You’re ready to take your dog on the sidewalk or the trails, ready to walk the dog for a few miles before bed, but your dog keeps stopping to rub his face in the grass in the neighbor’s yard. … and the neighbor down the street… and in the park. Sure, it can be frustrating, but it can make you worry about why your dog is always rubbing his face on the ground.
There are many reasons why your dog rubs his face, says Dr. Amy Pike, Diplomat of American College of Veterinary Behavior and the owner of Animal health care center in Fairfax, Virginia. The first question you should ask yourself is how often does he rub his face on the ground?
- Does your dog rub his face from time to time?
- Does he rub it on the grass every time you go for a walk?
- Or does he rub his face after dinner?
Pike explains to dog owners that there are many external and internal factors that explain why a dog may rub his face.
External factors: Scent
The outside world is full of good scents on the ground (some may not be good for humans). Dogs want to get closer to a scent and in most cases they try to get that scent for them. They may also try to mark their territory by releasing their scent to tell the rest of the canine world that “Fido is here”.
Internal factors: Itching
When your eyes are itchy, you can rub your eyes with your hands. Same with scratching your nose. But dogs can’t do that, so the ground provides plenty of surface to scratch an itch. It could also mean that your dog has allergies, if he really often rubs his face in the ground.
External factors: Unpleasant facial makeup
If you are starting to use your dog’s face mask, such as Gentle Leader Head Necklace or a muzzleYour dog may not appreciate the look and want to get rid of it by any means necessary.
“If this has to do with your dog wearing a muzzle or collar and he’s trying to wipe it off his face, you’ll definitely want to redirect and distract your dog with,” says Dr. Pike. high value foods.
Internal factors: Toothache
It’s hard to be Diagnosing toothache in dogs, unless you go to the vet thoroughly. If your dog has a toothache or something is stuck in his tooth, he or she will begin to rub his face on the ground to relieve that uncomfortable pain.
If this behavior is something new and happening a lot, Dr. Pike suggests, “You may want to see your vet to rule out any medical concerns.”
If nothing is too alarming, let your dog enjoy the pleasures the outside world has to offer!
“If it has nothing to do with medical or is marked as worrisome by your vet, let him roll!” Dr. Pike encourages. “Scent is very rich on dogs, so let them have fun outside.”
