One moment your dog is calmly finishing their business. The next, they’re launching dirt, grass, and occasionally landscaping materials in every direction like a tiny four-legged excavator.
Some dogs give the ground a polite little scuff before moving on. Others seem determined to remodel the entire backyard.
So what’s actually going on? Are dogs trying to cover their poop, or is something else happening?
As it turns out, scientists believe dogs may be leaving a message rather than hiding one.
Are Dogs Trying to Cover Their Poop?
Many people assume dogs kick the grass after going to the bathroom because they’re trying to bury or hide their waste, similar to how cats cover theirs.
However, research suggests that this usually isn’t what’s happening.
In fact, many animal behavior experts believe the opposite may be true. Rather than concealing evidence, dogs appear to be advertising their presence.
If you’ve ever watched a dog scratch the ground after pooping, you’ve probably noticed that the behavior often happens after they’ve already walked away from the spot itself. Some dogs don’t even make contact with the area where they eliminated.
That doesn’t look much like covering tracks.
Instead, scientists think the behavior is primarily a form of communication.
Dogs May Be Leaving a Message for Other Dogs
Dogs experience the world very differently than humans do. While we rely heavily on sight, dogs gather an enormous amount of information through scent.
Most dog owners are already familiar with urine marking, but dogs have another communication tool available: their paws.
Dogs possess scent-producing glands associated with the skin between and around their paw pads. When dogs scratch and kick the ground, they may be helping spread those scents while also creating visible marks in the grass or soil.
Researchers believe this combination of scent and visual disturbance may function as a kind of message board for other dogs.
To another dog, that freshly scratched patch of grass may be the canine equivalent of a social media status update:
“I was here.”
Interestingly, similar ground-scratching behavior has also been observed in wolves, coyotes, and other wild canids, suggesting that the behavior may have deep evolutionary roots.
Why Do Some Dogs Kick Like Crazy While Others Barely Scratch?
Not every dog does this.
Some dogs never kick the ground at all. Others perform an enthusiastic dirt-flinging routine after nearly every bathroom break.
Scientists still don’t fully understand why individual dogs differ so much, but several factors may play a role, including age, personality, social environment, and individual communication styles.
Research has found that both male and female dogs engage in ground scratching, and the behavior is generally considered normal.
Like many canine behaviors, there is a lot of individual variation.
In other words, if your dog politely scuffs the grass once while your neighbor’s dog appears to be attempting a major excavation project, both behaviors are probably perfectly normal.
When Ground Scratching Becomes a Landscaping Problem
While the behavior itself is usually harmless, some dogs become extremely enthusiastic kickers.
Repeated scratching in the same location can wear down grass, scatter mulch into flower beds, and leave favorite potty spots looking a little rough around the edges.
Many dog owners find that creating a designated potty area helps limit damage to the rest of the yard while still allowing their dogs to perform their post-potty ritual.
If you’re interested in encouraging your dog to use one specific area, you may also enjoy our article: How to Train Your Dog to Use a Designated Potty Area.
And if your dog’s communication efforts are leaving more surprises in the yard than you’d like to deal with, regular cleanup can help keep those favorite bathroom areas cleaner and more enjoyable for both dogs and people.
At Scoopie Poo, we provide professional pet waste removal services for homeowners throughout Merrill, Wausau, and surrounding communities—so you can spend less time cleaning the yard and more time enjoying it with your dogs.
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