Callie’s playing a fun little “smell” game with me some mornings.
Sometimes, Barbara runs with Callie while I play golf for nine holes — or practice on the driving range. Barbara and Callie run right past my car in the golf club parking lot, and Barbara always leaves a small “calling card” on the trunk of my car — a small piece of one of Callie’s puppy treats.
When I’m done with golf, the puppy treat goes into my pocket, the car trunk opens up, and in go my golf clubs.
When I get home, Callie finds me and pushes her nose up into my shorts, trying to get at the puppy treat pocket from inside. She always knows right where the puppy treat is.
Lately, I’ve been experimenting a little with Callie’s sense of smell. A box of her puppy treats comes with three flavors — lamb, chicken, and beef. I’ve been offering a treat in each hand, so she can’t see which kind it is — to see if she has a preference. For a while, I thought she had a clear preference for beef, but then she chose chicken. So I’m not quite sure. We’ll keep trying.
Here’s an interesting article about dogs’ sense of smell.
In trying to let Callie be “her own dog” as much as possible, I often find that her behavior is driven by what she smells. Bet your dog is, too!
