Why Do Dogs Scratch Ground After Peeing? 

Have you ever noticed your dog scratching the ground after they go potty?  Hopefully, you haven’t had any soil flung in your face!  Veterinary experts call this behavior “ground scratching.” Most of the time it is dismissed as a nuisance, mainly because no one knows why the dog does it or they do not consider it to be a big deal.  However, everyone should know that this behavior can tell a lot about your dog.

It is important to know that this behavior occurs equally in males and females, but only about 10% of dogs actually do it.  Ground scratching is triggered by a set of circumstances.  Typically, dogs partake in this action right after they urinate when they are in a new area and/or if they smell another dog’s waste.  Another reason why dogs scratch at the ground is due to territorial reasons.  The scratches that the dog leaves behind and the scents of the urine and waste can send a message to other dogs.

A lot of people wonder if ground scratching is aggressive.  Not necessarily.  Ground scratching may simply be a dog’s way of notifying others of their own presence.  An interesting fact is that dogs are not the only animals that partake in ground scratching.  Several observations revealed that wolves, coyotes, and other mammals such as lions do it too!