Mary Allen
Your dog is rolling in poo and you just don’t understand why?
Overall, this isn’t particularly dangerous for your furry friend. But very uncomfortable and disgusting for you.
In fact, there is more behind this terrible quirk of your four-legged friend.
Here we help you to understand why your furry companion does this and seems to enjoy it too.
Once you understand that, you can train him out of this behavior or at least differentiate what your darling wallows in.
You can find out more about this here.
In a nutshell: Dog rolls in feces
There are a number of reasons your dog might roll in feces or carrion.
On the one hand, he would like to put his scent stamp on possible food.
Also, your dog may want to camouflage itself to hide its own scent from potential prey.
Another possibility is to impress, which then has a sexual background. To put it simply: Your dog will roll in carrion, so he is sure to get the attention of other dogs.
Four reasons for this behavior
Your dog wants to mark his food
If your fur nose is extensively rolling in dirt and carrion, it may be that it wants to put its scent mark on the possible food source. So every following dog should know immediately that your darling has found it and that it still belongs to him.
Your dog wants to camouflage itself
Of course, it can also be the case that your four-legged friend wants to hide his own smell. Preferred hunting dogs also roll in the dirt for reasons of camouflage. This is how they mask their own scent and prevent their prey from smelling them.
Your dog wants to impress
It’s also possible that there is a sexual component to your pet’s behavior. He wants to attract the attention of other dogs with his special smell.
Your dog feels good
A very general reason your dog rolls is for comfort. Dogs roll on their backs because they just enjoy chafing through their fur. If they then absorb new smells, that’s a great side effect.
Good to know:
Dogs perceive scents very differently than we do. What is smelly and disgusting for us can be the most beautiful smell for a furry friend. The reason for this is that they have significantly more olfactory cells than we humans. This is why we perceive aromas more intensely and sometimes differently than we do.
The dog is rolling in the grass – what does that mean?
It doesn’t always have to be the feces – some dogs just like to roll in the grass. But what is his purpose?
Rolling on the back can have very different reasons. We have listed for you here what these could be:
- Your dog has an itch or wants to scrape something out of his fur
- Your dog wants to spread its scent
- Your dog just feels right at home
- Your dog wants to dry himself off after your swim trip
- Your dog wants to cool off on the cold ground
- If your dog is just rolling in the grass instead of carrion or feces, there is no reason to step in and stop it. Rolling is instinctive and one of the basic needs of the dog.
However, you should keep a close eye on him if this behavior is very frequent or persistent. Parasites such as fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes may be behind it.
Dog rolls in faeces – possible solutions
First of all, there is no direct solution to this action. Your furry friend won’t understand why the musty smell is so bad for you. For him it is the best perfume.
But if you still want to go for a walk in the future without a smelly ride home, you should first understand why do dogs roll in poop?
You will never be able to completely wean your pet from rolling and rubbing on the floor. It is simply also a sign of well-being.
But you can very well steer it in a controlled way, like this.
Through differentiation
It is very important that you pay attention to what your dog rolls in.
If you see your dog rolling in the grass, that’s perfectly fine and you don’t have to intervene. However, if you notice that he is aiming for feces or carrion, you should react immediately.
This is how your companion learns where he can roll and where not.
Through training
As in many topics of dog training, good basic obedience is of great importance.
You can stop him from lying in the poo with commands like “no”, “off” or “stop”.
If he doesn’t respond to verbal instructions, use a loud object. A box with stones, for example, is suitable for this.
If your furry friend doesn’t stop, just drop the can and she’ll focus on you again.
Now combine the “stop” command with the noise source. When your dog turns his attention back to you, reward him and give him plenty of praise.
Conclusion
If your furry friend is rolling in poo or dirt again, don’t punish him for it. Always remember, he’s just following his instincts.
With training and targeted differentiation, you can certainly find a compromise that makes you both happy.
Just remember, it requires patience and understanding until your four-legged friend has learned the desired behavior.
If you need more tips and advice on my dog rolling in poop, feel free to browse our parenting bible.
So you can quickly achieve targeted success.
Then it will soon be goodbye to the stinky car ride.