Walking down to the beach the other day, I passed two people chatting about their dogs.
“My dog loves me,” one was saying, “He always rolls on his back to say hello when I get home.”
“It’s not love, ” said the other, “rolling over means he’s being submissive and accepts you as the pack leader.”.
I walked on. I try not to get involved in such conversations and anyway, Gus was itching to get to the beach to chase his ball.
You’ve probably heard or read that dogs rolling over onto their backs and showing their tummies are showing submission. To a large extent that’s true (though it’s nothing to do with pack leadership – I hope you know by now that that is rubbish) but, as usual when we talk about things dogs do, there can be several reasons your dog lies on his back with his four paws waving in the air.
Rolling on his back leaves your dog physical vulnerable and signifies his confidence and trust in you. Many dogs love having their belly rubbed – and a dog throwing himself on his back in front of you is hard to resist! Happy dogs may greet their owners in this way when they come home and they will appear relaxed, loose and floppy.
Dogs enjoy petting – they have a specific brain neuron that responds to the stimulation of hair follicles which means when you rub his tummy, the stroking of his tiny belly hairs is actually providing a specific type of stimulation in your dog’s brain.
The rapid leg-kicking your dog may exhibit during tummy rubs is sometimes considered a sign of your dog’s enjoyment, but this is actually an involuntary reaction. It’s called the “scratch reflex” or “tickle response” and it’s the reason your own leg kicks when a doctor tests your reflexes.
But this form of happy expression must not be confused with a dog rolling over in submission due to fear or to try to defuse a stressful situation. Watch for other signs of fear such as a tucked tail, lip licking, an anxious expression and tension in the muscles. In this case, a belly rub is not a good idea as it may add to the negative emotion.
Your dog may also roll on his back to deal with an annoying or uncomfortable itch. Dogs may also do this if they have a skin allergy or itch from flea or tick bites.
Some dogs roll for pleasure, just because they like it. This will usually happen on a particular surface or type of object. Tippi often rolls and wriggles on her back in the sand in our arena and I think she does for this reason.
Another reason dogs roll on their backs is to do with scent. Rolling around on something smelly is natural and normal for dogs, even though we hate it. Or they might roll to get rid of a smell – many dogs will try to roll after a bath.
The final reason for dogs to fling themselves on their backs is that this is one way dogs can cool down on hot days. Not something you’ll see at this time of year though!
Keep training – and if your dog does something you don’t understand, just ask.
Carol