I have a Dachshund puppy, Peanut. As she is a breed originating as a small creature hunter, she displays some characteristics of that breed. Where my Labrador would point out dead animals, and might sniff around them, he would mostly leave them be. Peanut, however, will stalk small varmints/birds, and if I let her, chase them down, including down their holes/up trees. I understand this behavior.
When I'm walking Peanut, if she happens across a carcase, she'll pick it up and either attempt to eat it, or carry it back to our yard "for later" snacking. :) I discourage this behavior.
Sometimes, however, when we are walking, she'll stop, sniff once or twice (and I usually can't even see what she is sniffing, beyond maybe a spot on the sidewalk), and then kneel down and lay her chin and throat on the spot and kind of rub. (No jokes about a Dachshund not needing to kneel, please). This behavior has me absolutly baffled.
As I understand it, a cat has some (sweat?) glands in their chins that they use to leave a scent, but I didn't think dogs have that.
Note that it's not the "roll around in trash" behavior. She doesn't actually lay down on either her stomach or back, she just... "lays her throat and chin" in the, I guess smell?
I would also add that we got Peanut from a litter my father's dog sired with a friend's Dachshund, so she's purebred. We got her at around 7 weeks, and she's done this behavior since then. She doesn't do it all the time (every walk), but only when she finds a whatever-it-is.
I've never owned a hound breed before. Is this a Dachshund thing? A hound thing? or a Peanut thing?
Here is a video of the behavior, although this is the most she has done it. She's never twisted like this before, just set her chin straight down. In this video I guess it is the equivalent of "rolling around in trash."