Dogs rarely choose to roll in their own poop, but often favour things like fox poop, cowpats and anything else particularly smelly. This behaviour, known as ‘scent-rolling’, is thought to be a genetic hangover from the wild ancestors of our domestic dogs.
It might seem strange that an animal with such a strong sense of smell would want to roll in something so pongy, but many dogs seem to love doing just that! While we already know a lot about the way our dogs’ brains work, the reason they love to roll in poop is still a little unclear, but can be narrowed down to a few different theories…