GSP constantly sniffing ground Questions

Hi All,

We adopted 2 gsp's (littermates) in May. They're now about 6 months old and one of them started doing something that seems strange. A few weeks ago Sawyer suddenly started sniffing the ground in the backyard as if he's on the trail to finding something...for hours. He has no interest in treats or coming in the house. He and his sister, Diffie, used to play/wrestle non-stop and now he barely has interest in that! Is this normal? There doesn't seem to be any animals or anything in our backyard besides bugs/frogs - so I'm not sure what scent he's finding ALL OVER the back yard! Help!!

Thank you!

My Beagles are great sniffers, especially late at night. In my garden this year, it has been the presence of mice and the occasional hedgehog.
Last year we had rats, squirrels, and once or twice a fox. Of course they will pick up the scent of trespassing cats too. Scenting is a valuable skill for a dog, and unless I'm in a hurry, I let them exercise their noses. I see it is the canine equivalent of us reading the local newspaper. It sounds as if Sawyer might have an aptitude for scentwork and tracking.

Can he be distracted when he is in sniffing mode?

My guess is, as Carole says, it may be that he is just a great 'sniffer'. However, if he can't be distracted at all, then a chat with the vet is recommended