Why Dogs Love To Wallow In Dirty Places
When we take our dogs for a walk in the park, in the garden, on the porch of the house or anywhere, wherever there is opportunity… our pet takes the opportunity to be slipping in dirty places. Why does he have this behavior? Why do dogs love poking around in these places? In the following article, we’ll talk about this.
Reasons why dogs love to wallow in dirty places
It’s a behavior that clearly don’t share with human beings and maybe that’s why we don’t understand and criticize or disapprove of it. It’s true that once you’ve wallowed in the dirty place, the animal must go home and you have to put up with the stench. But after that punishing them is synonymous with cutting his connection with the wild side he has.
The main reasons dogs love to wallow in dirty places are:
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hunter instinct
As we said earlier, dogs still retain some aspects of their wild ancestors. Like wolves (their closest relatives), they need to go unnoticed when they want to capture prey. Within this ritual, to neutralize the odor and not be recognized, it is necessary to smear yourself with clay, fetid substances or even dead animals.
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territorial character
Wallowing in something that leaves an ingrained odor on the back or paws was the dogs’ way of expressing their happiness at finding territory before the rest of the dogs. That way, when other dogs reach the prey, they’ll know who it belongs to.
Do not forget that pets have hundreds of scent glands in their bodies, making it easier to leave their scent imprint on things. It is, in turn, a technique to communicate to the pack (recalling the wild past) about your find.
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Keeping his characteristic odor
We people do wrong, bathing them and spraying perfume (although animal-friendly products are used). That’s exactly what you are reading. What for us is being dirty, for them is their identity card, so to speak.
Unpleasant odors for humans are appreciated by dogs, because in this way they communicate with others. And if we think they like bubble baths and being powdered with talcum powder… we’re wrong. If it were up to them, they would prefer to wallow in horse droppings.
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enjoy
While this is hard to understand, dogs love wallowing in dirt, dead animals, or garbage. Why do they do this? Again because their perception and consideration of odors are not the same as ours. Cow droppings may be more pleasurable to him than French perfume to humans.
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transmission of information
This was also inherited by them from their cousins, the wolves. According to research, in packs, when an individual finds something that catches his eye, he first sniffs and then wallows in it to impregnate himself with its scent. Then transfer this odor to the rest of the group, to be approved or not according to their evaluation.
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Demonstration of superiority
The goal in this case is to demonstrate to the pack that he has hunted something interesting, and ultimately, he should be praised and congratulated for his achievement. Although, in this case, the poor dog will have to withstand a reprimand from us… because the odor can become unbearable.
What can we do so that our pet doesn’t wallow in the dirt?
As a first measure, you should not scold or punish him, because if they wallow, they do it by pure and exclusive instinct. What we can do, for example, is not to encourage this behavior.
For example, if we take him for a walk in the park and we see him rubbing himself in something dirty, firmly tell him “NO” and move him away. You will have to be very patient, because he won’t understand at first.
If he often does this in our yard or garden, it’s that simple; clean up his droppings or make sure there’s no litter, dead animals, or anything else that catches your eye.
