It’s a natural inclination, and your dog isn’t the only one who performs this type of behavior. There are a few opinions as to what causes the urge.

Rolling on their backs is a common occurrence for most dogs. Rolling around in dead animal parts, like much of the canine behavior, is a habit of dogs that many people find difficult to understand. You might believe they merely enjoy getting dirty, however, there are causes behind their behavior, some of which reveal aspects of their dog nature.

The canine may also consume the carcass of another animal or it’s feces. Certain context is required in these situations to comprehend the dog’s psychology.

It isn’t necessarily an indication of a serious health issue, but it is something to be aware of.

Why Do Dogs Roll in Dead Animals?

Although it is hard to understand, your dog may roll in dead animals for the following reasons including, pack record, tagging, a plea for help, and more.

Why Do Dogs Play Around in the Remains of Dead Animals?

Pack Record

Wolves communicate information to the rest of the pack by wallowing in dead animals or other detritus. Carrion, in a contrast to meat, is a sort of food generated from the corpses of dead animals.

When a wolf comes across a corpse, it might roll in the dead animal parts and rub the smell all over it’s body, head, and neck.

Whenever it comes to the rest of the squad, the other members are allowed to sniff the new scent and use it to track down the trail’s origination. Throughout periods when the number of their prey is limited, wolves and wild dogs will rely mostly on scavenging.

According to several researchers, this habit is common among carnivores and is passed down to domesticated dogs as a remnant of their wild ancestors’ nature. This, though, does not clarify why dogs only eat deceased animals’ feces.

Tagging

Certain dog owners believe that canines will roll themselves in an animal’s carcass for a different cause. They claim that they are using their bodies to mark the remains. Dogs create smells on the pads of their paws and also behind their ears.

When you witness a dog scrapping at the ground, it’s usually to establish their territory. If a dog is wallowing on the ground and stroking it’s head or body against it, it may be just doing it for the same purpose.

Experts know very little about a dog’s pheromones and how they utilize it’s scent. A dog will rub their paws on animal carcasses to signal to certain other dogs that the carcass is theirs. 

When someone inquires why their dog rubs itself on filthy objects, this would be the response. We can predict a similar response if a dog rubs it’s face in feces.

Their pee or feces, on the other hand, will leave the most permanent impression. If this is a possibility for the dog, it may not make sense to rub their body with something that will cause them to pick up another smell.

Plea for Help

When canines are extremely distraught or have an underlying illness, they will seek the attention of their caretaker. This is logical because pleasant contacts with humans provide dogs with a perception of well-being.

If a canine is anxious, sad, or bored, he or she could resort to wallowing in feces or other forms of begging for attention.

When you see the dog’s behavior persists, probably, their human has unintentionally encouraged it. Whenever this occurs, the person must devise methods to avoid it from repeating.

How To Prevent This?

Even though your dog enjoys it, rolling in feces or a corpse should not be permitted. You’ll be compelled to scrub and clean your stinking dog, and you never know if it’ll be safe.

Although most dead animals do not have hazardous bacteria on them, it is impossible to know why they died.

That’s why you must always walk your dog on a leash. If the canine does manage to escape the leash, some training is necessary. Here are a few tips to keep your dog from rolling in foul things.

Mention the Names of Your Dogs

It’s excellent if you can get your buddy to return to you whenever you mention it’s name. This is crucial in a lot of circumstances, some of which are far more harmful than your dog becoming dirty.

Starting training in a comfortable environment with few distractions is a good idea. As soon as your dog is leashed, call it’s name.

Use a clicker or applaud and reward them with a goodie if they return their attention to you. Even when it does not look at you, though, do not become enraged. Call them a couple more times in a playful tone, then tap them on the back of the head lightly.

Train Them to Remember

The canine must understand that when you call them, they must come to you. This is the most critical thing you can do if you want to keep your dog off the leash. It is safe to have a dog that understands when to return to you.

This is also useful in this situation. Have you ever seen your dog strolling around a rotting dead animal? Call them right away so the situation doesn’t get out of hand and you end up with an unclean, stinking pet.

Identify Trouble Spots

Don’t stroll your dog down the road if you suspect there are carcasses nearby. Keep them on a leash if you have no other option but to stroll by it.

Allowing your dog to lead you to do something it shouldn’t reach is a bad idea. Ascertain that your dog is focused on you. Reward them and, if required, offer them cookies. Make them believe that rolling in a disgusting carcass will be more is not as pleasurable as this snack!

Takeaway

Finally, nobody is certain why dogs roll in animal carcasses. They’re having a good time regardless of the cause. This will not, nevertheless, imply that they must be permitted to do so.

Your dog will become filthy and foul if he rolls in a carcass. It could even put it’s health in jeopardy, you have no idea why the deceased animal died.

This is why you must understand how to stop your dog from doing so. The key is to train them!