Bailie has always been in love with storm sewer drains, actually any drain she can get her nose on. She has an extremely active nose, complete with lots of air scenting. Madison likes drains as well, I rarely stop to sniff them. We realized a lot of dogs want to sniff these drains, but their owners find it annoying, and most don’t understand why dogs want to do this.
Dogs primary sense, by far, is their sense of smell. We dogs live by our noses, then our eyes, followed by our ears. It’s hard for humans to understand that while we see things, such as our toys, or squirrels, most of the time we really recognize them first when we smell them. In our nose work, it is very evident. We can have a tin with odor right in front of our face, and not alert on it, but then sniff all around it until we track the scent with our nose to the container. As humans go “nose blind”, we often go “eye blind”. Our brains file things by odor.
Everyone knows we dogs love to read “pee mail” on posts, trees, etc. Those spots are just that, like a mail or message board, but a drain is like a whole internet site on the area. Drains not only suck in odor, they spit it back out as well. It is fascinating for many dogs to really study what is sucked in and what is being spit out. We can gather a lot of information about the area from all the moving odor.
Metal and steel objects also act as odor magnets trapping odor. Culverts also work a lot like drains. All three of us check the same culvert near our house every time we pass it. Unless you are in a rush, next time you are walking your pup and they want to stop and sniff a drain, let them do it. Watch how they move around it, and see what reactions they may have. Your dog will thank you for the opportunity. Typically, we sniff and move on within seconds because we check the drains frequently, and can always come back for more sniffing. Is your dog a storm sewer drain sniffer?
Don’t forget to enter the Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop! There are so many pawsome prizes to be one, and we do the trick for you!
No doubt about it, the most amazing smells collect right there!
They sure do!
I hope there is no Mr. Pennywise inside… it’s ok to enjoy all that fantabulous smells but better run when someone offers you a ballon…
We’ve never seen anyone in those drains, so I think we are safe.
I can only imagine how that would be for a dog.
Bailie is seriously addicted to smelling them on her walks.
We don’t have any sewer drains on our walks, but I can certainly imagine that Luke would want to spend a lot of time on one if we did. He can spend a pretty good few minutes on one tree and the surrounding area sometimes!
So much good information to smell in the world, so little time!
In Mew York dogs love the laundry room vents. Clean warm smells.
They probably smell something better than the clean smells, but I’m sure there is a real cornucopia of scent there!
YEP, drains are full of “nose mail” and the highlight of our days sometimes – does that make us have a boring life??? Chablis& Elbe
You’re lucky if you get to collect that info, as it is good stuff.
Zachary here, I loooove to linger at every drain hole on our walks.
They are so full of great information, aren’t they?
My poodle, Kissy, was afraid of sewer drains, and avoided them like the plague. I think she was afraid of falling through the spaces between the bars. Callie, Shadow, and Ducky, though, loved/still love sniffing around them -but refused/refuse to step on them to sniff around the middle.
Some dogs are afraid of them, and with real small dogs one has to be careful they don’t fall through, but most dogs can safely sniff around and capture all the latest news.
We don’t pass any sewer drains on our walk. Lilly sniffs some, but now I will watch more closely. Interesting post!
The drains are good in the winter too because they breathe out warmer air that melts the snow on the grate and sends the scent into the air.
Oh Emma, thanks for finally explaining this to our Mama!!
xoxo,
Arty, Jakey & Travelin’ Rosy
As dogs, our noses are often misunderstood by our humans.
We let the boys do all the sniffing they want since it is their walking adventures. Pierre pees every few feet too. BOL! Our drains here are humongous (bigger in Texas) so I don’t let them get too close. Bentley’s nose loves smelling. Every. Single. Thing.
Mom puts a limit to the amount of time we can stop and sniff in each spot, but we do get plenty of time overall. So, if everything is bigger in Texas, does that include treats for dogs? That would be a perfect reason to move there.
Living in the country we don’t have those, enjoy your good sniffs.
That is a bummer!
My guys don’t tend to sniff around our sewers. They are more of a sniff in the grass kind of dog. I’m not sure why that is. I usually let them sniff whatever they want, but I will shiv them along sometimes if they seem to be stuck on the scent.
Bailie is really into drains, Madison likes them, I only sniff them occasionally. Bailie sniffs differently in every aspect of life, so it is not surprising.
Thank you for this info. Barley hasn’t found a sewer drain he doesn’t like or want to pass. I thought he was being weird and I pulled him away from them. Thanks to the comments i will now let him sniff to his hearts content, to a point.
From our nose work training Mom has learned drains are loaded with information because they draw everything in, but also spit info out, and different temperatures change their effect too. Drains are fascinating for many dogs.
Hello! My dog likes to sniff the sewer drain near my home. He acts really strange and starts rolling around as soon as he sniffs it. It’s funny, but I am worried if it is bad for my dog’s health to be sniffing the sewer drain a lot.
Please let me know what you think!! 🙂