Re: Queensland Heeler/Dingo types

[Suzanne Mounts <mountss@usfca.edu>]

Lest people think that this kind of behavior is limited to Queensland
Heeler/Dingo types, I must report that a beautiful big standard poodle that
I used to own did the very same thing.  Cow manure was common.  The very
worst was when he rolled in a dead seal carcass. Ugh!  I almost abandoned
him at that point. Fortunately, I kept him clipped very short, so did not
end up with long poodle hair full of the stuff.

Suzanne Mounts

At 11:29 AM 2/11/1999 EST, you wrote:
>In a message dated 2/11/99 8:21:18 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>BMcCrary27@aol.com writes:
>
><<  My guess is that they are trying to
> disguise themselves with the odor of their quarry ... whether it be cows or
> coyotes.  In other words, they try to smell like anything but a human-
> associated dog.  This is my opinion or observation; anyone else have an idea
> about this? >>
>
>You are right on, Barbara.  Dogs in general especially like to roll in the
>manure of prey species (big herbivores like horses, cows, etc. are right up
>there in their preference) so that they smell like the prey's normal habitat
>and are more difficult to detect by scent.  Just like visual camouflage, in a
>sense.  Rolling in the remains of something rotten and dead is a good
>olfactory camouflage, too.  It is one of those vestigial behaviors that goes
>back to the time when their species had to hunt to eat...  If only they could
>figure out that their human pals have cultural taboos about smelling like
>that!
>
>Heidi
>
>