Eccentricities

[Betty-Robinson]

Our dog Taz loves to dive head first into the lawn then roll around on his back when he first gets outside and then several other times during a walk or play time in the yard.
Have others reported this behavior?

[Jennifer]

It sounds like maybe you’re describing scent rolling? That’s a wolf behavior which many dogs retain. Our mutt is an extremely enthusiastic scent roller as well. My understanding is that it’s really not all that clear from the existing research what purposes it serves in wolves. The most common theory seems to be that it may be a way to carry important scent discoveries back to the pack (food, rivals, dangers, mysterious novelties etc.), although wolves will scent roll when the whole pack is together too, and apparently individual wolves also vary quite a bit as to which scents they find worthy of rolling in, so that may not be a fully adequate explanation. Anyway, there are lots of videos out there of both dogs and wolves scent rolling, so you could check those to confirm if that’s what Taz is doing.

[Betty-Robinson]

Thanks! Yes, that’s it. Although, thankfully for us, he doesn’t do it in things that stink to us, I.e. no smelly fish or other carcasses, rather in open field or yard spaces and even just outside the door when he first goes out in the morning.

[Eugene-Gilden]

My dog Lucky loves to just relax on the grass while holding a rock in his mouth. Occasionally he will drop the rock or be searching for one and he is unable to just pick it up. He digs at it to roll it into position with his front paws. When he is really excited and trying to behave he will often find a much larger stone that he just licks and licks and licks. Any ideas what this is about?

[Gloria-Sargent]

Our Flat coated Retriever loved to roll in smelly stuff – especially after a bath. Our Great Pyrenees rarely does, but has on occasion. I don’t recall our Field Springer doing it very often, or any other dog we’ve owned. Our Pyr Puppy has not done it yet.

[bill gerry]

Our 10 year Golden, Sage, has just started this happy, rolling back rub exercises these past 2-3 months when she was finally able to access the back yard. The spring rains here in Vancouver had much of our lawns a swamp. She will roll on any lawn in our walks, including the ‘gravelly’ grounds at a beach park. Crazy happy semi growls happen the same time

[James-Smith-2]

Lucky, my dog, enjoys lying back on the grass with a rock in his jaws.

magento 2 development services

[sangtrong-gm]

He digs at it to roll it into position with his front paws.

[Bóng Đá-Info]

although wolves will scent roll when the whole pack is together too, and apparently individual wolves also vary quite a bit as to which scents they find worthy of rolling in, so that may not be a fully adequate explanation. Anyway, there are lots of videos out there of both dogs and wolves scent rolling, so you could check those to confirm if that’s what Taz is doing.

[Kathryn-Leep]

My first dog was a German shepherd mix. She was notorious for loving to roll in dead fish. That’s the only memory I have of her rolling in something, but it was more than enough! I would go fishing with a friend, she would be running around the shore, and then one of us would see her shoulder dip – that was it. She would smell so bad, my friend finally gave the ultimatum: if she rolls in fish once more, she will have to ride home in the trunk. But it was such great perfume!

[Chia-Ngong]

Thanks! Yes, that’s it. Although, thankfully for us, he doesn’t do it in things that stink to us, I.e. no smelly fish or other carcasses, rather in open field or yard spaces and even just outside the door when he first goes out in the morning.

[Vicki-Parker]

My dog likes to roll as well in the grass but takes headlong dives into the snow and rolls around. He would also like to roll in some very stinky things like fox poop, but I can usually catch him before it does.

[stephanie paladino]

Mine takes headlong dives into the grass and then vigorously, even acrobatically rolls multiple times during every single walk. I’m sure it’s not scent rolling, because she does it in so many different places and so frequently and without sniffing around or anything prior. Once she starts, she will usually dive more than once and not on a specific spot in the grass. She dives so that side of snout hits first and then progresses into a full body roll. She rarely does it in our own yard, which I’d think she’d do if it were because her skin itches. Sometimes it feels like she does it when we’re turning back home and she wants to keep walking, as if trying to get the harness off. But she will have done it randomly already before then, as well. Just joie de vivre?

[Jo-Roe]

Has anyone figured out what some of the more subtle scents that their dog rolls in are? I’ve finally figured out that one of my dog’s favorite scents to roll in is earthworms! Whether they are in the dirt/grass, or dried up on the sidewalk, he’s all over them! He will also try to lick/eat them after rolling sometimes.

[Author]

Posts