Why does my dog like to wallow with corpses?
Days ago I went to walk with my dog (4 years and no breed) , as the place was very quiet (it was a field) I decided to release her from her leash and she started to walk freely but next to me. Later my dog found a corpse of a dead animal, I think it was an opossum, and she started wallowing with that corpse, that is, it seemed like she wanted to have that rotten smell of the animal in all her fur, I was surprised of what was doing, I do not understand why she did that.
Is there an explanation for that behaviour ?
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Because dogs are still predators; rolling in something stinky like a corpse will mask/ cover it's own scent. The dog can then sneak up on prey under olfactory camouflage.
Given K9s also smell like what they eat, carrion eaters stink. I suspect that by rolling in a dead thing a dog is communicating that they are such a successful hunter they can return to kills latter.
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