Emilee Brewer
Dogs are weird. We love them dearly, but sometimes they do some strange things, and all we can do is laugh at them. My dog gets the zoomies after a bath. He runs around like crazy and rubs his body all over my couch. He’s a little freak, and I love him. Let’s look at some common quirks and dig into the possible whys!
Has your dog ever nibbled on you? Not biting, but literally just a little nibble. They take their front teeth and just kind of nip. It’s almost like they’re eating corn on the cob. One of my daycare dogs does it to me all the time, but why? Most likely, it’s a grooming behavior! Groups of dogs will groom each other, and it’s a bonding moment. They use their front teeth to “comb” through the hair for any fleas or ticks. Your dog is basically sharing their skincare routine with you! It’s a sign they love you.
What about chasing their tail? My family dog twists herself into a pretzel trying to catch her tail, and she’s successful about 90% of the time. According to the AKC, dogs chase their tails for many reasons. One such reason is they’re bored and want attention. Chasing their tail is an easy way to get their energy out and entertain themselves. If you want to deter this behavior, take them on longer walks, or you could even get them a treat puzzle.
Okay, so you take your pup on that longer walk, and now they’re eating grass every few feet. There’s no way grass can taste good, so what’s the deal? Well, no one really knows. There haven’t been very many studies on grass eating, but there are some theories. Some scientists say it’s leftover instincts from their wolf ancestors. Wolves have been observed eating grass, so maybe our canine pals just have an urge to satiate. Maybe your pooch is hungry. If they haven’t had a meal in a while, they may eat grass as a little appetizer! No one really knows why they do it, but it doesn’t hurt them, so no harm, no foul.
After eating grass, and grooming you, and chasing their tail, they’re now rolling in something dead. What the hell?! So there are a few reasons for this particularly nasty behavior. One reason is to mask their scent. In the wild, predators and prey alike need to conceal their presence. A dog can’t find a rabbit if it smells like a pile of poop. Conversely, a rabbit won’t detect a dog if it smells like a squirrel. Rolling in gnarly smells is a quick and efficient way to mask your scent. It’s also a pack behavior. Coming back to the pack smelling of something dead lets the others know about potential food sources or even danger. While domestic dogs usually don’t have a pack, they do have a human, and that’s just as good! They want you to know there’s something super interesting in your yard.
After their bath, you’re soothing your dog with some words of affirmation, and they start tilting their head. Can you hear me better at a 45-degree angle, little fella? Kind of! Humans can more easily determine what direction a sound is coming from, but dogs don’t necessarily have that skill. Their hearing is also muffled because of their adorable floppy ears. Tilting their head in multiple directions enables them to hear sounds from all over and optimize sound detection. Different breeds also have different learning curves with sound detection. A dog with ears that stand up is going to struggle with hearing from the rear only, but a dog with long floppy ears is going to struggle to hear from all directions. Head tilting levels the playing field. Another adorable fact, according to VCA, they also tilt their heads to show interest in the conversation in the same way a human may nod to show active listening! Your pup wants the conversation to continue!
There’s a whole bunch of other behaviors that are so absurd, we have to laugh. Most of the time it’s innocent playful behavior, but always do some research if your dog starts doing weird things out of the blue. If you’re concerned about a new behavior, consult your vet! What quirks does your dog have?