Sometimes our dogs do things that don’t make sense. Try as we might, we can’t figure out what’s so delicious about poop, or why our dog does dances on his bed prior to settling down. Rest assured, much of the seemingly weird stuff falls within the normal-ish range of dog behavior. The following overview will help you decode the meanings behind these odd activities.
Butt Dragging
Sure, it looks ridiculous, but if your dog won’t stop scooting on the rug, he’s likely dealing with a health issue. Butt dragging can result from parasites, allergy issues, impacted anal glands or more serious health concerns like tumors. The occasional drag is fine, but if your dog is turning your rug into toilet tissue, check in with your veterinarian.
Humping
No, your dog isn’t a sex maniac if he likes to mount his friends, his toys or you. Mounting has a variety of meanings and none of them relate to reproducing. Your dog might resort to humping to cope with anxiety, excitement or even boredom. Mounting other dogs can be a sign of dominance if your dog is trying to assert his position around the other dog. Ignore your dog when he climbs onto something (laughing will only encourage it), and consider doing some fun dog training and increasing his exercise to wear him out constructively.
Nose Wiping
You give your dog a special bone and he proceeds to place it on the ground or on the couch and wipe his nose all around it. Sure, it looks ridiculous, but your dog is actually doing a stylized version of burying his bone. Envision the area around his goody as “dirt” and the behavior might make more sense; he’s moving the earth to hide his treasure!
Bed Spinning
Dig, dig, spin, pillow bite and repeat. If your dog goes through a prolonged bed-making process prior to lying down, he’s simply heeding the call of his ancestors. This nighttime ritual harkens back to the days when dogs slept in the wild and needed to tamp down the grass for comfort and scatter bugs before camping out for the night.
Eating Stool
Coprophagia, or poop eating, is one of the grossest of canine behaviors. Though theories abound as to why some dogs like to eat waste, both their own and other animals, no single theory has been proven. Some say it’s due to a nutritional deficit, boredom or stems from an ancestral desire to keep the “den” free from parasites. Unfortunately, a recent study found that both commercial products as well as behavioral modification techniques were ineffective at combating this yucky habit.