While it may initially be a bit of a comic sight, seeing your dog dragging its bottom across the floor, doing that little scoot along with its hind legs in the air, it may not prove funny in the long run. Why does your dog rub its bum on the floor and is this actually something to be worried about? That’s what we’re going to answer in today’s blog post.
We’re going to talk about bums
There are a few of reasons that your dog might be scooting over the floor, and they all involve anal glands. The first thing we should say is that if you witness this behaviour in your dog, it’s worth considering a trip to the vet. Your dog has two glands on its rear end, known as “anal sacs”. These sacs contain a pungent liquid that is released when your dog has a poo, and it acts like a calling card to tell other dogs whose poo it is – that’s why your dog is often very inquisitive when it finds another dog’s droppings.
These sacs can become clogged or damaged and this can be irritating to your dog. And because they have no means to talk to us, having a bit of a scoot over the living room carpet is their way of letting us know something is wrong. These glands will become inflamed, itchy and painful when they’re not working properly and so a trip to the vet is very much recommended to get your dog feeling right again.
Other reasons?
Well, if you have a dog that gets groomed a lot, these glands, and other areas of the bottom, can become inflamed or irritated. It might be a particular spray or scent that the groomer uses so it’s worth asking said groomer to go easy on that particular end of the dog and switch up the potions they’re applying.
