Mary Allen
As soon as the dog is out of the tub, he goes completely crazy, races through the house, and rolls on the floor. It’s funny every time. But why do dogs actually do this?
Everyone who has given their dog a shower or a full bath knows this: the tail wag has hardly left the shower or tub when it shakes itself vigorously and then the madness sets in!
As if stung by a tarantula, the dog dashes through the house throws himself on the floor, rolls over, jumps up again, and rushes off again. Some animals even got so crazy that they completely forget internalized rules like “jumping on the couch is forbidden” and literally walk over tables and benches. One could almost say that surviving the bath is the greatest thing that has happened to your dog in his whole fluffy life.
But why do dogs actually behave this way? Experts name four possible reasons.
Survival instinct
Running, shaking, and rubbing against the carpet could be the dog’s instinctive reaction to the wet fur. A wet dog is more vulnerable in nature than one with a dry coat: it weighs more, smells more intensely, and freezes faster. The dog instinctively helps itself by running around wildly. The body is warmed up and the fur is dried by scrubbing along the carpet.
smell question
Every living being has a certain need to survive. But maybe the wet fur isn’t the current main problem of your four-legged friend. Or maybe he just hates his new smell. Because even if you use a shampoo made specifically for dogs, the smell is never exactly what a dog naturally possesses.
With its 125 to 220 million olfactory cells, this can be really uncomfortable for your four-legged friend. Because instead of “freshly washed” he prefers to smell like earth, dirt, dunghill, dead mouse, cat droppings (yes, these are all based on experience…), and of course himself. Some experts, therefore, assume that a dog smells after a bath crazy for “five minutes” trying to escape the unpleasant smell.
Stress Relief
Many dogs do not like being showered or bathed at all. Kind as they are, they still keep still and endure the unpleasant procedure. However, due to the many different stimuli such as the smell, the wetness, and also the proximity to the master or mistress, a lot of energy accumulates. Once the situation has been overcome, the dog reduces this stress through intensive movement. And since the shower or bathtub isn’t in the park or garden, the madness happens where there’s the least space for it: in the middle of the apartment.
Joy
It may sound absurd to some dog owners, but there are actually four-legged friends who love to be bathed. And that’s not so surprising, since everything in the cleaning procedure revolves around them without exception. If these rare specimens race through the house after washing as if chasing rabbits, this could also simply be an expression of pure joie de vivre.