Many dog owners become desperate because of their pets' habit of rolling around in all kinds of smelly stuff while walking. Why are dogs attracted to smells that are so disgusting to us?
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Dogs are attracted to other people's excrement, rotten fish, carrion, and much more that can cause at least a grimace of disgust in us.
There is no definitive answer to the question of why dogs love to roll around in smelly stuff. However, scientists put forward several hypotheses.
Dogs roll around in smelly muck to mask their scent while hunting.
Indeed, wolves also like to rub odors into their fur, which make us sick. But the version that they do this to deceive their prey and disguise themselves raises doubts.
Canadian scientists conducted an experiment. They offered groups of wolves different options for both natural and artificial scents, and studied the preferences of gray predators.
It is surprising that the wolves were not at all interested in the excrement of potential prey (horses or sheep). Just like different types of food. But they liked artificial smells (motor oil, perfumes, etc.).
And then the question is: how can you mask your presence with the help of odors that simply do not exist in natural conditions? This is at least irrational. And animals are rational beings.
The second most attractive to wolves were the smells of feces of larger predators (puma and bears), which also does not correspond to the original theory.
Pat Goodmann, a wolf behavior researcher in Indiana, has found that wolves prefer the scents of either other canids or felines. That is, predators.
In addition, wolves rarely hunt from ambush; more often they stalk prey, and they do not care whether they are visible. Therefore, the version of camouflage does not seem very plausible.
Dogs roll around in smelly stuff to pretend to be someone else.
Another version of scientists is as follows. When canids roll around in the excrement of other predators (like bears or cougars), they pretend to be something more dangerous.
Max Allen, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin, studied gray foxes. And I discovered that these animals regularly visit areas marked by cougars to rub against the marks. Allen suggested that this helps foxes avoid encounters with coyotes. They say that the smell of a cougar gives the fox the opportunity to hide from a coyote, who would attack the fox, but does not dare to pursue the cougar.
But wolves are quite successful and large predators, so why should they use other people’s scents?
How to break the habit
It doesn't matter why the dog is lying around in dead meat and excrement. It is important that this unsightly activity can turn into a habit. In addition to the fact that the pet constantly “smells” something, he can also get sick and bring some kind of infection into the house.
The following measures must be taken:
- First, find out what exactly is causing the behavior and try to eliminate it.
- Choose a walking route so that there are no garbage bins or landfills on your way.
- During walks, the pet must be on a leash and under the strict control of the owner.
- Switch the dog's attention to more useful activities: play, training. Increase physical activity for hunting dogs.
- See if this behavior is associated with the use of any “dog cosmetics” that the dog does not like and wants to get rid of it at all costs.
- Try to brush your dog's fur regularly, especially during shedding season.
We have looked at all the possible reasons why dogs roll around in rotten meat or rub against it. However, it is not possible to find out for certain why this happens. Only the four-legged friend knows this, who, alas, will not be able to tell about it.
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Some dog breeders are faced with the fact that the dog eats its own and other people’s excrement at home or on a walk. Of course, such behavior cannot be pleasant for the owner. In order to rid your pet of this bad habit, you need to know why the dog eats its own feces and how to wean it from it.
Or maybe animals rub against someone else's scent to leave their own?
Max Allen's version is not shared by another scientist, the British Stephen Harris (University of Bristol). He is convinced that the animal’s goal is not to collect other people’s smells, but to spread its own. And an unfamiliar scent simply stimulates dogs to rub against the same places in order to leave their own marks there.
However, when dogs roll around in “smelly places,” they rarely limit themselves to leaving their scent. They fall out so much that your whole body smells! So this version also does not look completely convincing. In any case, it does not explain all cases.
How to get rid of a bad habit
It is almost impossible to completely get rid of this “bad habit”, since the reason lies in the hunting instincts of the animal. And, if you don't have time to keep track of what to do, get stinky!
A few minutes ago this fish was lying here. Well, how can you not wipe yourself on this delicious ice, which still retains her smell!
But you can still prevent such a phenomenon by trying to direct the animal’s energy in the right direction. To do this, you must follow several rules:
- Avoid walking near trash cans, landfills, etc.
- If the habit of wallowing in rotten meat and excrement is repeated regularly, think about changing cosmetics or detergent for the animal. Your pet may not like their smell.
- Try to give your dog enough physical and mental training.
- In case of shedding, regularly care for the four-legged fur.
- Regularly treat your pet for fleas, ticks and other parasites.
Dogs wallow in rotten meat, obeying ancient instincts. They understand perfectly well that they are doing something that may upset the owner. But, left alone with carrion, they cannot resist the call of their ancestors. Therefore, with a little effort, you can, if not get rid of it, then minimize the likelihood of unpleasant incidents.
If this topic is relevant for someone, tell me how you fight this bad habit of your little ones? And what means do you use to get rid of the unpleasant smell, if your “robber” nevertheless seizes the moment to wallow in rotten meat?
Good luck to you! Take care of your pets!
Dog owners are horrified by the situation when their pets are lying in rotten meat. Although from the animal's point of view, nothing bad happens. In this article we will try to figure out why dogs wallow in rotten meat and how to wean them from this habit.
Rolling around in stinking muck is a way to convey information to relatives
This is another version. According to her, wolves, for example, roll around in odorous substances to tell their relatives where they have been. And Erich Klinghammer, the creator of the Wolf Park, suggests that wallowing in the muck is a message to other members of the pack: “there is so much delicious stuff out there!”
For example, scientists have observed how wolves, having discovered large prey, not only eat it, but also rub, roll around, etc. And, perhaps, they let their friends know that there is something to profit from where they came from.
Hyenas also swing in the carrion - after this, their relatives show them active signs of attention.
Ethiopian wolves also like to roll on the ground after a meal. However, they are not averse to using human excrement as “spirits”.
Strong smell - something like a “uniform”
There is another version.
A study of Canadian wolves showed that when a pack finds a strong-smelling area, the leader rides first, and then the rest follow suit. It's as if the leader determines how all members of the pack will smell.
Similar behavior is observed not only in wolves, but also in coyotes and foxes.
Female wild dogs roll on the ground where the males' marks remain if they want to join them.
And dogs sometimes rub against each other.
What other versions are there?
And this is not all hypotheses!
Veterinarian and animal behaviorist Stanley Koren believes that dogs try to stand out with such behavior. Like people wearing bright clothes.
Muriel Brasseur, a spokesman for the Center for the Study of Animal Behavior in Oxford, believes that wallowing in muck gives dogs a strong rush of dopamine, the “satisfaction hormone.” So not only are they echoes of survival behavior, but... just plain fun!
However, this does not make it any easier for dog owners. But, since we have fallen in love with dogs, we must continue to love them even when they are dirty. And smelly. Wash and love. Such is the fate of a dog owner.
Why do dogs like to roll in feces and carrion?
Why is it that many dogs can’t resist the temptation to wallow from head to toe in someone’s excrement, rub themselves heartily with stinking fish scales, or give a good side kiss to a dead cat? Some scientists put forward theories about this, others argue with them, but so far no one has offered any clear and unambiguous explanation. Regardless, I still think it's worth getting at least a general idea of the possible reasons for this behavior.
1. Dogs try to mask their scent.
A prominent expert in the field of studying dog behavior, psychologist Stanley Coren believes that this behavior is a rudimentary camouflage mechanism inherited by dogs from distant ancestors, who for many thousands of years obtained their food by hunting. According to him, by rolling around in the carrion or droppings of another animal, wild dogs hid their scent under someone else's scent and thus misled their victims, which allowed them to sneak up and attack unnoticed.
Dr. Koren by no means discovers America with his words: this is precisely the explanation for the desire of dogs to wallow in stinking heaps that any dog owner will offer. This is what is called a common place. However, many experts rightly consider it untenable due to the large number of assumptions.
For example, what about the fact that many animals rely on hearing and vision as much as their sense of smell? Even if a predator sneaks up from the leeward side, herbivores are able to notice it due to good hearing and a wide field of vision. In addition, the same representatives of canines have a strong enough sense of smell to distinguish the real smell under someone else’s “mask”. And on top of that, this theory does not explain in any way why wolves like to wallow in fox droppings, which is completely illogical from the point of view of hunting camouflage.
2. Dogs try to leave their scent behind.
Some experts, by analogy with cat behavior, believe that dogs, lying in carrion, do not strive to acquire a new smell, but, on the contrary, to leave their own on it. That is, the desire to lie on something that has a strong smell is similar to an attempt to lie on a new bedding or rub against a toy, that is, to leave your smell on it and thus express your claim to this item.
But this explanation cannot be accepted as unambiguously correct. It is no secret that a dog has much simpler and more effective tools that allow him to leave his “signature”. Hence the question: why do you need to lie down and rub your neck if you can just raise your paw and pee?
3. Dogs use scent as a communication tool.
An interesting explanation is offered by Pat Goodman, a researcher and curator of a wolf park in Indiana. He has long been studying the behavior of wolves and is sure that dogs roll around in carrion in order to convey information about their findings to the rest of the pack.
“When faced with a new scent, a wolf will first examine it and then roll around its source, trying to leave as strong a scent trail as possible on its body, especially in the neck area,” Goodman says. — When he returns to his pack, the rest of the wolves greet him and at the same time carefully examine the smell he brought. In our Wolf Park, we have repeatedly observed cases where one or more members of the pack followed the scent directly to its source.”
Goodman also notes that this is not only about the smells of carrion or excrement of potential hunting targets, as one might assume. Wolves demonstrated similar behavior when they found the smell of perfume, mint extract or fly repellent specially planted by the researchers.
4. A strong smell stimulates the dog’s physical activity.
Another interesting theory comes from Alexandra Horowitz, director of the Canine Behavior Laboratory at Barnard College. She believes that the strong smell directly affects the part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for motor activity and literally “forces” the dog to start lying around. In her opinion, odors that we consider somewhere between repulsive and disgusting have a particularly serious influence on a dog’s behavior.
5. A strong unpleasant odor is an indicator of the coolness of a dog.
Dr. Patricia McConnell jokingly calls this behavior "gold chain guy" syndrome. The motives of a dog, in her opinion, are similar to the motives of a person who wears incredibly flashy clothes or uses too bright perfume.
“Perhaps dogs love to roll around in smelly stuff because it makes them more attractive to other dogs,” she says. “It's like the dog is screaming, 'Look at me! There are dead fish on my property! Am I not cool?!” In conditions of intense competition for resources or mating primacy, even the presence of dead cats in a particular dog’s area can be an advantage.”
Is it possible to fight this?
Regardless of the reasons why a dog is lying in stinking carrion, a person has little chance of somehow influencing it. It is impossible to fight hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. The dog will still, given the opportunity, climb wherever he deems it necessary to climb, and do what he has in mind. The only way to alleviate the situation is to practice an effective prohibition command, carefully monitor the dog and pull it in time. Well, or just walk her on a leash - whoever likes what you prefer.
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© 2019-2021 Alexander Smirnov. Respect the work of the author: copying any part of the material is possible only with indication of authorship and a link to the source.
Dog handler Alexander Smirnov
From childhood, as far as I can remember, we had dogs in our house. Their presence was something ordinary, natural, without which you couldn’t imagine your life. Small, large, fluffy or smooth-haired - a considerable part of my memories are connected with them in one way or another...
