Stinky Puppies

Photo from squishedbugsmoothie.blogspot.com

 

 

Last week my husband gave three of our dog’s baths.  I gave two of them baths and still have 4 more to go.  Of course the day after the baths one rolls in stinky stuff and needs another bath.  The second day another one rolls in something and needs another bath.  The two I bathed had also rolled in stinky stuff and that is why they needed baths.  So last night two more rolled in stinky stuff, but it was right before bed so now they have to wait till this afternoon for more baths.

If you have dogs, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Dogs love to roll in stinky stuff.  At our house it is usually rabbit poop, dead animals, dead snakes, or dead worms.  I’ll never forget the day Princess came out of the enchanted forest totally black and stinking so bad I was gagging the whole time I was rinsing her off.  It was so bad I had to rinse her with the garden hose before I could bring her into the house to bathe her.  And of course when she came running to me she had the biggest happiest smile on her face because she was so happy she got to roll in stinky stuff.  I still have no idea what it was but I went into the enchanted forest with a shovel and bucket to remove the stinky patch from the ground.  UGH

 

 

Princess

 

So while discussing with my husband the blog I was writing on Kneady Cats, he said why don’t you write one on why dogs LOVE to roll in stinky stuff.  Off to the Internet to research the topic.

There are several theories.  Some seem really far fetched…like the one that claims they do it to keep parasites off.  I don’t think fleas and ticks have a sense of smell, but you never know.  I’ve never known a stinky dog to not have fleas and ticks because of their smell.  Some make a lot of sense…marking the item to claim it as theirs or trying to disguise their scent for hunting.

I think the one I like best is the Psychology Today article that says “I believe that the real reason that canines roll in obnoxious smelling organic manner is simply an expression of the same misbegotten sense of aesthetics that causes human beings to wear overly loud and colorful Hawaiian shirts.”  This made me chuckle.

 

 

Sophia after Rolling

 

Another common belief is that they don’t like the smell of the shampoo or other grooming products you use on them.  Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell and what smells good to us might not smell so good to them and vice versa.  This got me side tracked and researching a dogs sense of smell.  This PBS article was fascinating.  I recommend taking a few moments to read it.

So now that we have some ideas of why dogs roll in stinky stuff, the obvious question is how do we get them to stop.  Not so easy to do.  A stern voice and No command just do not work for a couple of our pups.  If they find something they want to roll in, they are going to roll in it.  They only way I can get them to stop is to go grab them and take them in the house.  I then go back to that spot and either remove what is causing the offensive (to me) smell or hose it down. 

If your dog likes to roll in feces or dead animals, remove them from the premises.  If this happens while you are walking your dog, keep them on a leash so you can move them past the item they want to roll in.  I had a friend that loved to walk their dogs on the beach.  Whenever there was a dead fish or seaweed on the beach they would make a beeline for it.  He avoided walking the dog’s right after high tide and would often walk the beach before walking his dogs to remove the offensive materials.  That way he and his dogs could still enjoy the beach, but avoid the smell.

 

 

Photo from thealphadogattitude.blogspot.com

 

Honestly, this is a natural behavior to dogs and it’s something they are just going to do.  So in our case we’ve stocked up on dog shampoo and keep the bucket and shovel handy to remove whatever they are rolling in…when we can find it.  J  If Princess ever comes back smelling the way she did that one time though, I’m going to have to invest in a gas mask.

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri