Why Does My Dog Roll in Disgusting Things?
A Dog who Rolls in Gross Things is Absolutely Normal
Rotting garbage, washed-up fish, finely-aged rodent carcasses. If it's high as a kite, many dogs will roll in it, wriggle in it, and chow down on it.
Discovering the Inner Wolf
Modern dogs, regardless of how tidily we squeeze them into our human world, retain instincts of their wild ancestors. Treat your dog like a "little person in a fur coat" if you must but beneath the fashionable collar lies the flickering flame of a lean, mean, hunting machine. When your dog sleeps with feet paddling and lips curled back in a sinister grimace, do you really think he's dreaming about his next bag of kibble? No. He's a wolf, running full-tilt through a dark forest, hot on the heels of something special to bring home for dinner.
Male or female, purebred or mixed, young or old, many dogs are swept back to their wolf roots when it involves their desire to roll in disgusting things.
Reasons for Rolling
Experts are divided when suggesting reasons for the roll but many agree it's a device to cover their own scent while stalking prey. Dr. Bruce Fogle, author of "101 Questions Your Dog Would Ask Its Vet," described it perfectly when he wrote, "If he masks his own odour and is up-wind of a potential meal, that meal will probably not be concerned if it thinks it is being approached by a dead fish."
Dogs often follow set choreography when approaching the disgusting thing. They sniff it, drop one shoulder into it then roll, thrash and squirm to cover themselves completely in what we call "disgusting" and they call "perfume for a dog's soul."
Another theory suggests covering oneself in a noxious odour is to display a badge of honour amongst peers. It's similar to discovering a new restaurant and sharing its take-out menu with avid foodie friends.
The final theory is the simplest: dogs don't like smelling like a human. A sensitive canine nose may find scented dish detergents and household air fresheners to be as offensive as rotting fish is to us. Have you noticed how your freshly-bathed dog rushes to a lawn, carpet or piece of furniture for a frantic rub-down? It may be the scent in the shampoo he finds distasteful. He wants to remove it, quickly. One good roll on a rotting fish would certainly do the trick.
Humans Just Don't Get It
If your dog comes home smelling and looking as if he's been playing in an old pile of organic matter,, he's one proud canine and can't understand why you're upset. Whether it's a preamble for the hunt, strutting his stuff for his friends, or proving his distain for our human offerings of "what smells good," rolling in disgusting things is a genetically-inspired component of your dog's psyche.
Pet supply stores, groomers and veterinarians offer a variety of shampoos and sprays that are specially formulated to clean and deodorize or neutralize the most revolving odours. Whiel you're there, pick up an extra container. The next time your dog heeds the call of his wolf ancestors, you'll be prepared.
Within Every Dog Lives an Inner Wolf
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