Why Do Dogs Roll in Smelly Things? Understanding This Common Dog Behavior

Roly Poly Puppies : Explaining dog behaviors 

Have you ever dedicated your free time to bathe and pamper your pup, taking extra time for beautiful smelling oatmeal soap, complimentary coat conditioner and a lovely blow dry, either at a fancy doggie spa/groomer or even taken the time at your home, only to find that at the first opportunity that presents itself, your sparkling fresh as a flower puppy runs out on to the grass, or worse–the mud–and rolls and rolls and rolls while you try in vain to get them to return to your side? 

Or perhaps you have taken your dog on off-leash trails (true story, btw) in the spring, enjoying rolling hills and pastel wildflowers in places like Bellevue, Eugene, Meridian, San Diego, or Scottsdale, only to find that when your sweet angel dog returns to your side, they are absolutely covered from nose to tail in either “cow pies” or “road apples” with an incandescent, tongue-lolling happy expression on their face while you scream in frustration and wonder how you will ever be able to get them home without stinking up your vehicle for the next month?

Maybe you’ve taken your puppy to the dog beach and let them off leash, which is allowed in certain areas, only to find them making a beeline to roll in some questionable dead fish/crab parts/rotting seaweed and getting the stinky sand into their fur that will take months to completely clean up? 

Have you ever wondered why your dog is so determined to rid themselves of the lovely soap smell on their fur and why they prefer to smell like earth or mud or anything else besides fresh and clean? Or is it just another reminder that dogs are so diametrically different from us in almost all ways, whether they’re living in Tacoma, Salem, Boise, Phoenix, or beyond? If you have ever been puzzled or frustrated by this defeating behavior, let’s take a closer look at the why of your pup’s behavior to try to decode this puzzling dog behavior.

Rolling for pleasure: We know you might be tired of us reminding you about your pup’s super power, their sense of smell, but when we examine that closer, we can see how rolling in another smell might be pleasing to your pup. Dogs enjoy strong odors, the stronger the better, and with their over 150 million (just think about that!) smell receptors and 40% of their brain designed to interpret odors and smells, dogs are literally wired to experience the world by smell and not vision like us! Up to now, scientists have not been able to determine whether a dog’s ability to experience smells is even like us or not, meaning that there might even exist a dimensionality to the way a dog interprets a smell. Maybe rolling in smelly stuff is like taking a sip of really good Cabernet? Who knows! 

Rolling for evolution: Many hundreds of thousands of years ago, dogs struggled to live in the wild and were only mid-level predators, subject to becoming prey to bears, wolves, and mountain lions. By rolling in rotting flesh or other potent odors, dogs could effectively camouflage themselves from top predators who might be hunting them and live to see another day. An additional benefit of rolling in urine or feces for wild pack dogs was to bring the smell back to their pack to share that smell information and scent patterns back as a type of communication of who was in their territory. The urge to roll for dogs is a strong hereditary compulsion that dates back so many years, we can easily understand why it makes them so happy despite our visual and verbal displeasure. They just have to “go for it!” 

Rolling for attention: The last possible reason for dogs rolling in smells is an attempt to engage with you more profoundly, especially when they do it while you are on the phone or distracted while with them on the walk. This is classic attention seeking behavior, trying to get you to play and interact with them in a sure fire way to grab you and wake you! Similar to the way a dog will try to have you chase them, rolling in something yucky makes you stop and place all your attention on them for at least a few minutes, because just like kids, any attention, yes even bad attention is good attention. So put down that phone and be present with your dog for the best part of their day, together with you, outdoors, enjoying the smells of their own little slice of heaven.