Adequate daily exercise is a fundamental welfare requirement for companion dogs that is frequently unmet in urban settings, contributing to obesity, behavioral problems, and chronic stress in millions of dogs.
Dog exercise welfare involves both quantity and quality of activity. Walking at a brisk pace without opportunity to sniff provides cardiovascular exercise but fails to meet the mental stimulation needs that olfactory investigation provides. For dogs evolved as investigators of scent landscapes, a walk that permits rich sniffing engagement provides substantially more mental enrichment than an equivalent time walking at a pace that precludes sniffing. Allowing dogs to set the pace and direction of sniff walks, periodically alternating with more directed exercise, addresses both exercise and behavioral welfare needs. For urban working dog owners, midday dog walkers, dog daycare, and weekend intensive exercise partially compensate for weekday exercise limitations.