Harley and Mila turned a 100-meter stretch of woodland into a 45-minute outing. The dachshund and her brindle rescue sister stopped to investigate just about everything while their human followed along with a camera. The joke in a video from @the_southwoofs is that the pair were on a “sniffari,” a walk where every blade of grass gets a full inspection.
Any owner who has stared at the clock while a dog works through the same patch of grass knows the feeling. That walk is not going anywhere fast, and it is not supposed to.
What this means for your dog: time with a nose to the ground is not wasted time. Sniffing is how dogs read the world, and it works their brain in ways a brisk lap around the block never touches. A slow, exploratory walk can leave a dog calmer and more settled, which is why trainers often suggest one for dogs who are wound up, reactive, or easy to overstimulate. If your dog is restless at night, more sniffing during the day is one of the first things to try.
You do not have to hand over the whole walk. Let your dog set the route and the pace for ten or fifteen minutes, then pick up speed for the rest. Harley and Mila never cared about covering ground. There were smells to check, and that was enough.