Why Can't My Dog Hear Me When He is Sniffing ?

The following is a presentation I made on the canine nose anatomy and mechanism of smell.  A dog's sense of smell can be as much as 100,000 times better than ours.  Their brains are bombarded with information with every sniff which activates the limbic area of the brain responsible for arousal, motivation, fears ......  So, no wonder they can't hear us when their brain is filled with overwhelming information coming from their environment.  This information can be neutral, positive or even signal danger.  When your dog suddenly will not continue in a direction when out for a walk  I am sure he knows something you don't.  Think about heading his warning.