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I enjoyed this article; I often like asking dogs I walk, “Oh, is that a good scent?” or, “Mmm, wonder what that could be?”…I am fascinated by their noses! I would almost certainly NEVER accomplish anything, if I had their sense of smell!

One thing used to crack me up, when I would reapply sunblock in the middle of the afternoon before walking my student dog, Maddon; I had trained him to Wait at the door before I came into his house, he would be sitting so sweetly on the entryway rug and then, he smelled the sunblock…I don’t know what was so irresistible about it but he simply burst at the seams and broke his await to greet me, before catching himself and sitting again. Really, SUNBLOCK! What’s THAT all about? Did he link/associate that smell on me to our going on a wonderful midday walk (experience)?

@ZaneB -I love what you said about your dog with the horse scent on your dad’s pants. My dogs used to do the same with my teenage daughter, who worked as a stable hand. She’d come home after a good day of saddling and brushing (sometimes getting them from the fields) and my two dogs were totally glued to her side until she showered.

Interesting idea- The trainer that I hired years ago had this idea for solving the puppy dilemma of what to chew on/what is mine/yours. She recommended using a baking extract that you never use, ie we used raspberry extract (a few drops in a spray bottle of water) and “scenting” the puppy’s toys and chews with that scent. Anything that was “mine” or my family’s stayed its regular scent. Then he knew, as he grew, what he was allowed to put in his mouth and chew. I swear, it worked. After awhile, when he got older, he figured out what was his naturally, so we no longer scented his stuff. Have any of you used this method? What do you think of that idea?