How can I curb my dog's tendencies to roll in everything?

Question

As a continuation to this question, Why does my dog roll in gross stuff?, I was wondering if there was a way to actually stop my dog from rolling in everything and anything.

My dog is about 9 months old, a golden retriever/lab mix. He rolls in anything, all the time - rotten, dead animals, poop, and onto some animals when they are still alive - the other day he rolled onto a snake and got its musk all over him.

Is there a way to curb his rolling tendencies? It is difficult to stop him since we live in a large forested area and take him for frequent walks down forest trails - plenty of opportunity to roll in whatever is around at the time.

Answer 1

I've once spoken with a veterinarian about this and she said that it might be the case that the dog which is coprophagic or rolls in smelly material might do this due to trying to acquire the smell onto him/her. In your dog's eyes the smell would make the other dogs fear him since dogs tend to offer respect(in the first place) based on analyzing the scent.

Other animals in the wild, specifically jungles, cover themselves in faeces to deter mosquitoes and other parasites. So your dog might be very worrisome about the parasites around him.

Thinking from my experience with my dog, he used to do that when he use young(<= 4 years old) and afterwards he completely stopped. It may be the case that at one point the dog will be too happy and proud of his scent to ruin it.

Also, if your dog's doing this excessively it may be wise to read a little about canine obsessive compulsive disorder.