Sniffing, the highest form of courtesy for a dog!
When you or I meet someone for the first time we show manners by shaking hands. Other countries kiss on the cheeks etc. With animals it is a whole new world. Animals greet every new comer into their circle by sniffing them. It is correct protocol for the dog to want to sniff you and sometimes it is a little embarrassing or annoying but to the dog it gets all the information it needs from this act which is deemed the very best of doggie protocol. From this moment on the brief sniff will renew the first meeting. People think when dogs come running towards them with tails wagging they want to play but play will come second to the introduction of sniffing. Dogs sometimes do other things that make us gag or offend us such as eating feces or rolling in disgusting things rubbing the odor onto their own bodies. These are kick backs from the wild and no one can be absolutely sure why either takes place.
Perhaps the rolling puts the smell of a larger more fearsome animal onto their body to scare off predators or opposition we are not sure. Eating of feces of their own is not clearly defined I believe if puppies are left with the mother dog 8 weeks she will teach them to go far from the den site or nest to do their business then leave it alone. If Mom has had to fend for herself she might have picked up this habit to get nourishment and it is said in today’s better dog and cat foods there is so much nourishment left it tempts a dog to eat it for calorie content.
Whatever the reason it is not acceptable practice. Most dogs can be dissuaded by additions to their food such as chopped pineapple, monosodium glutamate, sauerkraut, Worcestershire, are only a few. There are special pills and things to add to the food. Most dogs will eat from the litter box of cats regardless of how tidy they are otherwise so it is best to have a covered box or clean it immediately. There is obviously something in the feces that appeals to the stimulation of desire in the dog. Always remove poop as quickly as possible. Feeding dry food and a bit of moist makes stools that are easier to collect and dispose of, even Pedigree advertises this and it is one reason most kennels are drawn to use Pedigree. A kennel full of dogs with diarrhea is a terrible thing. As for helping the nonprofit charities Pedigree does almost nothing about donating free food or money to charities that are no kill I guess figuring dogs sitting around eating and not getting into homes quickly do not make them enough money.
When I contacted Pedigree or Hills about food and told them I had over 300 dogs plus cats in a no kill shelter they told me “we are not interested, you can call back if you change your status in a year:” which meant, start killing off dogs and cats and get out of no kill business if you want help from us. PETA has the same attitude when I ran into trouble with a lease on my no kill 300 dog kennel, PETA told me to put them down and offered no further advice everyone should read the book Redemption about no kill vs. kill shelters. It just takes a little more time to find a loving home in most cases but economics plays a big part in today’s society. It is reflecting our human attitude of getting rid of the sick and elderly and dealing only with the healthy productive.