The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [34]
The simplest solution to this problem is to keep the lid down. I know that it’s easier said than done; we often forget or visitors inadvertently leave it up. You can put up a sign for guests saying Please keep the lid down to keep Jules from drinking, but that won’t enhance your home décor. You may decide to keep your bathroom door closed.
A final tip: Water bowls kept in sunny places can be doggy turnoffs. Make sure that water bowls are in spots where they will keep cool. Heighten their appeal by tossing in a few ice cubes to provide a welcoming chill on particularly warm days.
Doing the Dead Fish Dance
Q My one-year-old foxhound is in constant search of different smells and always has his nose to the ground. I recognize that is the nature of being a scent breed, but Clyde doesn’t just stop at sniffing. Whenever he discovers something rotting and disgusting like a dead frog or fish on the beach or his favorite, road kill, he takes great delight in flopping down and rolling all over it. He smells terrible afterward. Why on earth does he do this?
A No one really knows why dogs roll in smelly stuff, but there are several theories. One is that this is an instinctive behavior harkening back to pre-domesticated days when hunting dogs would bring back information about available food to the rest of the packs. The thought was, if they found decaying fish, perhaps fresher fish could be found nearby. Some modern-day dogs may have retained this behavior even though it has lost its once-necessary function.
A second theory is that dogs roll in foul-smelling material to provide an olfactory disguise to improve their hunting opportunities. What better way to catch a rabbit, say, than to smell like one, even a dead one, rather than like a dog? This canine camouflage technique also may be employed to hide their doggy scents from other predators.
Unfortunately, dogs and owners will never agree on what smells nice and what smells disgusting. Owners carefully shampoo their dogs, rinse them, towel them dry, and brush them. To them, the dog is finally clean and smelling sweet. To the dog, however, the shampoo is a dreadful stench that needs to be disguised immediately. That explains why many freshly bathed dogs will dash outside and roll in the dirt. Some even prefer to roll in poop to cover that awful shampoo smell. It’s their version of a high-priced perfume or cologne.
SNIFF IT OUT!
Dogs possess about 40 times more scent-receptor cells than humans. They can use their noses to sniff out odors that contain only a few parts per billion.
When you are on walks with Clyde, keep him within sight so that you can spot him the minute he dives on a “stink bomb” and distract him from it. If he’s found something gross in a particular area, avoid that spot for a few days or leash him until you are safely beyond temptation. Always carry treats with you so that you can call him back to you when he seems too interested in something disgusting. Reinforce the leave it command, so you stand a greater chance of stopping him before he can roll in the smelly find. (See Ignoring Temptation, page 169.) For people with dogs who roll in droppings, I recommend stepping up the poop patrol in the backyard to remove that particular temptation.
Raider of the Litter Box
Q I enjoy cats and dogs, which explains why my home includes both. But I can’t seem to keep my dog from eating feces from the litter box. What’s the attraction and how can I end Sassy’s disgusting raids on the litter box?
A You can impress your friends and expand your vocabulary by being able to speak of this behavior by its scientific name: coprophagy (stool eating). The fact that there is a fancy name for this act tells you that Sassy isn’t the only canine with this fetish, which is shared by many members of the animal