Dogs roll in fox poo primarily because of instinctual behaviors inherited from their ancestors. This behavior serves several purposes:

• Masking their own scent: Rolling in strong-smelling substances like fox poo helps dogs cover their natural odor. This may have helped wild dogs sneak up on prey or avoid predators by disguising their scent.

• Communicating with the pack: Rolling in novel or strong scents might have been a way for wild dogs or wolves to share information with their pack members by carrying new smells back to them.

• Attracted to the smell: Although unpleasant to humans, dogs have a very sensitive nose and can find the smell of fox poo appealing, similar to wearing a kind of "dog perfume".

• Marking territory: By rolling in fox poo and leaving their own scent, dogs may be marking the area to communicate their presence to other animals.

This behavior is deeply ingrained and persists even though domesticated dogs no longer need to hunt or hide from predators. It can be difficult to train dogs not to do this, and there are health risks such as parasites from fox faeces that owners should be aware of.

Thus, dogs roll in fox poo as a mix of instinctive scent masking, communication, and attraction to the scent itself. All information is based on recent expert and canine behaviorist sources from 2025 and earlier.