Why does my cocker spaniel like to rub her head in anything and everything that smells bad?

Question

She has rubbed her head on other dead animals such as frogs, worms, lizards, & birds. Also in rotten food and spots on the ground with a foul scent.

Answer 1

This is something that you will have to train your dog not to do. Your dog is marking her territory. Dogs have scent glands on the sides of their heads. They rub their heads on some odors to try and cover it up with their own odor. This is an issue with dominance, and if you find it offensive, you need to talk to a dog trainer about this. I suggest you watch Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. It can teach you allot about dog training.

Answer 2

Lots of dogs do this, unfortunately. The leading explanation is that they're instinctively disguising their own scent so that prey animals won't sniff a predator upwind. Megan Parker, research biologist at the Wolf Education and Research Center in Seattle, says that, yes, wolves-the ancestors of dogs-regularly roll in carrion. But she's not so sure the reason is to disguise their scent. Both wolves and dogs have plentiful scent glands, she told us, so disguise is probably imperfect at best.

"It could be they roll in carrion to take the scent back to the pack, telling them they've found something interesting." Kind of like a restaurant review.
"It could also be that they're marking the carrion with their scent, to tell anyone else who comes along 'this is mine.'"

Of course, there's always the possibility that some dogs may simply enjoy rolling around in dead stuff

Answer 3

My dogs love stinky stuff, too. And if it's a dead animal, all the better! Scientists feel that the reason dogs do this is because it's a good way to mask their natural scent, a throwback to when dogs were wild-makes them better able to sneak up on their prey and move around without being made as dogs.

Answer 4

dogs and cats have a gland on the sides of their heads that give off their own scent. By rubbing on "offensive odors", they are trying to establish dominance by covering up one smell...for another.

Answer 5

I don't know why, but I think all dogs do that. I have a beagle and he tries the same thing if he gets the chance. My family has had lots of dogs over the years and they all did it too... it must be some sort of instinctive thing...

Answer 6

well maybe because the dog thinks it feels good because my dogs does the same thing and does that only to worm. if it does it to lizards and worms i would wash it after it finishes rubbing

Answer 7

It's instinct from when dogs were wild. They would try to cover their own scent so not to scare away the prey they were hunting.

Answer 8

That's dog behavior, my dear! They love stinky stuff, and love smelling like it.
Talk to an obedience professional for ideas on what to do.

Answer 9

To her it is a perfume, It tell the other dogs I am exciting, interesting and I've been around.

Answer 10

My beagle did that I think its a way of marking thier teritory