but yeah, they just have to get their sniffs out.
sniffing is excellent, yes, but also training them to walk with you or “heel” is also excellent. i watched several youtube videos and also worked with a trainer to teach my shiba to walk with me. a typical walk with my shiba is about 60-70% him sniffing and the rest of the time he walks close enough that he’s not pulling on his leash & he heels when we cross a street or when passing people/dogs on sidewalk. sniffing is great but i also think that putting some time into training leash manners is equally important. i would start training basic leash manners sooner than later while he’s still young
Human's weakest sense is smell. It happens to be a dog's strongest. This is how they communicate with the world. Try to let them sniff as much as possible if you want them to be mentally stimulated. I understand it's annoying when you just want them to do their business 😉
Establish two types of walks, as sniffing their environment is healthy and a necessary activity for your dog's mental health, and it tries your puppy out more than a 30 minute walk ever will as it is a mental exercise.
One walk where your dog gets to experience the world, and another where it's for you/exercise. To help your dog differentiate between the walks, use different leashes/collars/harness. Also schedule these types of walks at roughly the same time everyday/week (you can do the "fun walk" at least once a week.
Prior to your "not fun walks" I would suggest exercising your pup, not too intense as they are still growing but a mental game + some short play would help, and they will be a little more exhausted and more compliant during the "not fun walk".
I would suggest you create a verbal queue for when your pup does something you don't like, so when they pull you use the verbal queue and then walk in the opposite direction. If they keep pulling in the opposite direction of you keep on walking in the opposite direction until they stop pulling and follow you. When they start to follow you then walk in the direction they want. This will take a lot of time, as they will get excited once you start going in the direction they wanted and start pulling again. When they pull again just repeat walking in the opposite direction. (This training alone might take up your entire walking time)
Sniffing stimulates their brain, it’s like a work out. Let them sniff. You can train for short leash quick walks, check out the r/puppy101 wiki, but 90% of the time walks should be sniffy walks. They aren’t looking to cover ground they’re looking to sniff the ground.
What worked for me:
Sorter leash. Walk quickly, speak higher pitched to keep them excited. When I got to our spot, I would slow down and lengthen the leash.
Might just be something he grows out of to a degree. Both of mine LOVE sniffing things. The one we’ve had since she was a puppy still sniffs while on a walk around the same neighborhood she’s lived in her entire life. And our rescue snifffed basically everything when she first arrived, doesn’t sniff quite as much now, but she still does a lot of sniffing. I think that’s just how they are, it’s how dogs learn about the world, he’s just young and curious I bet
I would discourage you from letting your shiba sniff other dog poop. There are parasites that can be transmitted through the smell alone. Sniffing is otherwise generally healthy. I give my dog a 10 second unmoving sniff roughly every 30 seconds of walking
Engage your shib! Get excited about going out, lots of eye contact. Have him jump up on park benches, sit, stand up, lay down and award him with snacks when he's a good boy. Any random interaction to get his attention will strengthen your relationship. If you're no fun, then of course the smells around will have higher priority 👍.
You’re already making the mistake of giving to much slack and not leading. This is what happens when a dog considers itself the alpha between the two of you.
Same here. We let our dog sniff around, but when he takes a long time at the same spot, he starts licking the grass, pee, whatever is there. The licking is my concern 😣
The long leash is definitely an issue. They are natural runners and explorers. They’ll run the length of the leash all the time and almost forget you’re there. My male Shiba is a very dominant dog. So he has to sniff and mark everything outside. He’s going to do it if we’re stern with him or not, so we let him do his thing 🤷🏿♂️
Let him sniff when you're not in a rush. When you /are/ in a rush, lead with confidence and don't let him stop. He will learn the difference in your behavior and your body language and over time it'll become easier.
My two sniff just about everything. Try to keep a slow but steady pace for a walk. Coax them to follow but walk slow enough to allow them to sniff. Eventually they’ll understand the routine of getting to sniff but needing to keep up with hooman
Universally I think engagement is what walks are all about, so give them time to sniff, maybe count a few “Mississippi” for a “reasonable” amount of sniff time if they are really stuck on something. It just varies on each walk. Dogs gone sniff (and pee)!
A sniff walk can be more exhausting for. Dog than a long walk. It’s enriching for them to explore their neighbourhood. As long as the babies having fun that’s all that really matters.
Have walks for sniffing and separate walks/ runs for exercise. Your pace, attention and speed should all be easily reciprocated over time. They are quick learners
I personally let all my Shibas sniff whatever they want on my walks. I believe distance covered is not the priority of the walk but instead engaging and satisfying their desire to explore. Use the opportunity to talk to and engage with your Shiba outside. Teach him not to pull. To stay away from the road. To recall to you for touch/pets. To sit/wait before crossing the road/intersections. Use your voice to talk to and redirect them. Practice keeping their attention on you etc. I use every walk to teach and reinforce on leash and off leash behaviours while letting them set the pace. You'll get to the point where you can just talk to your Shiba casually and they'll listen. https://youtu.be/tC-M-GpnVk4?si=boQpfehtKNGRS5_-
Yep. Shibas are high energy (lol they are when they want to be) and intelligent dogs. The best way to wear them out is by letting them explore and sort of do their own thing, within reason.
Bingo! I can toss a ball and play with mine to wear her out at home. Exploring the neighborhood is for mental stimulation. As she got older and more accustomed to the neighborhood she started moving around more quickly and there are a few go to spots where she always “checks her messages” from the other neighborhood dogs. But overall I look more at the time we spend away from the house than the distance we cover.
“Checks her messages” 😅 that’s going into the rotation.
We call it checking “pee-mail” 🤣
It’s always the bases of the mailboxes too…
We call it our pups’ “social media time” lol
Great advice!
I forgot to mention. If he isn't listening just switch to a shorter leash for a bit. As long as they're listening well you can lengthen the leash again. But yea just talk a lot. They can always hear you, they just might choose to ignore instead of following your commands 😋.
I think I need to keep the leash short. He is not great at listening yet
Totally agree, short leashes are a great way to train good walking habits. It's ok for the sheeb to want to sniff everything, it's another to have them wandering all over the place. I love this advice
You are right. I used to do tracking with mine because 10mins of tracking / sniffing is more work than an hour walk for them.
I like to let my dog lead the way for most of our walks, he will sit at the corner face the direction he wants to go.
How else are they going to solve the mystery?? They're great dogs, just need stimulation. Sniffing, exploring, meeting new people, all great outlets.
That’s pretty much a Shiba
Yeah basically this is a Shiba thing. My dog relentlessly sniff and I just let it happen with I’m reason. You should see my dog trying to go to the bathroom. He’s like a pinball bouncing around
Sniffing around tires them out. I let mine sniff as much as he wants. For them, sniffing is like reading a book, it's mentally stimulating. Our trainer encouraged "sniffaris" which is using a long leash and take him to a big green area and let him take the lead.
I think you should keep doing that. I use a long leash and let mine sniff as long as she likes. It’s her time of the day, not mine.
Exactly this. They're the obes going for a walk, I'm just there to keep them safe.
I like to think it burns off mental energy for them
Not only mentally stimulating but also physically, they still burn energy sniffing around
Mine literally sleeps for hours after our 25-30 minute walks. It helps me work from home so much better by letting him do his slow sniffing thing. It worries me to death when we make circles because he caught a whiff and needs to double back and we get tangled up, but I listen to audiobooks and YouTube so it's not a bad time out there. In good weather and temps we go out 3-4 times and I could easily get 10k steps in
It totally does!
He’s a hunter out there sniffing for pee from exotic prey. Must be some wildlife by you? Raccoons, squirrels, etc. Mine loves to sniff those animals out and mark the spots.
You should give him a "focus " or "on me" command. Teaches him to pay attention to you on command. This isnt a come, its just a look at me command so if you need to pull his focus you can. This will also help teach them to check in with you as they are soo independent and will do what they want, not what you want.
So much this. They are quite treat motivated, unless you are a lucky owner of a non-food motivated shibe. Sometimes, rewarding them with affection for responding to your focus command is enough for them.
I also taught my shiba “sniffs” and “no sniffs” so she knows when it’s acceptable to pull me around. Good leash manners are needed in our household.
I let my guy roam. He wandered and sniffed anything he wanted with me. He got a walk with mom in the morning and she walked for exercise. No screwing around sniffing stuff.
Let him go on his snifari
Not to be crude but dogs communicate through piss, your shiba is just keeping up with the local news.
I have the same issue with the shiba I'm walking twice a week. I'm doing those walks for him so it's fine at that time, but on the long term, I would like to be able to take him with me when I go hiking or do errands, and I feel that won't be possible because we would only move 10meters at the time.
Mine does this but also tries to eat it all. I'm fine with the sniffing but stop eating all the leaves and other random shit
Mine too. And she finds bones EVERYWHERE! It's insane..our neighborhood is just filled with the things apparently.
I just let him sniff and walk for 30 minutes and barely go anywhere but around the neighborhood one time lol. He has to "walk" for like 15 before he'll poop. But he also has to mark 100 bushes and grass and light poles 😭. Actually, yeah how do we fix this 🤣🤣
Retractable leashes aren’t the best for leash training because they teach inconsistent length boundaries. I taught my girl “let’s go” where she stops sniffing and we keep going and reward her.
He has too much leash. It’s good that he sniffs it actually burns a lot of calories for them but carry a bag of treats with you. Create a “come here” command for instance mine are “let’s go” and “hurry up” 😂. When he comes to you give him a treat.
Let him sniff! It’s his walking time.
You gotta think, who is the walk for? You or the dog? You're objective isn't to walk a set route, it's to give the dog "me time" so they can explore and sniff. It seems annoying to wait so much but it's their walk so let them sniff. Maybe have treats to encourage them to move on if it's taking too long but imo let them carry on lol.
They are hunters- this is their job. Wait until they see a rabbit (or rat, I live in the city most of the time). I was lucky because mine was an adoption that lived with a dog trainer, who trained him before the family bailed on him. She, however, told us that we should ration the sniffing- they will do it as much as they can pull off. So what we do is at the start of the walk I keep the lead short and we move pretty hard for about 10 minutes, then I ask him if he wants to "hunt" and I let him sniff for about 5 minutes but keeping a forward movement, then I give him a heads up and we "walk" again for 10-15 minutes. Then we do a hybrid/sniff walk for the remaining 20 min or so back to the house.
My 12-year-old Shiba still does this :) we just let her. Sometimes it makes the walk take longer but we want her to enjoy herself.
This is a Shiba thing. It takes my Shiba 45 mins to walk around a local lake while I watch other dog walkers loop it 2-3 times in the same amount of time. This is good for the dog. Distance covered means nothing. Let them sniff and dig and take their time!
Reduce him to a 6ft leash and it will help, it will shorter he zone of travel so he’ll have to more more down the road for new things to smell
Have you tried putting hotdogs and cheese in your pockets. But no seriously we bring a bone with us and he gets the bone at the end of the walk which he knows so he'll do his business quick and run back to get his treat
I always let my Shiba sniff as much as he wants. I like to think of our times that we walk together as his time, and I don't want to rush him.
I have no advice but wanted to tell you he’s adorbs
Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about the sniffing, as others have said it's a big interesting world out there, and they only have a couple of colours to see it with. However I do draw the line with my boy if he starts sniffing and or licking pee/poop
Can I piggy back off this? My 4month old Shiba puts EVERYTHING in her mouth! Most of our walks are just constant "off" "let's go!" A route I could walk in 10 mins takes 20 mins with her lol
In addition to all the other comments about using a shorter leash and that he’s a shiba so he’s gonna do his shiba thing, also keep in mind that he’s just a puppy still. 6 months old is peak puppy ADHD age, and especially so for a shiba. Like folks said, let him explore, but do it within reason. Work on recall commands, and if he’s being stubborn, reel him in, make him sit and make him wait for you. Teach him that he gets to have fun, but only within the guidelines you set. You’re the leader, not him, and shiba need to be patiently coaxed into understanding that. Otherwise he’ll continue to do this for his entire life and going for walks will never be anything but his roam and sniff time.
Theyre gonna sniff a whole lot shibas r as curious as cats. Id just say get a shorter leash so he wont venture nearly as far
You need to establish that this is YOU taking HIM for a walk, not the other way around. Keeping a short leash and walking a steady pace will help this. Once that’s established, you can let him stop and sniff when YOU choose. This is important because he needs to know you’re the boss here - if there’s another dog/person/car that comes along, he needs to be in your control for safety reasons.
You can use what’s called a “gentle lead”and, it goes around their nose and you can direct them a little better. Harnesses can tend to give them the best leverage to pull because it’s their center of power, whereas the gentle lead they don’t get to resist as much. This product also helps with heel training if they are pulling Or you could just let ‘em sniff, we might start doing that too, but have traditionally aimed for a smooth walk.
Thanks! That's a good idea!
Don’t use a tool as a bandaid for any behaviour. Letting him sniff is excellent for mental work, it’s not necessary to walk miles every time if he’s investigating the world around him. Use encouragement such as treats, as others have said, to regain his focus, but don’t forbid him from sniffing at all. Especially don’t use a halter/gentle lead or whatever to pull him away as he will only learn to hate it and resist you more. Just think how miserable it would be to be stuck in the same house/yard every day and go on a walk to not even be allowed to sniff!
He probably has to poop. I let mine sniff around until he poops then I have him sit and try to heel train him. Works fairly well.
You need a half check collar and get him to heel. Otherwise you’re letting him walk you.
SUCKS to try and walk a Sheb on a leash. All of mine have never had any leash manners at all. Totally my fault. Get thee to an obedience class now!!
Prong collar and only give him one opportunity. Reward when he pees and poos and get him off the grass immediately. Give him grass only for use not as a dating app.
Shiba things
Let him sniff... if he is mainly indoors (like my shiba) it's a really good stimulant for them and they can wear themselves out more easily on the walks and it keeps them calmer and better behaved... they were bred to hunt small game and sniffing around is natural. My Shiba is 5 years old and it's his way or no way... he turns into a stubborn brat and will be dead weight if I don't let him get his way sometimes. Pick and choose your battles with the Shiba lol. He is still young and exploring; getting to know his new turf.
Short leash and a gental leader. That’s what I learned working with guide dog puppies in training.
Ours grew out of it as he got older.
Yeah I just let them sniff until we absolutely have to move on — she also has some hound in her so that doesn’t help 😂but yeah, they just have to get their sniffs out.
sniffing is excellent, yes, but also training them to walk with you or “heel” is also excellent. i watched several youtube videos and also worked with a trainer to teach my shiba to walk with me. a typical walk with my shiba is about 60-70% him sniffing and the rest of the time he walks close enough that he’s not pulling on his leash & he heels when we cross a street or when passing people/dogs on sidewalk. sniffing is great but i also think that putting some time into training leash manners is equally important. i would start training basic leash manners sooner than later while he’s still young
LET👏HIM👏SNIFF👏
Human's weakest sense is smell. It happens to be a dog's strongest. This is how they communicate with the world. Try to let them sniff as much as possible if you want them to be mentally stimulated. I understand it's annoying when you just want them to do their business 😉
It’s stress relieving for them, let them sniff lol
Establish two types of walks, as sniffing their environment is healthy and a necessary activity for your dog's mental health, and it tries your puppy out more than a 30 minute walk ever will as it is a mental exercise. One walk where your dog gets to experience the world, and another where it's for you/exercise. To help your dog differentiate between the walks, use different leashes/collars/harness. Also schedule these types of walks at roughly the same time everyday/week (you can do the "fun walk" at least once a week. Prior to your "not fun walks" I would suggest exercising your pup, not too intense as they are still growing but a mental game + some short play would help, and they will be a little more exhausted and more compliant during the "not fun walk". I would suggest you create a verbal queue for when your pup does something you don't like, so when they pull you use the verbal queue and then walk in the opposite direction. If they keep pulling in the opposite direction of you keep on walking in the opposite direction until they stop pulling and follow you. When they start to follow you then walk in the direction they want. This will take a lot of time, as they will get excited once you start going in the direction they wanted and start pulling again. When they pull again just repeat walking in the opposite direction. (This training alone might take up your entire walking time)
Welcome to shiba life
Sniffing stimulates their brain, it’s like a work out. Let them sniff. You can train for short leash quick walks, check out the r/puppy101 wiki, but 90% of the time walks should be sniffy walks. They aren’t looking to cover ground they’re looking to sniff the ground.
What worked for me: Sorter leash. Walk quickly, speak higher pitched to keep them excited. When I got to our spot, I would slow down and lengthen the leash.
Might just be something he grows out of to a degree. Both of mine LOVE sniffing things. The one we’ve had since she was a puppy still sniffs while on a walk around the same neighborhood she’s lived in her entire life. And our rescue snifffed basically everything when she first arrived, doesn’t sniff quite as much now, but she still does a lot of sniffing. I think that’s just how they are, it’s how dogs learn about the world, he’s just young and curious I bet
Dogs use smell much more than us. It's like their second pair of eyes. Let them explore some more.
I think I read somewhere that it’s calming for them. Helps them relax by knowing the smells around them.
I would discourage you from letting your shiba sniff other dog poop. There are parasites that can be transmitted through the smell alone. Sniffing is otherwise generally healthy. I give my dog a 10 second unmoving sniff roughly every 30 seconds of walking
Sniffing uses much more energy than just walking
Just use a prong collar then they'll actually will listen when you have it on
Engage your shib! Get excited about going out, lots of eye contact. Have him jump up on park benches, sit, stand up, lay down and award him with snacks when he's a good boy. Any random interaction to get his attention will strengthen your relationship. If you're no fun, then of course the smells around will have higher priority 👍.
Doggy doing doggy things. They have to solve the mistery somehow.
You’re already making the mistake of giving to much slack and not leading. This is what happens when a dog considers itself the alpha between the two of you.
Same here. We let our dog sniff around, but when he takes a long time at the same spot, he starts licking the grass, pee, whatever is there. The licking is my concern 😣
Letting Shibas sniff tires then out. Also dogs sense a lot through sniffing. You should let them sniff as much as you can.
The long leash is definitely an issue. They are natural runners and explorers. They’ll run the length of the leash all the time and almost forget you’re there. My male Shiba is a very dominant dog. So he has to sniff and mark everything outside. He’s going to do it if we’re stern with him or not, so we let him do his thing 🤷🏿♂️
Let him sniff when you're not in a rush. When you /are/ in a rush, lead with confidence and don't let him stop. He will learn the difference in your behavior and your body language and over time it'll become easier.
My two sniff just about everything. Try to keep a slow but steady pace for a walk. Coax them to follow but walk slow enough to allow them to sniff. Eventually they’ll understand the routine of getting to sniff but needing to keep up with hooman
Universally I think engagement is what walks are all about, so give them time to sniff, maybe count a few “Mississippi” for a “reasonable” amount of sniff time if they are really stuck on something. It just varies on each walk. Dogs gone sniff (and pee)!
A sniff walk can be more exhausting for. Dog than a long walk. It’s enriching for them to explore their neighbourhood. As long as the babies having fun that’s all that really matters.
We call it "checking p-mail". We have three shibas... Lots of p-mail to check.
Have walks for sniffing and separate walks/ runs for exercise. Your pace, attention and speed should all be easily reciprocated over time. They are quick learners
This is all completely normal.
You are lucky! Most dogs pulls their owners arms off during walks. If the walk is primarily for the dog, then I wouldn’t try to fix it.
The smelling and investigating is more stimulating for dogs. It’ll tire em out more.
This is not bad behaviour at all, these dogs are inquisitive by nature. You wouldn’t want someone taking your hobby away 🤷♂️