Apparently the most common thing we say to our dogs is ’I love you’.

However, all too often we misinterpret a dog’s emotions and fail to understand their psychological needs - leaving them on their own for hours at a time, for example, when they are a social species.

We also often underestimate a dog’s need for olfactory enrichment and stimulation, perhaps because the human capacity to smell is comparatively poor - dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors compared with six million in humans.

Did you know that dogs tell the time through their sense of smell and that they recognise each other primarily by scent, not by sight?

A dog can find out a great deal about another dog, in particular their health and sexual status, just by sniffing them.

Understanding a dog’s need to smell makes us into better, more responsible owners.

Although exercise is undoubtedly important, and an energetic walk has health benefits for both dogs and their owners, a ’smell walk’ is equally important.

If you need to keep your dog on a lead, this type of walk can be a bit tedious because it means stopping at every lamppost and gateway so that your dog can work out what other dogs have passed by and how long ago.

Pulling a dog away from sniffing impacts on their ability to be a dog in the most fundamental way, as well as reducing their enjoyment of the walk.

A way to alleviate any human boredom is to count just how many times your dog stops to leave their own scent mark, i.e. to urinate, when they have nothing left to come out!

Another way to stimulate dogs, and to see at first hand just what amazing noses they have, is to play scent games.

Hide treats around the house, under a newspaper or towel for example, and encourage your dog to find them.

You can also make scent games by placing treats inside sealed cardboard boxes - make a few holes in the boxes, and then leave your dog to work out how to get inside them.

Dodger, the three-year-old American bulldog, has a nose perfectly shaped for sniffing, framed by the most handsome of faces.

He is our February ’dog of the month’ and if you have access to Facebook you’ll be able to follow Dodger on a daily basis.

You will be able to see his training and enrichment sessions, his walks around the island, and just how adept he is at taking up every inch of available room on a sofa.

He’s a real character and charms everyone with his antics, whether that’s rolling endlessly on the grass (’grass surfing’) or being very persuasive when he knows you have a treat in your pocket.

Dodger is a big, adorable softie, and we’re pretty sure a prospective new owner will fall in love with him before too long. If you already have a dog, or dogs, to love why not bring them to our big Valentine’s Day dog walk, ’Love in the Wood’, to be held on February 14 at South Barrule Plantation?

You can arrive any time between 6pm and 8pm to take part in a romantic treasure hunt, ending at the Coffee Cottage for drinks and dog biscuits.

Dogs must be on leads, and their human companions should wear sensible footwear and clothing, and bring a torch (it will be very dark) and mobile phone.

We’re asking for a donation of £5 to take part, which will help us to spread the love to all our rescue animals.