We adore our dogs, but sometimes they behave… Strangely. Chances are that your favorite Fido has engaged in these mysterious and often embarrassing actions, but even if they can’t be stopped, knowing the reasons behind their wilder canine tendencies may help you have a little more patience—or at least a laugh—the next time they do something totally weird.
Humping (and embarrassing you to death)
Dog spaying and neutering will greatly decrease your pet’s intuitive need to hump until the cows come home, but sometimes animals who have been spayed or neutered will still want to mount other dogs. Whether your dog tends to hump people, other dogs, or a toy, their action likely isn’t sexual. They just need attention, are playing or are trying to relieve stress and anxiety. Knowing the cause of the behavior can help you correct it. For example, if your dog is humping for attention, ignore them and only give treats and toys when they behave appropriately.
Eating #2
Having a dog who eats poo is one of the great taboos of pup parenthood, and it often comes as a serious shock to first-time pet owners. Corprophagy, or chowing down on feces, is something lots of dogs do. She may be hungry, actually like the smell and taste, or not have enough vitamins and nutrients in her diet. Heck, she might just think it’s fun… If your dog has this problem—and it’s definitely a problem—please visit us at LazyPaw Animal Hospitals for help. We can suggest behavioral modifications or even powders to sprinkle on food that will help curb the icky habit.
Sniffing other dogs’ butts
After reading about corprophagy, a little butt sniffing no longer sounds half as bad, does it? In the human world, sniffing strangers’ derrieres will likely get you arrested, but in the dog world, it’s a polite way to say hello. Why? A dog’s nose can smell 10,000 times better than a human’s, and canine rears reveal quite a bit about who the dog is because of sacs and glands that emit fluid in that area. From one good whiff, dogs can figure out the other canine’s gender, what their diet is like, how healthy they are, and even what kind of mood they are in.