Your dog is Facebooking
You: open Facebook
Dog: start on walk
You: update Facebook
Dog: pee
You: scroll feed looking for something interesting
Dog: walk fast looking for something interesting
You: oh, new post…stop to read it
Dog: oh, new scent…stop to smell it
You: like post
Dog: pee
You: continue scrolling
Dog: continue walking
You: back up…almost missed that one
Dog: back up…almost missed that one
You: Nah not interesting…keep scrolling
Dog: Nah not interesting…keep walking
You: friend’s status update
Dog: sniff
You: share
Dog: pee
Scent marking is a dog’s pee-mail
There’s lot more going on for a dog when we are taking them for a walk than meets the eye. For a dog, it’s all about the nose.
The stop-sniff-pee activity is an opportunity for the dog to communicate with other dogs, share social status’, find mates, size up unfamiliar dogs from a safe distance, and avoid potentially dangerous situations.
This is my dog’s ritual on every hiking trail. Pee at the trailhead, sniff, pee, walks fast to the next spot to sniff and pee again. After about a quarter mile he settles down and enjoys the hike. I’m never sure if he’s satisfied with who’s on the trail or he just ran out of pee. The sniff and pee routine can be a little annoying at times, but hey, I should let my dog be a dog every now and then.
I have never seen Halo intimidated by another dog, not even the hundred-pound young male Rottweiler at playgroup, and he’s not at all aggressive towards other dogs. The only thing I have ever seen him afraid of is a bathtub.
At the end of August, we were in Northern Maine for a camping trip. There is a pond that we always wanted to fish but had never hiked the mile in to see it. Instead of hauling in the canoe and gear for the unknown, we thought that it would be a good walk with the dog to check it out.
We weren’t on the trail more than a few hundred yards and it seemed that Halo was uncomfortable. We went a bit further and it was clear he was very nervous, I mean, just shy of a bath kind of scared. This was our queue around. On the way out, my boyfriend noticed a large canine print in the dirt and a ribbon on a branch indicating a bear baiting site (bear baiting starts a few weeks before hunting season). Wolves, coyotes, and bears, oh my! There was something in the woods bigger and BADDER than Halo and he knew it. We’re glad we picked up on his signals. We would have sooner if we noticed that he never peed, not once!
This was a first-hand experience of how well animals communicate through scent marking. He got the information he needed to know that this was not a friend request.
This was an extreme situation, however as hikers, we know that there is the potential for wild animals near the trail. Understanding scent marking can help avoid sticky or dangerous situations. I would imagine the majority of scent markings my dog encounters is that of spayed and neutered domestic dogs. A wild canine’s urine would have left a powerful message. For the most part, wild animals will avoid human interaction, but there was no point in stressing out our dog to see a fishing hole.
Dog’s are much better at communicating than we are. Learn and listen to your dog’s signals. There are variables, of course, size, personality, age, and whether you have a male or female. Read more about Dr. Lisberg study on scent marking that was published in the Journal of Animal Behavior.
Build a relationship with your dog
Building a good relationship with your dog will help you understand what he is trying to tell you. Next time you are at the dog park or on a walk, observe your dog’s pee rituals and those of other dogs. It’s really interesting watching the dogs access the who’s who of the dog park.
Save Facebook and Twitter updates until after your walk when your dog is curled up on the sofa.