Why Do Dogs Scratch the Ground After Peeing?

Your dog urinates on a tree, then kicks up some grass with its hind legs and scratches the ground. When your canine engages in this behavior, it may trace back its early ancestor, the wolf. This behavior is a way of communicating messages, such as dominance and territory boundaries, to other canines.

  1. Scrape

    • The canine act of scratching in a backward motion with its legs is called a ''scrape.'' Dogs usually use their hind legs for this, but some may scrape the ground with their front legs. This primal behavior is seen in both wolves and domestic dogs, according to the nonprofit Wolf Education &Research Center (WERC), based in Portland, Oregon.

    Claiming Territory

    • Scraping is performed by a dominant wolf to mark its territory and send out other messages. This mark signals a territory boundary to other wolves in competing packs. Dominant wolves also scrape to signal their leading status to their own pack. The behavior also may be used to claim a food item, according to WERC.

    Dog Signals

    • Domestic dogs engage in scraping behavior after urinating for many of the same reasons wolves do, according to WERC. The scent they're leaving behind can signal a variety of messages to other dogs. It can be a sign of the dog's stature, age, gender, and even availability for mating.

    Scent Glands

    • Wolves and domestic dogs both have scent glands between their paw pads. Each scrape of the paw leaves a trace of the canine's distinctive scent. For domestic dogs, who no longer live in packs, scraping is probably a natural wolflike instinct or drive. Dogs function 80 percent by instinct, according to Flockguard Training &Behavior.

    Urine

    • The dog's urine contains its unique scent. As the dog travels along, it leaves traces of urine behind, which is used to communicate messages to other dogs. The scraping behavior after peeing not only spreads the scent of the urine, it adds another unique scent to it. Dogs may also engage in scraping behavior after defecation for the same reasons.