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Nildes
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Why do dogs roll in ****?

My lab seems to have an instinct for it because he was never taught it by a parent or older dog. Nor has he seen another doing it to copy.

It seems the smellier the better, he ignores old **** and is attracted to fresh fox scats.

 

In survival or behavioural terms, what benefits does a dog get from doing this?

 

TIA

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Rolling in poo is an instinct dogs inherited from their wild ancestors. A strong smell hides the dog's own smell, making it easier to sneak up on other animals.

 

My two don't sneak anywhere but they roll in it all the time. You've got to have eyes in the back of your head to stop them. Fox and badger poo, dead fish or dead frogs the smellier the better really. If we have to do a car journey to get home I’m gagging out of the window it’s so bad. Goose poo is another favourite

 

A quick sluice down outside never works so I’ve taught them the phrase "in the shower" and they just trot into the cubicle and sit down looking like butter wouldn’t melt. Neither of them like it but it doesn’t stop them rolling in things when their out.

 

Also, apparently there’s nothing tastier than some fresh horse poo or cow dung just as long as it’s fresh and warm. Oh and goose poo is another favourite. My next door neighbours dog who is the laziest Labrador I’ve ever met and rarely brakes into a trot moves faster than the speed of light to get to the horse poo before the other dogs.

 

Can’t believe I’m sat at my desk writing about poo :good:

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ok beat this.....

 

 

 

when i was a little kid, my beagle (called basil btw, cute name hmmm?) rolled in a dead seal on the beach.

 

muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

rolled or Eaton it, we used to have a beagle cross that worked with two other dogs that i owned, when i was gutting the rabbits the little **** used to swipe the guts out of your hands :good::lol::P

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Rolling in poo is an instinct dogs inherited from their wild ancestors. A strong smell hides the dog's own smell, making it easier to sneak up on other animals.

 

Yeah but a fox is just as much a predator as a dog is. Not many prey animals gonna be fooled by that is there? So I can't buy that.

 

Mind you, pretending to be a horse or a goose makes more sense.

 

I think there must be more to it than that though.

Good answer, thanks :good:

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Nildes, good point about smelling like a fox so I googled the following statement “Why do dogs roll in ****â€

 

I tell you it’s a good job we don’t have internet police at work. Anyway I found the following

 

One theory is that dogs are attempting to mask their own scent. This would be a holdover from their origins as wolves. Masking their scent may help wolves sneak up on prey without alerting them by way of smell.

 

A second theory is that rolling in faeces or a dead animal's remains is a way for a dog to communicate that he's found something interesting. The dog (or wolf) then transports that smell back to his family (his pack) in order to advertise his discovery.

 

A third theory is set forth in the book The Truth About Dogs, by Stephen Budiansky. It is possible, Budiansky writes, that we've gotten it backwards. The dog may not be trying to absorb the scent; instead he may be trying to impart his own scent onto the object of his interest, for the same reason that a dog may urinate on a tree. The purpose may be no more than to leave a calling card – to overmark another scent.

 

On the eating of poo side of things, I googled that too and it's called Coprophagia (glad they have a proper word for it eh!) according to one webiste apparently they do as it contains vitamins produced by their intestinal bacteria. The animal is unable to absorb the vitamins through the intestinal wall, but can get at them by eating poo. Another reason that dogs eat poo is that poo is a good source of protein.

 

Oh and to finish the word "poo" comes from the Middle English word poupen. Don't know how I've survived without knowing that :good:

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Someone once told me to always keep a can of coke in the car for just this reason....

 

A quick glug over the "area" should mean you can drive home and sort it out without chucking up in a layby with the smell :look:

 

No idea if it works.. never did try it myself.

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One thought......If they are trying to mask their own smell,why smell like a fox if they are a predator hunting prey,ie. rabbit/deer/hare.Or is it that other animals don`t expect to be hunted by a **** ?

Poop smells like poop.......animals smell like animals.

 

At first I thought it was a dominance thing. Perhaps the dog trying to dress up in the odour of a more powerful animal?

But that didn't work for other smells. What dog would want to smell like a cow?

Then I thought about hedgepigs. They self-annoint with saliva to try and kill off the fleas in their spines.

Perhaps the dog gets some chemical from the smellier **** which kills off his fleas?

It is noticeable that they try to get it on the back of the head and shoulders, areas where its difficult to scratch.

 

What does anyone think?

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I suspect it is an old instinctive habit , dating back to wild dog days.

It shows their dominance over whatever is dead, or produced the mess.

It also explains why dogs like to urinate where other dogs have urinated.

 

A knowledgeable friend of mine claims its a coat oiling/care exercise, as it reaches the parts the dog cannot groom easily (neck and shoulders).

 

All the other reasons suggested also have some merit.

 

Pays yer money, takes yer choice. :look:

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Because they Like it :look:

 

 

Dont you ever wonder what they are talking about when they get together at a shoot or in a park.................................Hey Bramble you should have smelled the pile of badger poo I rolled in this week, had the Master gagging out the window on the way home........ Yeah well Cranfield and I were down on the beach yesterday and I found some dead fish....smelled like it had been in the sun for a week, so I rolled it into my fur and then ate it right in front of him......he lost his lunch right there.....so for good measure I went over and started to lick that up and........... :P

 

 

Dogs need entertainment too :yp: :lol::lol:

 

 

NTTF

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Ben the lab to Sweep the cocker...

 

Ben:Sweep , Sweep, SWEEP....

Sweep: ough, yeah

Ben: You see that big pile of Rotton fish over there?

Sweep:( bounceing up and down) yeah, yeah, I see it, what about it hugh, hugh...

Ben: When you know who

Sweep: (interupting)...who, you know who, who

Ben: You know who ...the tall ugly guy.....

Sweep : oh yeah I know who

Ben: When he looks out over there for Jack and Zukie, you run and roll in that and I am going to run over there and roll in that pile of ***** Poop

Sweep: yeah yeah yeah

Ben He will never know what hit him until we get back in the landy

Sweep: who wont know what hit him

Ben: the tall Ugly...oh never mind just get ready to ......GO Go Go

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Ben the lab to Sweep the cocker...

 

Ben:Sweep , Sweep, SWEEP....

Sweep: ough, yeah

Ben: You see that big pile of Rotton fish over there?

Sweep:( bounceing up and down) yeah, yeah, I see it, what about it hugh, hugh...

Ben: When you know who

Sweep: (interupting)...who, you know who, who

Ben: You know who ...the tall ugly guy.....

Sweep : oh yeah I know who

Ben: When he looks out over there for Jack and Zukie, you run and roll in that and I am going to run over there and roll in that pile of ***** Poop

Sweep: yeah yeah yeah

Ben He will never know what hit him until we get back in the landy

Sweep: who wont know what hit him

Ben: the tall Ugly...oh never mind just get ready to ......GO Go Go

 

 

NTTF, how did you know he was tall? ???

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