why do some dogs insist in rolling in dead wildlife such as birds etc.Mine does it if I dont watch her like a hawk

There are lots of theories and speculations but no  one really knows why they do this or roll in fox scat etc; it is just one of their charms :D

This is one of Kayla's favourite hobbies, she also likes to get hold of them and fling them around! Oh, and then she has a good crunch on the bones! Seagulls and rabbits are best but she has found a few dead seals at the beach but these musn't have a nice enough aroma as she keeps well clear! I think because they eat them the carcass must smell nice so they rub in it so when the get back to the 'den'ie home they can tell anyone who didn't come on the hunt what they found. I can usually stop her if I call her before she's got to it but once the flinging and rolling has started my best bet is to run and hope she's more bothered about where I've gone and drops whatever she's found. Dogs can be gross sometimes, I mean they lick their own bum and smell other dogs bits so why not eat/roll in/play with a dead animal, life is all about having fun-if it's not fun why do it?!!! :D

Some think, and I tend to agree that they do it to disguise their own scent so predators don't know they're around. Of course, a predator might settle for a rabbit if they can't have a dog. So, that scent may still attract predators. Two of my dogs tend to do that too. Gross!

Carrie

Both my beagles love rolling in dead animals or anything thats disgusting or very smelly. I thought they did it to disguise their own scent from their prey. So if they roll in something and then go on a chase their prey doesn't smell them coming.
However, i do think there is an amount of enjoyment in it, if theirs a cow pat, why not have a taste and roll in it too.

LOL! Aren't dogs gross? Yes, I bet that's true too, disguising themselves for either reason.

My Lab has rolled in bear, cougar and cow poop. I lived on a big dairy farm for about a year. (Carnation Farm, owned by Nestle Corp.) And that's where she got into all kinds of disgusting things. She was covered one day from head to toe in green, slimy goo and it wasn't cow. This happened on a walk where she mozzied off the main road into the woods a little and came out not looking like a Chocolate Lab, but a green olive Lab. We headed straight for the calf barn where I could wash her with warm water and not have to pick her up. LOL. Grosssss!!!

Carrie

My darling Anton does this as his most fav. hobby, he drives me round the bend :d