Why Dogs Scoot Their Butt Across the Floor

You’ve seen those tapes on America’s Funniest Home Videos of a dog scooting or dragging its hind-end across the sidewalk or carpet, haven’t you? Has your dog ever done that? What is he doing one he does that?

You’ve seen those tapes on America’s Funniest Home Videos of a dog scooting or dragging its hind-end across the sidewalk or carpet, haven’t you? Has your dog ever done that? What is he doing one he does that? Well, the answer might gross you out, but this article is going to answer that question for you anyway.

When a dog scoots his butt along the ground, he is marking his territory. Dogs have two glands just inside their anus that store fluid that dogs use to mark their territories. They’re called anal sacs and they hold a not-so-great smelling mixture of stuff that your dog uses sort of like a skunk uses his spray. But unlike a skunk, your pet dog is a domestic animal who no longer needs those anal sacs as a defensive mechanism, so sometimes the fluid in those sacs get backed up and need to be emptied. Other dogs are able to secrete the juice from their anal sacs on a regular basis just through walking or using the bathroom. It’s when those other dogs can’t do that when you see them start to do the butt-scooting boogie on your floor.

When your dog can’t easily empty his anal sacs, he may start scoot his butt on the ground, turn around to lick his anus, and then go around and around chasing his tail. That’s because when the anal sacs aren’t secreting properly, they become impacted and can be painful for your pet. At this point, you might want to take the poor pained pooch to the veterinarian to clean out his anal sacs. Some people wait to see if the problem will first resolve, but it could actually cause the secretions to continue to build up in the anal sac and possibly rupture. If the anal sac ruptures, you will know it, because it will emit a putrid smell and your dog will need to undergo a course of antibiotics to prevent infection.

Dogs vary in their need to have their anal sacs cleaned out and how often. You’ll know when it’s time when you once again start seeing Fido dragging his rear across the backyard. Some breeds will need several anal gland cleanings done in relatively short succession if he continues to experience discomfort. Some dogs never need to have this procedure done.

As always, there could be multiple reasons why pets exhibit behaviors, so if cleaning out your dog’s anal gland doesn’t fix the problem, be sure to ask your veterinarian to perform tests to look for other possible causes for your dog’s butt-scooting.

Written by Brian Spilner of Pet-Super-Store: Where you can find a huge selection of dog beds for big dogs and wooden dog crates.

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