Washing Dogs – Why do they get dirty again so quickly?
How many times have I heard someone say “Whenever I wash my dog he
goes straight out and rolls in the garden and makes himself all dirty
again.” What about the time when it has been raining and you now take
the dog for a walk. What does he do? He aims for a real muddy puddle
and rolls in it. How often do I hear folk chastising their dogs for
doing this, but surely we should ask why?
When a dog is washed, we really do wash away his identity. This can
cause a dog stress, he does not feel good or indeed natural. He rolls
to try to get his identity back. Dogs have many underlying instincts
and we must not forget they are hunters by nature.
You are on a walk and a horror occurs: your dog rolls in dung!
Keep in mind you may have shampooed him, or washed him recently and this
is his reaction to it. He does this because his old instinct tells
him that to get close to a herd or cattle for the kill, it is better
to smell like the herd. This way he can get really close.
David the Dogman