Dogs rolling in poo - suggestions?

MyStubbleItches

Hi folks.

I have three Yorkies, a seven year old and her two 18-month-old pups. All three are bitches and intact. We moved house lately and next door has a 2 year old sheepdog cross of some sort. We live in the country, last house was only down the road in the same area and are surrounded by fields, some with cattle.

The dogs have developed a habit of rolling in next-door's dog's poo and today they came in and had obviously been rolling in cowdung too. Needless to say, this aint exactly pleasant around the house and I hate to wash them too often as they don't like it and its not the best for them.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

WolfgangWeisen

Is there any particular reason you're keeping them all intact?

MyStubbleItches

WolfgangWeisen wrote: »

Is there any particular reason you're keeping them all intact?

I want to eventually breed the two younger ones and I always thought that neutering them might change them, make them sluggish and lazy.

Mo60

MyStubbleItches wrote: »

I want to eventually breed the two younger ones and I always thought that neutering them might change them, make them sluggish and lazy.

It certainly won't make them sluggish and lazy. I had two of my male dogs, one of them a Yorkie, neutered last year and if anything they became more energetic. I think it might be because, being small and low to the ground, they now have less to worry about re hurting a certain area.

dodderangler

Read somewhere before that dogs do this to hide their scent from other animals especially when their on another dogs territory dunno if it's true but there's another theory that they do it to hunt aswell to cover their scent apparently wolves do it
Maybe it's an old instinct

loconnor1001

lol mine just seems to enjoy it

SillyMangoX

Ive heard that they roll in things the really like the scent of so they can bring the scent back to their family do they can all share the wonderful odour. Obviously you and your dogs have different tastes :P

Just out of curiosity is your neighbours dog male and intact? The fact your bitches are, maybe it could be they are trying impress him by bringing him smells? Not a whole lot you can do about the cow dung really besides keeping your dogs contained in your garden so they won't have access

goat2

dodderangler wrote: »

Read somewhere before that dogs do this to hide their scent from other animals especially when their on another dogs territory dunno if it's true but there's another theory that they do it to hunt aswell to cover their scent apparently wolves do it
Maybe it's an old instinct

you hit the nail in the head, yes it is true, they want to hide their smell, it is the wild instinct to hide their presence from wild animals they may be hunting

dodderangler

goat2 wrote: »

dodderangler wrote: »

Read somewhere before that dogs do this to hide their scent from other animals especially when their on another dogs territory dunno if it's true but there's another theory that they do it to hunt aswell to cover their scent apparently wolves do it
Maybe it's an old instinct

you hit the nail in the head, yes it is true, they want to hide their smell, it is the wild instinct to hide their presence from wild animals they may be hunting

Thanks mate can't Imagine a pack of Yorkies hunting tho lol

SillyMangoX

dodderangler wrote: »

Thanks mate can't Imagine a pack of Yorkies hunting tho lol

Yorkies were bred as hunting dogs, used for catching rats and mice as well as flushing badger's sets and foxes dens, so it would be in their natural instinct.

dodderangler

SillyMangoX wrote: »

dodderangler wrote: »

Thanks mate can't Imagine a pack of Yorkies hunting tho lol

Yorkies were bred as hunting dogs, used for catching rats and mice as well as flushing badger's sets and foxes dens, so it would be in their natural instinct.

I know that terriers were meant for hunting but was kinda thinking towards hunting in packs after likes Of deer and large animals
just had a funny image in my head of them chasin deer

SillyMangoX

dodderangler wrote: »

I know that terriers were meant for hunting but was kinda thinking towards hunting in packs after likes Of deer and large animals
just had a funny image in my head of them chasin deer

To be honest, I wouldn't put it past them! Yorkies are the breed I've seen with the most Napolian complexes! Despite being so tiny they still feel like they can take on anything. (Jack Russells and Maltese would come up very close too lol) Though it's not always the case, my cousins neighbour bought a micro mini teacup yorkie :rolleyes: (their words not mine) who got carried off by my cousin's Tom cat who had never so much as looked at a mouse in his life :pac: Felt sorry for the poor pup though, and €600 down the drain for the ones who bought him!

kylith

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Not a whole lot you can do about the cow dung really besides keeping your dogs contained in your garden so they won't have access

This. If you don't contain your dogs there's nothing you can do to stop them doing whaterever they like, including rolling in horrid stuff.

anniehoo

kylith wrote: »

This. If you don't contain your dogs there's nothing you can do to stop them doing whaterever they like, including rolling in horrid stuff.

+1

Theres just some things we'll just NEVER understand about our furry friends. This is one of them. My last dog had a penchant for dead seagulls on the beach :eek:

My only advice is distract them if caught in the act, no point in scolding, there's just some primal instincts that cant be explained..and this is one of them.

MyStubbleItches

Thanks for all the replies folks, this has to be one of the best forums for getting quick answers!

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Ive heard that they roll in things the really like the scent of so they can bring the scent back to their family do they can all share the wonderful odour. Obviously you and your dogs have different tastes :P

Just out of curiosity is your neighbours dog male and intact? The fact your bitches are, maybe it could be they are trying impress him by bringing him smells? Not a whole lot you can do about the cow dung really besides keeping your dogs contained in your garden so they won't have access

Yes, I should have said this in my first post. Definitely male and definitely intact. To explain further, our neighbours are the original owners of the house we're in (they built next door while living here and we now rent from them) so the dog was here before us and our three imps. Therefore its still his patch.

kylith wrote: »

This. If you don't contain your dogs there's nothing you can do to stop them doing whaterever they like, including rolling in horrid stuff.

Containing them is difficult as the whole place is so open. They know not to go onto the road and they know not to go next door (except when neighbour's kids are out playing and they call them over which results in trouble as their dog gets very territorial and posessive). Trouble is, the male dog comes and poos on our (small) lawn which is the only place our dogs have to play.

Doesn't sound like there is much I can do so bar put overalls on them.

dodderangler

My Akita who is snow white seems to love findin dead rats and rollin on them and then findin the dirtiest ditch with smelly water and runnin through it maybe he's goin for camouflage effect ha

kylith

MyStubbleItches wrote: »

Yes, I should have said this in my first post. Definitely male and definitely intact. To explain further, our neighbours are the original owners of the house we're in (they built next door while living here and we now rent from them) so the dog was here before us and our three imps. Therefore its still his patch.

I would really recommend either secure fencing or getting your girls neutered, otherwise you will almost definitely wind up with unwanted puppies. I'm not sure exactly but I would imagine that, depending on the size of your dogs, a mating with a collie much larger than them could be a dangerous pegnancy as the pups may be too large for the mum, or mums; since it's entirely possible (and very likely if they're all entire) that the neighbour's dog will impregnate all three of yours.

MyStubbleItches wrote: »

Containing them is difficult as the whole place is so open. They know not to go onto the road and they know not to go next door (except when neighbour's kids are out playing and they call them over which results in trouble as their dog gets very territorial and posessive). Trouble is, the male dog comes and poos on our (small) lawn which is the only place our dogs have to play.

Doesn't sound like there is much I can do so bar put overalls on them.

In fairness, they don't know not to go on the road; they have no concept of how dangerous roads are, all you can say is that they haven't gone on the road yet.

Erecting fencing, even on a smaller area of the garden until you can afford to secure the whole place, is the only way to 1) keep your dogs from rolling in shíte and carrying who knows what home 2) keep your bitches from getting pregnant 3) ensure that your dogs won't get killed on the road (there are plenty of threads here where people's dogs have been run over and they often say 'he never went on the road before' or 'but he knew not to go on the road'. They're dogs. The don't know anything). 4) fighting with your neighbour's territorial dog and either injuring him or getting injured - either way there'd be big vet's bills.

Shrugging your shoulders now and saying "There's nothing I can do about it" is only going to end with bigger problems down the road, whether the expense of unwanted/expected puppies, or the heartbreak of a dead dog.

MyStubbleItches

kylith wrote: »

In fairness, they don't know not to go on the road; they have no concept of how dangerous roads are, all you can say is that they haven't gone on the road yet.

Erecting fencing, even on a smaller area of the garden until you can afford to secure the whole place, is the only way to 1) keep your dogs from rolling in shíte and carrying who knows what home 2) keep your bitches from getting pregnant 3) ensure that your dogs won't get killed on the road (there are plenty of threads here where people's dogs have been run over and they often say 'he never went on the road before' or 'but he knew not to go on the road'. They're dogs. The don't know anything). 4) fighting with your neighbour's territorial dog and either injuring him or getting injured - either way there'd be big vet's bills.

Shrugging your shoulders now and saying "There's nothing I can do about it" is only going to end with bigger problems down the road, whether the expense of unwanted/expected puppies, or the heartbreak of a dead dog.

Thanks for the comments.

I realise that there isn't much I can do about the problem bar what you've suggested. I have to say though that I don't leave them out on their own, if they're out, I'm out with them. That way I can prevent them from going onto the road or to the neighbour's place. I can't, however, stop them quickly enough from diving on a lump of dog or cow poo while sniffing around the garden or under the fence.

Our old house was far from any other house and far from the road so I never had a problem leaving them outside unattended for a while (they're very attached to home and don't wander). Here though, I can only let them out if I can be out with them which restricts them a lot. I'd love to be able to let them out for an hour but that just doesn't seem possible.

ppink

can you not get one of those stand alone dog runs and pop them in there for an hour if you want too? that way they cant get to roll in anything and the other dog cant get in to poo in their space? aside form that it stops anyone robbing them.
I dont know if this rolling is a female thing but we have had a multitude of male dogs and 3 female over the years and it is only the female that have rolled in anything they can! ours have to be watched like a hawk or else washed every day:rolleyes:.