Why does my dog rub their bum on the floor?

While it may initially be a bit of a comic sight, seeing your dog dragging its bottom across the floor, doing that little scoot along with its hind legs in the air, it may not prove funny in the long run. Why does your dog rub its bum on the floor and is this actually something to be worried about? That’s what we’re going to answer in today’s blog post.

We’re going to talk about bums

There are a few of reasons that your dog might be scooting over the floor, and they all involve anal glands. The first thing we should say is that if you witness this behaviour in your dog, it’s worth considering a trip to the vet. Your dog has two glands on its rear end, known as “anal sacs”. These sacs contain a pungent liquid that is released when your dog has a poo, and it acts like a calling card to tell other dogs whose poo it is – that’s why your dog is often very inquisitive when it finds another dog’s droppings.

These sacs can become clogged or damaged and this can be irritating to your dog. And because they have no means to talk to us, having a bit of a scoot over the living room carpet is their way of letting us know something is wrong. These glands will become inflamed, itchy and painful when they’re not working properly and so a trip to the vet is very much recommended to get your dog feeling right again.

Other reasons?

Well, if you have a dog that gets groomed a lot, these glands, and other areas of the bottom, can become inflamed or irritated. It might be a particular spray or scent that the groomer uses so it’s worth asking said groomer to go easy on that particular end of the dog and switch up the potions they’re applying.

Intestinal parasites and worms can also cause irritation and itchiness in your dog’s anal glands, so make sure you keep them wormed regularly – and chat to your vet if you suspect parasites or worms might be the issue.

It could also be to do with your dog’s diet. If your dog doesn’t have a well-balanced diet, or if they’re not getting enough fibre, or they have an allergy to something they’ve been eating, this can affect the shape and consistency of the stool and that might mean the anal glands aren’t emptying as they should. If this does end up being the root cause, we recommend putting them on a diet of food for dogs with sensitive stomachs but you’ll need your vet’s say-so to confirm this is the cause.

Whatever the cause might be, you will need a vet to tell you for sure what’s wrong, and so we really recommend getting an appointment for your dog’s sake if they start scooting and rubbing their bum on the floor.