The September Good Citizen Challenge: Let Your Dog Lead

September has a way of slowing things down whether we're ready or not.

The mornings cool off a little; the light shifts and the air starts to change. Nature is almost begging us to pay attention. This month's Good Citizen Challenge is less about where you go and more about how you get there: hand the leash decisions over to your dog and see what they've been trying to tell you all along.

The challenge is simple. Take at least four walks this month where your dog sets the pace. No pulling them along, no moving them past the interesting patch of grass, no checking your phone.

Follow their nose. Let them stop. Let them start.

This kind of walk — sometimes called a "sniffari" — has been trending on TikTok and Instagram for a reason, but the science behind it is more interesting than the trend itself.

Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors compared to a human's roughly 6 million, and when they stop to sniff, their brains are doing the canine equivalent of reading the morning news. They're gathering information, processing their environment, and genuinely working.

A 2024 study in the journal Animals found that dogs engaged in scent-focused activities showed improved emotional regulation and reduced impulsive reactivity. A French research team monitoring pulse rates during walks found that sniffing — particularly on a long leash or off-leash — measurably lowered dogs' heart rates. Letting your dog lead isn't permissive. It's restorative.

There's a human case for this too.

A growing body of research on nature exposure — from studies at Stanford on reduced rumination to the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) — suggests that even short periods in natural environments lower cortisol, reduce heart rate, and shift our attention from anxious planning to present-moment observation.

When you slow down to let your dog investigate something on the trail, you're not just waiting for them. You're being given a reason to stop and actually look around. The birds. The light through the trees. The smell of the air after a fog burns off. Your dog has been asking you to pay attention to this for years.

This month, Maisy is setting the agenda. The right spot is wherever your dog pulls toward. The goal isn't a destination; it's a pace.

Here's how to join us this September. Take at least four enrichment walks this month where your dog leads.

To enter our giveaway, tag us in your photos using #PLPGoodCitizen, drop your favorite dog-friendly hike, trail, or sniff route in the comments — city, neighborhood, wherever your dog has led you — or simply share via DM. Participants have the chance to win a $100 Piper Loop Pets site credit.

Happy dogs, happy owners, good citizens. That's the whole program. Now go get lost — your dog already knows the way.