Sniffin Saffari

Is your dog a notorious sniffer every time you go for walkies? Sometimes it seems as if they are thinking, “wait, human… let me do a heckin’ sniff…okay I’m ready to go… WAIT! ANOTHER SMELL!” This nose dive may feel annoying, especially when every second tree is claimed territory by another dog, but letting the snout roam about will have your dog wagging their tail all the way home.

Now presenting: The Sniffari!

A Sniffari (sniffing safari) is a scent walk where your dog’s nose takes the lead. This way of walking mentally stimulates and enriches your pooch, as dogs rely on their sense of smell to piece together the environment around them. It’s also extremely fun for a dog – imagine the stories their nose is forming (“hmm, I can smell that Gerald the cat has been around these parts”).

All you need is a harness, a long lead, a safe area away from roads, and of course – your perfect pooch!

Why not make these walks more than just fun and exercise? Register for free for RSPCA’s virtual event, Million Paws Walk: Walk this May and your Sniffari journeys will have your dog sniffing for a cause. You can also look the part with our Million Paws Walk merchandise, perfect for you and your fellow walker.

So, sniff for a cause and walk with us this may!

Join our RSPCA School for Dogs online dog training classes! Learn more here on how you can enrich your dog’s mind – even from your living room!

We humans can smell a lot of things. We know when dinner’s ready, which perfume someone is wearing and when our dog didn’t quite reach the toilet in time. Six million scent receptors sounds pretty impressive, right? But how does this compare with up to 300 million?

That’s right – our four-legged friends not only have a sense of smell that is at least 10,000 times greater than ours, they also have more types of sent receptors. Dogs are able to understand smells that humans can’t even recognise or comprehend.

These sniffers also have the ability to separate air. Talk about a superpower! When a dog sniffs, a portion of the air goes to the olfactory sensing area, which identifies scents. The other portion is for breathing. Pretty cool, hey? These superpower sniffers don’t stop here. Dog’s noses are designed to breathe in and out at the same time, creating a continuous circulation of air.

Now that you understand the importance of a Sniffari, your dog will be thinking, “thanks for waiting human. I can’t help that my 300 million receptors are going off about this one leaf”.