Do They All Sniff Like That??

hiya,my cavalier, Charlie is 6mnths old and he spends most of his time with his head up sniffing the air above him.i know it sounds stupid but we've always had lots of dogs at home but never saw this before.he nearly falls over he spends so much time sniffing!!im not worried or anything,just curious do all cavaliers do this or is Charlie just plain odd??

I'd talk to your vet about this and if possible, try to video the activity if your dog is unlikely to do this on a vet visit as well. It does sound odd. Without actually seeing the dog or a video of the activity, it is hard to say if what you are seeing is normal. I certainly never have seen anything like that but then maybe the description makes it sound odder than it is!

Is this when he's off by himself, or when you're holding him?

Three of our four small dogs will sniff air if they're scratched/rubbed practically anywhere on their back... and they go nutty if scratched at the end of their back by the tail. Neither of the Cavaliers will get 'happy feet' from scratching their tummies... I've begun to think maybe this is what they do instead.

Both of my Cavaliers do this when they're outside. They both sit down next the edge of our property line and put their noses in the air and just "take in all the smells". I think it's interesting and due to their spaniel genes, I think have a very keen sense of smell and want to know what's going on.

My older female is deaf and the other day she was ignoring my signs when it was time to go home. So, I walked back to the house. She saw me from a distance and to make sure it was me, I saw her stick her nose in the air. The wind was blowing in her direction...and as soon as she caught my scent, she ran towards home.

I think it's normal unless yours does it obsessively and ALL THE TIME.

Bobby often does this when we let him outside. Its more noticeable when he's a new environment. It seems like he's just smelling the different scents outside.

thanks..

thanks for all the replies!to be honest i think it's mainly when he's in a new environment alright. or when food is out of is view and he can smell it. it just looks soo funny when he has his head stuck up high in the air and he's sniffing away but he has done it since he was a baby so maybe it is just the smelling thing. While we're on the subject, are cavaliers known to have good or bad hearing?or are they just like all other dogs?

Dottie sniffs the air when she gets outside.....always on the hunt or scent trail of the goofy cat that torments her from the fence top.....Regarding hearing, I know that mine has what appears to be selective hearing. I can say, Dottie, "Kennel up!" when it is time to leave for a few hours, and she just glances my way and pretends that she didn't hear it. Yet, I can barely more than whisper "Cookie" and she comes running full force at me while wiggling and flying through the air.