Scratching the grass.

[Judy Fox]

When M & M go out to spend a penny, they stoop down but do not scratch the grass with their back feet when they have finished. Do any of your chow girls scratch the grass or is it only a boy dog thing? Do the boy chows do it?

[vicster605]

LOL Judy, Kyra does it sometimes, and she even lifts a leg when she spends a penny.....Kearra never has. Maybe Kyra just thinks shes a boy??

[Sharons Chows]

Scratching the grass in MY chow house is not quite the term I would use.

JR and Cheyenne could rip up an entire large lawn within 15 minutes and that is why they get walked at night {other than I work all day} and their route changes all the time.

BC{before Cheyenne}...JR did a pretty good number with his back feet.
When Cheyenne was adopted...poor little girl couldn't even walk since she was caged up for so many years. So she was taught to walk and strengthen her leggies and hips.
Then JR started mentoring his new lil sis...who by the way weighs in about 15 more lbs than him.
1st he taught he how to pee properly...so of course she lifts her leg now all the time instead of a ladylike squat.
Then he began the BIG LESSONS on how to manuever back legs like a rototiller.
At 1st Cheyenne just couldn't get it. Then gradually she got a gentle little kick in. Slowly but surely that kick was refined and strengthened after she got tired of dirt landing in her face from Big Brother. And now 3 years later that girlie can rip and kick as good as JR and sometimes even better.

Yep...my 2 "scratch the grass" in a VERY BIG WAY!!!!!

Sharon and the 2 bulldozers

[Mia]

Oh my goodness, my little girl Mia does an elaborate grass-kicking ceremony after spending every penny. She could plow a field by herself.

Mr. Chutney, on the other hand, doesn't like to get his ballerina paws dirty. He just stops, mid-walk, spends his penny and moves on with barely a stop in his stride.

[Desi]

Cheyenne scratches (that's an understatement) ,Cinnamon doesn't.One of the poodles does it too,the most dominant one.

[Chow Chow Mama]

Hannah does once in a while. She's hilarious when she does it.

[Victory]

Well, it is a domninace behavior. Firesong never did it when I had Darkwind, I didn't think she knew how, but as soon as it was just her, she started, Dreamdancer has always done it, ever see an eight week old puppy do it? Cracked me up, Mr. Big shot! And between the two of them they can rearange the entire park's landscape if I let them. Let's not talk about the digging they get into a competition about. Firesong will spend a penny, plow her furrow...walk for a bit, do number 2, plow another furrow, get the zoomies then all of a sudden stop and try to dig her way back to her ancestrial homeland! And once she starts then Dreamdancer has to help....I just know we're going to be told we're destroying public proberty or something one of these days.

[Dogdad]

Both Maxwell and Yoshi do it, Yoshi kicks high into the air while Maxwell looks like he is moonwalking. ALlie's mom is really impressed with his dance moves

David

[chowchowdaddy]

Chia, our first chow, never "scratched the grass," nor does Tempest. She's way too ladylike, and she somehow manages to lift one of her hind legs off the ground WHILE going (still sitting down). Ming, on the other hand, sends divots flying so far back, I'm always afraid he's going to hit someone!!! We actually call him "Divot dolly..." But, don't ask me why, he only does that on maybe 30-40% of his "spend a penny" and only on #1, never on #2...

[summer_rose03]

Carter will do the kicking dirt/snow thing once in awhile, but not every time. I think it has something to do with what ever he smells at the time. It's kind of annoying, and kind of cute at the same time.

[Judy Fox]

Thank you everybody for your responses.

Now question no 2!

Do those of you who have chows who do kick up the grass consider that your chow "has a screw loose" because they do this or that they are out of control or totally undisciplined?

[Boogie and Linda]

Mine all do this on occassion. Fozzie does it the most frequently after spending a penny. Teddie does this to the carpet in the house but he hasn't spent a penny when he does it. I always think he is trying to bury his toys and treats. And yes, poor Teddie is totally nuts. The other two are just showing their dominance, I think. Or else maybe their feet get dirty and they are just wiping them.

[Victory]

Thank you everybody for your responses.

Now question no 2!

Do those of you who have chows who do kick up the grass consider that your chow "has a screw loose" because they do this or that they are out of control or totally undisciplined?

None of the above, the behavior is intinctive and something most of the dominant type breeds will do. I only try to make sure they don't kick dirt,mud, snow and rocks onto other people or put a dent into someone's car when they send stuff flying!

[Judy Fox]

THANKYOU VICTORY!!
Hector and I agree with you totally, wholeheartedly!
Hector does it and it drives Fred mad - he says "That bl**dy dog is crackers, batty, got screw loose - needs disciplining, send him to the vet, clip him round his ear!" etc. etc. and I answer in my most patient, "Now don't blow a fuse Fred, you will have an apoplexy" manner that he is just a happy, well adjusted Schnauzer doing what happy well adjusted Schnauzer gentlemen do.
Poor Hector - he is such a lovely boy and always in trouble - I mean the "girls" are perfect in every way!
Anthony our son calls them "The Pink Fluffs" - they can do no wrong in Fred's eyes. He is besotted with them.

[debraschow]

Judy, Can't remember exactly what is emitted, (over 30 years ago was an animal tech) but when they scratch like that they are actually emitting a "pheromone" (I think, I know it is something) it makes the scent stronger, it is in their paws. It lets "everyone" know this is "their" territory. It's just more marking.

Oh and Milo definitly has a screw loose, he still visits "his friends" in the snow by putting his whole face in the snow for minutes and minutes at a time, he loves laying in tons of snow, and John and I continually ask "why did we leave California?" Wait a minute maybe Milo is sane and we aren't?

Anyway, our electricity came back on, after 11 hours off, and what am I doing, on my favorite site!!!

Debra and John and Milo

[Me & Tess]

Tess did the scrathing the grass thing, and the phantom pee (like a male) thing. She was Alfa, although I didn't call it that then. She liked to smell and re-smell whatever she smelled before then do the pee/phantom pee, and then the scratching the grass thing... I agree it is a territorial thing.

[MickChick]

Brandy does it all the time. Can't remember if Honey did or not; Ralph definitely did! Don't think they're crazy - just letting the other dogs in the neighborhood know this is 'their" territory!

Cecelia

[vicster605]

So the peein' on top of where the other just peed is also territorial marking ???? To me it was the funniest thing to watch when we had 3 here....One would spend a penny then the other would come and spend a penny on top of the spot and then the other would spend a penny on top of that one.....made for some nasty dead grass spots in the yard LOL I've just assumed that was the case, so since we're on the subject??? Even with K & K going out separate now they smell around and find where the other went and go there Add this to some grass kickin' and the lawn can look a bit rough at times

[Judy Fox]

Yes, M & M always go on each other's spot and also the phantom-pee when they are out on a walk.
Anyway, thanks folk - I cannot wait for Fred to read this lot. Hee! Hee!

[Tippsy'smom]

Tippsy kicks sometimes when she "spends a penny". But not all the time.

Mostly our Yorkie does it. He'll do it after doing #1 or #2, doesn't matter. And he also does it to get attention when we're in the house.

[aware]

Rocco does the grass flicking dance as well. I was told that its how some dogs mark (along with the regular "marking")... they have glands in there feet... made sense to me. Julie does not do it but she runs away from her #2's, either she just likes getting rid of the dead weight or she realizes how bad it smells!

[Judy Fox]

Now that is funny - Mabel also runs away when she has deposited her bundle and she has a big chow grin on her face as if to say "Well, that's got rid of that!"

[Wolfie]

Wolfie does it constantly while on a walk. Not only does he do it to the grass, he also does dirt and -- get this -- cement. I call it "toro, toro" like a bull getting ready to charge the matador. Zoe tries doing it sometimes, but she is very dainty about it.

[TJordan]

Butters will do it at people who pass by. Not so much just after he p's. He does it to make sure everyone knows he is the big dog! Goofy Chow likes to show his dominate A$$

[Babs64]

Sophie does not do it, thank goodness. Ty, the shih tzu, does do it. Considering how much grass he can rip up, I am quite happy he is not bigger. At first, I thought Ty was nuts, then I realized it was a dominance thing. If another dog is in his sight line, he'll huff and puff while he is kicking up the grass. I keep telling Ty that the other dogs are just not going to take him seriously because he is such a little bitty guy, but he keeps doing it.