# hounds won't stop smelling on walks



## bklantz (Feb 14, 2010)

I'm having troubles with my two bassets on their walks!

I have a 9 month old basset (Ella) and a 5 yr old basset (Ringo) that we've only had for a few months now.

They want to smell EVERYTHING when I take them on walks! Ringo isn't too bad, he smells quick pees on it then is on his way but Ella takes her sweet time smelling and wants to smell pretty much everything.

They both have a harness on and a leash on and i walk with one on each side of me but they both want to smell different things at different times and once they get a smell I completely disappear they won't even glance at me when i try to call them or anything. They even ignore treats when they are smelling! I'm running out of ideas!

They are pretty good if I walk in the street so there isnt a lot to smell but I it would be nice if I didn't have to rely on the street and could walk on sidewalks.

When I walk them separately it's not bad but it seems when I get them together they completely ignore me so I have to either wait until they are done smelling or pull them away from the smell to get them going again.

My goal is to walk to them together on the sidewalk without too much hassle, I dont mind stopping once in awhile for them to smell but with them smelling different things at different times it's just too frustrating!

Any suggestions or ideas would be wonderful!!

Thanks!


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I would let them sniff, if they were mine.

Human beings process the world with their eyes. Dogs process it with their noses, most ESPECIALLY scent hounds. Would a walk through the park be as pleasant for you if you were blindfolded? A walk through the neighborhood is simply not as interesting for the dogs if they aren't allowed to sniff. If the walk is for the dog, then I would tend to say that the dog gets to call the shots, to a certain extent. When Alvin wants to sniff, I walk slowly so that he can sniff. As long as he isn't tugging on the leash, I don't really care how fast we're going.

Having said that, he does also know "Let's go," which is an informal heel, and he will walk briskly by my side without deviation if given said command. Perhaps you could teach a heel-type command with a release word. For every few steps the dogs take in their heel position, you release them to sniff as a reward. If they know you are eventually going to let them smell stuff, they may be more willing to walk by your side for a bit.


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## oldhounddog (May 31, 2010)

I have eight redbone hounds and find it almost impossible to keep them from sniffing everything as we walk. This is a very big deal when the walk starts and seems to slow a bit after walking for a while. Some of my dogs are really serious about senting everything and it is like walking a vacuum cleaner.
You could prolly walk one at a time a train to walk by your side. 
Good Luck


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## heartdogs (Aug 19, 2007)

Asking a hound to pay attention to you when there are luscious smells is like asking a herding dog to pay attention to you while sheep are running by. It can be done, but it takes a lot of diligent practice, building the distraction level gradually, and proofing the behavior in many scenarios. It's probably going to be easier to train the dogs separately. You might want to investigate clicker training, because you can be much more precise when letting your dog know which behavior you like. www.clickerlessons.com has some free lessons, but you probably will do better taking at least one of the dogs through a good clicker class. Just as an example, tonight in my basic class, there was a lovely older Beagle who has been sniffing for years! After five weeks of class, her mom is able to call her away from the other dogs, and from the other handlers (when they have treats in their hands). It's all in building the skills without distractions first, so that the dog recognizes your cues, and at least knows what you want when you ask for it.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

Hounds, terriers, mixes of hounds and terriers, yeah you're pretty much on smell patrol. I can't walk five feet w/o Melodie stopping to smell something. Unless I have food in my hand, I'm ignored; however if the smell is that wonderful, forget it. I wonder what I would have to smell like to be that attractive?


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