As you’ve undoubtedly noticed, you and your dog have very different notions of what smells nice. To your dog, something could smell quite wonderful. But to you, in a word, it’s yucky. And vice versa.
A few theories
Here’s a perfect example of something that smells nice to you but not to your dog: the perfumes used in dog shampoo. You may find them pleasant, but many dogs dislike their odor. As a result, as soon as your just-bathed dog gets the chance, he finds something that smells more acceptable to him—garbage, dog feces, animal carcasses—and starts rolling around in it.
Have you ever caught your dog rolling around in poop? Believe it or not, this behavior is quite common—and very natural. Many believe it's instinctual behavior, harkening back to the days when your dog’s wild ancestors would mask their scent to help them sneak up on their prey. Wolves, for example, have been observed rolling in animal carcasses or the droppings of plant-eating animals, to cover up their own smell during the hunt.
Here’s a related theory that also conjures up the pre-domesticated past of canines: wild dogs may have rolled around in smelly things to “tell” their pack mates where they’ve been and what they’ve encountered in their adventures. It’s his way of saying, “Hey, smell where I’ve been!”
What should you do about this behavior?
The important thing to remember is that rolling around in smelly things is a natural and normal behavior for dogs—no matter how the results may strike you (or your nose). Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to live with a smelly dog. Though you shouldn’t punish this behavior, there are steps you can take to discourage it.
If your dog rolls around in his own feces, immediately clean up after him in the yard. When you’re out walking your dog, keep him on a short leash to prevent him from rolling around in another dog's poop or other smelly things you both might encounter. To discourage and ultimately stop him from rolling around in offensively odorous things, you could try to pair an unpleasant experience with his action. This can take the form of squirting him with a water bottle or using a citronella spray collar that can be operated via remote control (dogs absolutely hate the smell of citronella). If you use this method, make sure you squirt him as soon as he starts rolling.
You can also try anything your dog finds annoying, like making a loud and sudden noise. The key here is to be consistent and to start the “annoyance” as soon as he starts to roll around in something smelly. Once he starts to associate rolling around in smelly things with the unpleasant experience, chances are this behavior will quickly stop. And you can breathe easier.
Dogs roll in poop and when they do, they even sport a satisfied look on the face. What gives? Let's face it, scent rolling is one of those dog behaviors dog owners find most repulsive, especially when dogs roll in poop right after a bath!
While we lather ourselves with body soap and a spritz of eau de toilette after a bath, dogs instead head for their own version of "eau de toilet" literally using any form of animal poop they can come across!
Whether your dog rolls in fox poo, rabbit pellets or cow pies, this behavior sure leaves us baffled especially when we notice that satisfied, "look what I just did!" look on the dog's face.
Until dogs can talk, we can only make some assumptions as to why dogs engage in certain behaviors, but here are a few educated guesses as to why dogs roll in poop and other stinky things.
1) A Case of Identity Theft
When your dog rolls in poop, it may look like a rather simplistic behavior, but there's a lot going on. First of all, when a dog rolls in poop, he's depositing his own scent on the poop, and at the same time, he's also acquiring the scent of the animal who has originally deposited the poop.
But why would a dog want to smell like a fox, deer, rabbit or a cow? There is likely a good reason.
One theory has it that this behavior is reminiscent of the times when dogs were hunting for as living. When prey animals detected the smell of predators, they would normally leave, but what if the predators smelled just like them?
Chances are, if predators could disguise their smell and smell just like their prey, prey animals would be fooled and consequently would become easier to catch. Talk about "a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
A dog rolling in poop can be disguising his smell.
2) Something to Brag About
Another theory has it, that dogs roll in poop to advertise something that may be relevant to the other members of his social group. It's the canine version of social bragging, sort of like saying "Hey, look what I found!"
It's the sensory version of a bulletin board, where dogs send sensory messages to one another through scent.
3) Doggy Bulletin Board
If bragging seems to be too much of an anthropomorphic explanation, there may be another good reason for dogs to roll in poop or other stinky things.
So here's another theory: since dogs in the past used to wander for food sources, animal feces may have proven to be interesting information that was worthy of sharing with other members.
This theory is based on Pat Goodmann research on scent rolling in wolves conducted at Wolf Park in Indiana.
Since dogs cannot talk to one another and reveal their findings verbally, scent carried on their coats may have been worth 100 words. Their scent could have therefore informed other dogs about some interesting findings in their neck of the woods.
4) Gaining Their Identity Back
And then there is the classic nerve-wrecking scene of a dog rolling on poop right after they are given a bath. When we give our dogs a bath, we are adding scents that we find appealing, but dogs think differently.
Indeed, to put it bluntly, if we could ask them, they would tell us they can't wait to get that scent off of them!
No offense, but we're talking about two different species here. As humans, we like the scent of fruit and flower blossoms because our evolutionary past revolved around gathering nuts and fruits.
Dogs on the other hand, were hunters and scavengers at heart. Yes, you can dress up your dog in pink, paint her nails and bathe her with baby powder cologne, but she will always be a dog who is attracted to stinky, rotten scents no matter what you do.
So we shouldn't be surprised if the moment we give our dogs a bath, they can't wait to get that vanilla or lavender scent off of them, and gain back their identity. All the want to do is smell like a dog again! Or even better, smell like a dog covered in fox poo!
Nothing beats a dog owners' horror of watching their dog roll in poop after being given a bath.
5) DIY Self-Grooming
Dogs have different perceptions when it comes to grooming. We want our dogs to smell good, while all our dogs care about is that their coats get rid of dead hairs and are free of mats.
While we use brushes and combs to remove any dead hairs, dogs in the wild used to resort to rolling over stuff to shed those dead or dying hairs away from their undercoats.
Of course, the fact that whatever they find to to roll over is stinky and gross, makes the action from as dog's perspective even more appealing! Welcome to the Poop n' Groom Dog Salon!
Now That You Know...
As seen, dogs have their own good set of reasons to roll in poop or other stinky, rotten stuff. Whether your dog rolls in dung, dead fish or trash, consider that it's an instinct.
And when we talk about instincts, we can't really do much about it, especially once dogs have begun to drop, roll and start writhing while grunting in pleasure. Here though are some tips for reducing this behavior.
7 Strategies to Stop Your Dog From Rolling in Poop
So to prevent this behavior in the first place, your best option is limiting exposure to stimuli that trigger the scent-rolling action. Following are therefore several management strategies.
- Regularly patrol your yard and remove things like dead mice or rotten bird eggs.
- Invest in a leash or long line for those hikes in the country.
- After you give your dog a bath, take him on a walk to dry him up so he won't feel too tempted to roll.
- On walks, when your dog is on leash get her attention before she sniffs other animals or other dog's feces, and if needed, use the leash to direct her away from the feces.
- Redirect your dog to treats to reward her good choices. Over time, your dog should come to associate the feces on the ground with a reward coming.
- Train your dog a fluent response to the "leave it" cue.
- If it's too late, and your dog has already managed to drop, roll and absorb bad odors deep into his/her pores, use a shampoo that is crafted to neutralize odors. This should help cut down those awful smells, at least until the next time!