Dogs do some funny things. And sometimes they do some really disgusting things, like rolling in poop. These are all the reasons why your dog enjoys rolling in poop, and other smelly things! Sometimes, they even like to eat poop! Gross!
They like the smell
What smells bad to us may in fact smell good to dogs. Yes, that’s right, the stench we experience may in fact be an Eau De “Poo” fume in the animal world! Or, you can also say their Eau de Toilette really smells like an actual toilet! (Okay, okay, enough of the doggy jokes …). According to petmd, dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than humans, which means that they may be picking up on scents and notes that we cannot.
They want to mark their territory
Dogs tend to mark their territory by peeing on things. Sometimes they want other animals to know where they’ve been. It’s possible that dogs are trying to replace the smell of the poop with their own – maybe to show who’s boss! Each dog has its own scent, and can release pheromones at different locations on its body.
They want to have some fun
Sometimes, dogs just get bored. They chew on things, run around things, and roll around in things. They sometimes roll around in grass – and even in poop! They may not have much going through their minds other than “hey, this is fun!”.
They want to communicate with their pack
Dogs may cover themselves in a smell so that they can present it to their pack mates later. Your dog could be communicating “look what I’ve found, this is what it smells like!” to his other dog friends. The other dog friends can then follow this scent to the source of the smell if they wish. Perhaps it’s the scent of another dog, a stray cat or even food! Bees do something similar in that they dance and shake their abdomens to show other bees where the flowers are.
They want to hide their scent
Dogs are descendants from wild wolves, who had learned some tricks to stay alive. One of those tricks includes covering their own smell with the smell of something else. And yes, it does include the poop of other animals! This would have made it easier for them to approach their prey undetected, or even hide from other predators who may be trailing them. You can even call this a form of camouflage.
How to stop dogs rolling in poop
So you’ve had enough, and you’re sick of having to wash your dog every time he’s rolled in another animals poop – what do you do? Well, here are some tips you can follow to stop this from happening:
- Avoid the poop when you take your dog out for walks. This may require you to be more observant – i.e. when you see a pile of poop then quickly go around it (a dog leash will help keep your dog away). Additionally, if you go to a park where there are a lot of droppings, why not go somewhere else instead?
- Train your dog to follow commands such as “leave it”, “drop it” or “stay” will give you control of your dog at all times. Commanding your dog to “stay” when he sees fresh poop can mean the difference between a nice smelling dog and a nasty smelly dog!
- Clean the poop. If your dog is rolling around in its own poop in your yard, then you should remove the poop before it gets a chance for mischief.
- Keep your dog occupied by bringing a Frisbee or ball to the park when you take your dog out for some exercise. Play some fetch so that your canine friend will be too busy, or tired, to think about rolling in poop! If your dog gets bored at home then keep it busy with a raw bone.
