Scooby Doo and the Mystery of the Bad Smell

Your French Bulldog ‘Scooby’ is a big, sweet and sloppy dog. Therefore, when he smells bad, it is big, not-so-sweet and sloppy odor. Scooby, like all dogs, seems to have this obsession with rolling in the stinkiest things – dead animals, feces, mysteriously murky mud and water, you name it. If it smells bad, he wants to rub himself all over it until he is not only thoroughly smelly, but also a bit slimy or your favorite – sticky.

This is a problem, not only because of the smell that makes you want to gag, but because of the potential dangers of whatever diseases that the dead thing might carry, or the germs in the feces or the mud. Also, it is darn hard to give such a big dog a bath. Why on earth does Scooby – and other dogs too for that matter – insist on this disgusting practice, and is there anything that you can do to stop him?

Why Do They Do It?

Turns out, the answer to the mystery of why dogs roll in smelly, gross things is as elusive as those solved by the gang after which your French Bulldog is named. Apparently, there are not enough “meddling kids” in your neighborhood making a common practice of interfering with dogs rolling in bad smells. There are two theories floating around, each, or even a combination of both are pretty plausible.

Theory 1

The first theory has to do with the dog’s hunting instincts. Way back when their meals came in the form of prey, rather than kibble, which doesn’t exactly run away, many breeds of dogs were hunters. They had to be the very embodiment of stealth – and this means, covering their scent. If the prey was downwind, and caught the smell of a dog approaching, they would bolt. But if they were downwind and smell a mud puddle, or a dead thing, or even poop, they would have no reason to flee. It is possible that the instinct to mask their own scent has survived, even though they no longer need to stalk and kill prey to ensure that they eat.

Theory 2

The other theory is likely to get you a bit steamed. The second theory is that what smells bad to us smells good to them, and so they do it because the want to. Just like a person who wins a million dollar jackpot might roll in their pile of bills, a dog rolls in the dead bird he found, because to him, it smells like a million bucks.

Stopping it

Stopping it is a little harder, because you have to catch Scooby in the act. Punishing him after the fact will just confuse and depress him. If you really feel you must squash this habit, then you need to spray him with a hose, or walk up to him and pull him away from it while he is in the act so that he understands what exactly he is being punished for. Do not rub his nose in it. He will enjoy that.

There are manufacturers who make collars with remotes that you can use to train your dog not to roll in things. It is not a shock collar, rather it is a collar that upon your pressing a button, releases a spritz of citronella, a harmless but unpleasant smell to doggies. This collar is a bit spendy, but may be worth it if you are having lots of trouble with Scooby.

The most important thing to remember is that it is ultimately not Scooby’s fault. He is not doing it to make you mad or because he understands that you don’t like the smell – he doesn’t. So be sure, even when you are frustrated not to be mean. If bathing him is the problem, perhaps build an outdoor crate that he can stay in, or put a dog bed in the garage so that on days when he gets smelly he has a place to be inside without stinking up your house. Then you can bath him the next day or later the same day when you have time. It is likely that he is going to roll in things occasionally, even if you mostly break him of the habit. The important thing is to find a way to handle it that doesn’t result in the both of you getting upset.