Yesterday We had a lot of fun. We went for a walk in the woods and then my gramma and grampa split up. I think they wanted to see who I would follow. I started out following my gramma but then i heard my grampa calling me so I ran to where he was...then my gramma started calling me from even farther away so I ran back to her. The kept calling me from one to the other for what seemed like forever. But it was fun running through the woods trying to find them. Sort of like hide and seek.
Then after they got tired (or was it me) we headed back to the little camp site there when it happened ! I picked up a scent. I think it was goose poop but I'm still not sure. Anyways, once I found it I was in heaven. Rolling all around in it, getting it on my chest, and shoulder and side. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm a rose by any other name would not smell so sweet.
Of course, g & g (gramma and grampa) weren't quite as impressed. In fact, they were like OMG ! So they did something they never did before when I have rolled in stinky stuff - they gave me a bath in an outdoor sink that happens to be at the camp. It was sooooooooooooo embarrassing. They got water from the creek, and proceeded to shampoo me...not once, but TWICE.
They just don't understand. We dogs have our reasons for rolling in stinky stuff. rather than me explaining it all I'll just quote from Ron Kurtus, a champion dog breeder. He says:
"Sometimes dogs will roll in the grass or in something smelly right after getting a bath. Some dog shampoos have perfumes that may be pleasant to humans but smell awful to the animal. It is just an effort to mask the unpleasant and un-dog-like odor.
The major theory why dogs will roll in smelly material is based on the relationship of domesticated canines to wolves. Wolves will often roll in decomposing carcasses or the feces of plant eating animals or herbivores. This would mask their own scent and enable them to sneak up on their prey without detection. It could even fool members of the other species into accepting it as one of their own. This ancient instinct may have carried over to domesticated dogs. Working and hunting dogs tend to roll in smelly stuff more often than other breeds. Perhaps this is because they are more closely related to wolves.
Another school for thought is that dogs may roll in feces or a dead animal's remains to "advertise" what they have found to other members of the pack. Rolling in the material is a way for your dog to let you know that it found something interesting.
Mmm, that smells good! What was he rolling in?
Male dogs will urinate on a tree or post and females will urinate near the object. They do this as either to mark their territory or as a way to communicate concerning who has been there. Likewise, one theory is that the dog is claiming a carcass or remains as its own by rolling on it and imparting its own scent onto the object. One problem with this theory is that it seems a stretch in the case of rolling in an other animal's feces.
Rolling in their own feces or that of another dog is not as common of a behavior. The dog do this as a way to get attention. Or it may be some sort of distorted behavior, perhaps due to stress or other problems.
Although rolling in something smelly is not desirable behavior, you should not punish the dog for doing what is only natural. It is better to try to prevent the chances of the behavior by keeping an eye on your pet. Fortunately, the behavior seems to diminish as the dog gets more mature.
Well unfortunately for my g&g I don't plan on getting more mature for a long, long time...
lick lick and arf arf
Chrissy
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