Many dogs have this unpleasant behavior. We may think that they are a little unpleasant, however, behind this behavior, there are reasons why your dog may need relatively urgent veterinary assistance.
Do you want to know why dogs rub corpses or why they are sometimes eaten or eaten by faeces found on the street? In this Animal Expert article, we will explain why dogs adopt this behavior and what we can do to prevent it. Find out below why dogs rub shoulders with dead animals:
- In wolves.
- Rubbing dead animals or other debris is a way to transmit information to the rest of the herd.
- When a wolf finds a new smell.
- Smells it.
- Then rolls over it.
- It acquires the aroma on its body.
- Especially on the face and neck.
- When he returns with the rest of the herd.
- They greet him and investigate the new smell he brings and trace it to its origin.
- So getting food in the form of carrion.
- Wolves and wild dogs can act as butchers when the prey population declines.
Some experts believe that this is a typical behavior of some canids and that it performs the same function as wolves. Although this does not explain why they rub with faeces, which is only for dead animals.
Some dog lovers suggest doing so for a completely opposite reason. Instead of trying to acquire the smell, they leave their own smell on the corpse or in the faeces. Dogs’ faeces are bathed in pheromones that give a lot of information. When a dog rubs, it usually begins on the face, where it has pheromones-producing glands.
This would answer the question “why does my dog rub on disgusting things” because it would explain why they fall into corpses and faeces.
Another very thoughtful option may be that the ancestors of modern dogs used the smells to camouflage their own. The prey also has a very developed sense of smell, in order to detect its predator if the wind is against it. Therefore, the first dogs can mask their smell in this way. There is evidence that modern wolves do the same.
On the other hand, when we bathe our dog with scented shampoos or apply perfumes, the animal does not feel comfortable, it is not himself and needs to acquire a more natural smell. For the same reason, a dog can bring the sand it finds at home to bed.
In some cases, a dog may have this behavior because it likes the attention it receives from its caregiver when it does. This is a conditioned behavior and can be caused by stress, loneliness, boredom or lack of stimulation.
In extreme cases, when this behavior has been reinforced several times (the dog rubs against dead animals and we pay attention to it) this can be appreciated and become a habit, something positive for them that can not avoid repetition.
First of all, we must understand that this is a natural and healthy behavior for the dog, however, if we want to avoid it, the ideal is to start teaching him basic orders of obedience, such as “come”, “calm” or “sit down”. . ” “If your dog has been properly trained to use positive reinforcement (rewards, friendly words and caresses), it will be easy to stop the dog before it submits, using obedience as a control mechanism.
Once you have prevented the dog from rubbing against dead animals, it will be essential to remove it from the area and reward it for the following instructions. In addition, ignoring corpses can still be strengthened through subsequent games and caresses.
If your dog eats faeces, the first thing you should do is consult the veterinarian, because one of the reasons a dog ingests waste from other animals is that it has an enzyme deficiency because it is unable to digest certain foods and develops nutritional deficiencies. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency can also cause malabsorption, the dog will lose weight, suffer diarrhea and desperately try to eat anything to get nutrients.
If you have other animals at home, such as cats, rabbits or rodents, it’s very common for a dog to eat faeces. The faeces of rabbits and rodents are rich in vitamins, especially B.B. If your dog lacks vitamins, the foods you use may not meet all of your needs.
Another reason is that the animal has intestinal parasites, such as worms. Intestinal parasites absorb the nutrients your dog gets from food. Stool acts as a natural deworming. In any case, it is very important to visit the veterinarian and perform a test to see if your dog is absorbing all the nutrients correctly or if it has parasites.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Behavioral Problems section.