does anyone have a problem with their dog rolling in fox poo, and do you know why they do it.?

Answer 1

Dogs will typically roll in fox poo as it has a strong, distinctive smell and they remove the smell from "their" territory. As they don't carry their own poo-a-scoop they have to do it the only way they know how - roll and get covered in it !!
Mine do it, well most of them roll but a couple of them eat it !
It's all about territory - you will often find that when they get up they will then "scent" where it was to cover up any remaining evidence that the fox had been there.
I suppose it's quite similar to humans whenwe move into a new house we would go round and remove most traces of the previous owner ?!
You just have to see the fox poo before they do and either avoid it or instruct them to "leave it!"

Answer 2

Yes, instinct is the correct answer. You may notice that this behaviour is more prevalent in hunting breeds and not often seen with dog breeds that Man has 'engineered' for his own satisfaction, such as miniature and toy breeds. How do you stop this behaviour? There are only TWO possible ways - 1) Keep the dog away from the poo, dung, manure, etc. or 2) Remove the poo, dung, manure, etc. from access by the dog. You cannot 'train' a dog not to do something which is a basic instinct for survival. All animals have instinctive traits and it is WE who must learn to live with that. Dogs, like other animals must eat, drink, copulate, fear the unknown, etc. as part of their inborn instinct for survival of the individual and of the species. Know your animal more, observe it and learn, understand its traits and characteristics of its breed, and then your understanding will help you to accept 'what a dog's gotta do' and assist you to cope with any 'offensive' behaviour - ie. by prevention, when there is no cure.

Answer 3

I grew up with terriers. They loved to roll in fox poo any thing that smelled; The vet told us it was essential for terriers as they were used for ratting or foxing so they needed to mask their own smell. The stronger smell dead skunk, dead fish Poo the better they masked their own smell and the better chance they had at catching their prey!

Answer 4

I think it's because the fox smells more macho than the dog and the dog wants to be the toughest on the block so rolls inthe scent???

Answer 5

Yes, I have 2 dogs, we live on acreage and they constantly roll in cow manure or horse manure as it helps to disguise their smell. They were once wild creatures and it was necessary for them to disguise their scent to help with the hunt and survival. As this is a natural thing for them to do, it usually is difficult to stop them from doing what comes naturally to them. This is not something that disappears after a couple of hundred years, this is something that is in them basically for survival, an instinct.
My dogs still do it even after they have both been bathed, they need to disguise the smell so prey don't smell them coming and run off. We as humans don't like the smell as it is offensive to our sense of smell. Poor us, so we try to change the way we want our dogs to smell. What really is the big deal!

Answer 6

Not just fox dirt, any animal will do.
A dog's hunting instinct mean that they will roll in the dirt of other animals to disguise their own scent.
If a fox scents another fox, it's not going to run.

Answer 7

I don't have that problem, but usually dogs roll in things like that to mask their scents and make them smell like the prey or the 'enemy'. Apparently in your case, this is a fox.

Answer 8

I live on a farm and dogs just love smelly stuff. Horse poo is a favorite.

Answer 9

They do it because they live dull meaningless doggie lives and are thwarted by humans who bathe them and make them smell like Paris Hilton's Tinkerbell. Fox poo is the most exciting substance in the world and makes them feel ...well.....foxy.

Answer 10

i have 2 dogs.....one rolls in poo the other doesnt...i think its something to do with them liking the smell,but cant imagine why......pooooooh