Hi,

We have a female Saluki mix(2 Yrs Old) that came from a Canine Rescue Center.She is a great dog ,but has developed a strange behavior recently that has us concerned.On (2) occasions we have noticed that she has found what we guess is another dogs mess(feces) and for whatever the reason, has rolled around in it! We have had her for a year and have never experienced this behavior before. The Canine Rescue Center had her fixed when they got her
. Why is she doing this?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks,
Dpw

[Yogi]

The Saluki is a hunting breed that was found in old Persia and used by nomad tribes to hunt generally with the help of a hawk which sites the prey from the sky with the Saluki following the bird on the ground to the prey. Rolling in feces enables the dog to hide its scent from its prey. In this case, by doing this the dog can enter another dogs marked territory unnoticed by the dog that marked originally.
Herding dogs do this also by rolling in cow or sheep droppings in order to not alert them. It is an inherited trait specific to hunting and herding dogs.

The fixing probably made her develop this strange new behavior.