Science Sunday

Why do dogs scratch the ground after peeing

Divots all over the lawn, gravel flying all over. Someone just had a pee. But why do dogs need to scratch the ground after peeing? Actually, only around 10 percent of dogs do it," said Rosie Bescoby, a clinical animal behaviorist with the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors in the United Kingdom and she says that it appears to occur equally in males and females, although  it was observed that males that do it, do it more frequently than the females that do it, which may be why most people think it is a male thing.
A 2004 paper studied 12 female Jack Russels, 6 spayed and 6 intact and watched their urinary behaviors. They observed that  these dogs were more likely to urinate more frequently and aim their urine at objects when away from home in comparison to when they were walked close to home and concluded that scent marking was an important function of urination, especially away from home area. Male dogs have also been observed to raise their legs more frequently to urinate when in the presence of another dog. We can corroborate this from observations in our boarding kennel where all the dogs are away from home and around strange dogs.
But still why the scratching? Most studies conclude that, given the marking functions explained above, the scratching is just a method of distributing that scent over wider territory. In addition, dogs have sweat glands in their paw pads and by scratching at the ground they are also adding that additional scent to the already lovely odour.
Most studies also hypothesize that the marks left on the ground contribute a visual component
to the marking function of the behaviour for passers by. Scientists who study this sort of thing call this a composite signal.
At any rate, ground scratching is not a behaviour we need to discourage, just stand clear when the dirt starts flying. ​Have fun and keep heading Duenorth, the right direction to a well trained dog.
References:
Physiology Today, Ground Scratching by Dogs: Scent, Sight, and Ecstasy, Mark Bekoff PhD March 03, 2019
Eileen and dogs,  Ground Scratching: Why Does My Dog Do It? Eileen Anderson, December 02, 2014
Live Science, Why do dogs scratch the ground after they pee? Emma Bryce, August 04 2018.
PetMD, 12 Dog Peeing Positions and What They Mean. Jennifer Coates DVM

 

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