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We have a Lab pup and she like most dogs love to have a roll in what can only be described as excrement. But then she does this on patches of ground where we know that there is no muck at all. Could someone explain to me why is this happening and what can be done to prevent or reduce the dog from doing this?
After she has had a roll she usually scratches at the ground. This can be annoying as the ground is always the garden lawn.
Thanks in advance

It hink it is something to do with putting down their scent ;D

Most people believe the dog is trying to mask their own scent.
There are a variety of possible reasons here: http://manuelsweb.com/poop_rolling.htm

Thanks Baccy man,
This is good for those in America but I was wondering if there is something over this side of the pond for us Brits too.
Info on this site is helpful but as always the Yanks like to blow their own trumpet a bit.
Sorry if I seem anti American, but they got me going once and the soap box is still under the feet.

Don't know why they do it, but if it's fox's excrement you can get rid of the pong by rubbing tomato puree into the fur before washing, it neutralises the smell.Wear rubber gloves though. You may have a slightly pink dog for a while, but that's better than a smelly one. ;D

I always believed that it was to mask the dogs scent but mine is a great believer that fox poo is the best and I would not have thought that masking the smell of a predator with the smell of another predator would be very clever.  Now rolling in cow pats I understand and she does do that too :-X

i have always been told its to keep the foxs scent on it ,cant do much about it just try to teach him to leave .ours used to run for miles for a good roll,but got fed up with a  shower in the winter. ;D

I have resorted to taking the dog for a walk on the leash and not letting her run at the moment.
Seems to cure her of this habit.