You know the routine. Your dog finishes their business, then suddenly starts scraping the ground with their back legs like they're trying to bury it, flinging grass and dirt everywhere. So why does your dog kick after pooing? The short answer is that it is scent marking, not tidying up. Far from covering their mess, your dog is deliberately spreading their scent around it to leave a message for every other dog in the neighbourhood.
It looks daft, and it can be a menace on a nice lawn, but it is a completely normal, instinctive behaviour that goes back thousands of years. Let's dig into what's actually going on, why some dogs do it more than others, and the rare times it's worth a closer look.
It's scent marking, not clearing up
The kicking is often called a "ground scratch" or "grass kick", and it is one of the oldest bits of dog communication going. Dogs are far more interested in leaving a smell behind than in hiding anything. When your dog scrapes the ground, they are broadcasting their presence and reinforcing the message their poo has already left. It is essentially a canine billboard saying "I was here".
Wild canids like wolves do exactly the same thing to mark the edges of their patch, and it ties neatly into how dogs claim and advertise space (Wikipedia has a good overview of scent marking and animal territory).
The secret is in their paws
Here's the part most owners don't realise: your dog has scent glands between the pads and toes of their feet. When they kick and scrape, they aren't just making a visual scratch in the ground, they are pressing those glands into the earth and depositing their own personal scent.
So the kick does two jobs at once:
- Visual signal: the churned-up ground and scattered debris catches the eye of passing dogs.
- Scent signal: the pheromones from the paw glands settle into the soil and grass, layering a smell on top of the visual mark.
Combined with the poo itself, that's a powerful three-part message. It is a big reason dogs are so tuned in to reading the ground on walks (the same instinct behind a lot of everyday dog communication).
Groomer's tip: Because the action pushes their paws hard into grass, mud and grit, keen kickers often bring a surprising amount home in their feet. Check between the toes after muddy walks for compacted mud, grass seeds or the odd small stone, and keep the hair between the pads trimmed so debris has less to cling to.
Why do some dogs do it more than others?
It varies enormously from dog to dog, and none of it is a problem:
- Confidence and personality: more confident or territorial dogs tend to scrape more enthusiastically.
- Other dogs about: many dogs kick more when they can smell that other dogs have been in the area, upping the ante.
- Entire dogs: dogs who haven't been neutered often mark more, driven by hormones.
- Sheer habit: some dogs just always do it, others almost never, and both are perfectly normal.
You may also notice more kicking on a busy communal green than in your own back garden, simply because there's a bigger audience to leave a message for.
When the kicking is worth a second look
The behaviour itself is healthy and normal, so there's rarely anything to worry about. That said, a couple of things are worth keeping an eye on:
- Sore or injured paws: if your dog suddenly stops kicking when they always used to, or seems reluctant and tender doing it, check their pads and nails for cuts, splits or grass seeds and see your vet if anything looks sore.
- Frantic or obsessive scraping: occasional gusto is fine, but truly frantic, hard-to-interrupt scraping that seems anxious rather than routine is worth mentioning to your vet or a qualified behaviourist.
- Straining or changes at toilet time: if the kicking comes alongside straining, discomfort or a change in their poo, that's a toilet-and-tummy question for your vet, not the kicking itself.
For the vast majority of dogs, though, a good back-leg kick after a poo is just your dog being a dog: instinctive, communicative and completely healthy.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my dog kick after pooing but not always?
Dogs tend to scent mark more when other dogs have been about, when they feel territorial, or simply out of habit in certain spots. Doing it sometimes and not others is entirely normal.
Is my dog trying to cover up their poo?
No. Despite how it looks, the kicking spreads their scent around the mess rather than burying it. It is marking, not tidying.
Do the scent glands in the paws really matter?
Yes. Dogs have scent glands between their toes and pads, so scraping the ground presses their personal scent into the soil alongside the visual scratch mark.
Should I stop my dog kicking after they poo?
There's usually no need, as it is a normal instinct. If it wrecks the lawn, gently walk them on a lead to a spot you don't mind, or lead them away calmly once they've finished.
Fluffs is a professional dog grooming salon in Wigginton, York, offering one-to-one grooming for dogs of every breed and coat type across Haxby, Strensall, Huntington, New Earswick and the surrounding villages. All that scraping packs mud and grass seeds into the feet, so a groom that keeps the paws neat and the pad hair trimmed makes a real difference. Book a paw-and-pad tidy.