Dogs roll in dead things primarily due to instinctual behaviors inherited from their wild ancestors. This behavior, known as scent rolling, serves several possible functions:
- Masking their own scent: Like wolves, dogs may roll in strong, unpleasant odors to camouflage their natural scent, which historically helped them hunt more successfully by hiding their presence from prey.
- Communication and marking: Rolling in dead animals helps dogs leave their own scent on the carcass, signaling to other dogs that the area or prey is claimed or noteworthy to the pack.
- Showing off: Dogs might roll in dead things to display to other dogs that they have found something interesting or tasty, effectively bragging about their find.
- Attraction to strong smells: Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell and may simply find the intense smell appealing or intriguing, even if humans find it disgusting.
- Pleasure or fun: The act of rolling may increase dopamine levels, making the dog feel happy or entertained.
Stopping this behavior can be difficult, but good recall and intervention outdoors are the best approaches, followed by bathing the dog if they get very smelly.
