Dog Learning New Habits

irish_goat

Not a serious issue at all but just wondering if anyone has encountered something like this.

We have a little 5 year old cavalier king charles and about a few months she started, after going to the toilet, to kick her backlegs back on the grass to scatter a little grass over the poop. I know some dogs do this as a territorial thing but for the life of us we can't figure out where she might have learned it. We got an old rescue springer about 2 years ago and that's the only major change that's happened in her life (and he doesn't do it!). Completely baffled as to why she started doing it.

Annoying thing is, she doesn't always do it but seems to time it nicely for whenever you're bending down to clean up. :pac:

jh79

irish_goat wrote: »

Not a serious issue at all but just wondering if anyone has encountered something like this.

We have a little 5 year old cavalier king charles and about a few months she started, after going to the toilet, to kick her backlegs back on the grass to scatter a little grass over the poop. I know some dogs do this as a territorial thing but for the life of us we can't figure out where she might have learned it. We got an old rescue springer about 2 years ago and that's the only major change that's happened in her life (and he doesn't do it!). Completely baffled as to why she started doing it.

Annoying thing is, she doesn't always do it but seems to time it nicely for whenever you're bending down to clean up. :pac:

Have a Jack Russel mix that has just started doing the same at the age of 4 and our King Charles has just started knocking at the back door to get in and he's 9.

borderlinemeath

Dogs have glands in their feet, so scratching the ground is spreading her scent around. She's marking, (rather than covering up her poo) and telling other dogs (or your other dog) that this is her patch.

dashoonage

My huskie does it...she aims towards the tarmac and covers it in ****e....then laughs at me....

DBB

It's an innate, instinctive behaviour op, it's not one they can "learn" as such. BLM has described how it's a scent marking behaviour rather than a hygiene one (they often do it after peeing too, kicking their pee around a larger area), and in my experience at least, all dogs are on a continuum from those who do it all the time, to those that never/rarely do it. Most dogs are somewhere in between... Sometimes they do it, sometimes they don't.
One thing that can trigger it is the arrival of a new dog, because now the initial dog has to "compete" to leave their scent in their home patch. It might also happen if another animal leaves scent around the place (cats, foxes etc). I've also noticed dogs do it when they're emotionally aroused or excited about something that's going on in their environment, it's almost like a self-calming behaviour.
I have a youngster here who does it from time to time... Always when she's all adither about something exciting she's just witnessed (she's a pup... Crows flying overhead is still awe-inspiring for her ). In a couple of weeks, I've a friend coming to stay with her dogs. I expect a grass-kicking kick-off when they arrive and have done their initial toilet breaks

Ashbx

As others have said the dog is just spreading the scent for other dogs to know that this is his space.

Just to follow on from DBB's point...I initially had one dog who never used to do it. A couple years later, I got my second dog and they both started doing it sporadically. I am currently minding my friends dogs and all three are doing it at every opportunity. Its just goes to show that it is purely marking their scent and because all three are now going in the same garden, there is a grass kicking war between them all!

muddypaws

I was staying in a forest for the weekend a couple of weeks ago, I cooked for our little group on the first night, then Heather did a lovely chicken curry for us the next night. Gorgeous clear night, so I sat outside the van with my dinner, looking up at the stars, dogs staked out near me, was really magical. Vince started digging, I paid no attention until I looked down at my dinner and my headtorch picked up little brown bits on the plate. I was about 3/4 of the way through the dinner, and hadn't noticed these bits of herbs or seasoning before, so was a bit confused, until I put the next forkful in my mouth - Thetford mud is not tasty. I'm sure he was laughing at me.