26/04/2026
It’s never “just a sniff”.
It looks quick and meaningless to us. Not to them.
That moment gives them information you can’t see.
Who this dog is.
If they’ve met before.
How old they are.
What state they’re in right now.
Whether something feels a little bit “off”
Even health and hormones come into it.
Now the bit that’s missed, not every dog allows that information to be shared.
Tail position, posture, movement.
That can decide whether access is given or “denied” and only some will do this or allow it to be done.
I’m not a fan of turning a dog around to “present the rear” either. If they do it naturally, great, if they don’t, no biggie.
Some dogs just do not get their noses in that position at all.
For the ones that do?
It’s not about letting every dog sniff every dog.
But it is about understanding what’s actually happening in that moment.
And that’s a lot!
