When I was a kid, summer meant one thing:

The woods.

I was a creative kid and had three 'storylines' that made up my adventures: 1) Space explorer--braving new worlds (something that sounds very much akin to Star Trek but I didn't realize that at the time!); 2) Old West Bounty Hunter--with my bullwhip and 6-shooter strapped to my side; and, 3) Detective. Regardless of the storyline, one thing was constant: My Collies. Almost every day, my adventures would take me into the trees behind our house with my three collies—Captain ("Cappy"), Friskie, and Honey.

There was never much of a plan...beyond the storyline, of course!

No destination.

No stopwatch.

Certainly no fitness tracker counting steps.

We simply wandered and played. 

I'd climb over fallen trees, follow little creeks, and investigate anything that looked interesting.

The dogs?

Well...they were conducting investigations of their own.

Always nearby, of course, but every few steps one of them would stop, nose buried in the leaves, studying a scent I couldn't possibly understand. Then another would wander twenty feet in a different direction, sniff something for a minute, and happily trot back.

As a kid, I dismissed it all as 'colliesploration'. 

As an adult, I realize they weren't wasting time.

They were reading the world.

A Dog's Nose Is Its Superpower

Humans are visual creatures. I'm a big visual learner, like many humans.

Animals? It's all in the nose. 

That's right, dogs are scent creatures.

While we notice the color of a flower or the shape of a trail, dogs are gathering information we can't even imagine.

Who walked here this morning?

Was another dog here?

Was it healthy?

Was it nervous?

Did wildlife pass through?

To us, it's just grass.

To a dog, it's the morning newspaper.

Behavior experts have even coined the term "sniffari" for walks that encourage dogs to slow down and explore with their noses rather than hurrying from Point A to Point B like we humans kinda expect.

These slower walks provide mental stimulation that can be just as valuable as physical exercise.

Make no Mistake About it: Exercise Is Great...

But Enrichment is different

Most of us think we're taking our dogs for exercise.

Our dogs often think we're taking them on an adventure.

Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

Running burns energy.

Sniffing exercises the brain.

Many trainers now encourage owners to occasionally let their dogs set the pace. Instead of pulling them along every few seconds, allow them to stop, investigate, and simply...be curious.

A fifteen-minute walk filled with interesting smells can leave some dogs more satisfied than a much longer power walk. Mental enrichment plays an important role in reducing boredom and helping dogs feel fulfilled.

Looking Back...

I smile when I think about Cappy, Friskie, and Honey.

Back then, I thought they were following me through the woods.

Now I realize we were all exploring together.

I was looking with my eyes.

They were exploring with their noses.

Neither one of us was doing it wrong.

We were simply experiencing the same adventure in completely different ways.

Let Them Read the Newspaper

The next time you're walking your dog and they stop for what feels like the hundredth sniff of the morning...

Maybe let them.

It isn't stubbornness.

It isn't distraction.

It's curiosity.

It's enrichment.

It's one of the ways dogs make sense of the world.

Looking back, I accidentally gave my collies exactly what today's trainers are recommending.

I just called it "wandering through the woods."

Now, I don't know what storyline they were following (most likely NOT mine!, mind you), but I'm pretty sure they probably thought it was the best part of the day.