Why Do Dogs Scoot on Their Butts?

All dogs have butts. And similarly, many dogs will at one point or another scoot on their butt across the floor, grass, or even sidewalk (yep, it happens).

While this behavior can be a bit embarrassing if guests are over, it’s actually something you should try to diagnose and resolve sooner rather than later.

In most cases scooting is just a sign of full or irritated anal glands. But, in some cases, it can actually be a more serious sign of health problems!

So, let’s learn all about scooting. Here’s what we will cover:

-The main reason dogs scoot, full anal glands

-What are anal glands

-Other behaviors/signs you may see associated with scooting

-Other (less likely) reasons your dog is scooting across the floor

-What you should do if your dog is scooting

-What you should NOT do when your dog scoots

-How to prevent anal gland issues and scooting

Trust me when I tell you that you’re gonna run into this throughout your dog’s life, so it’s important to learn the ins and outs of the scoot. 

If you just want the simple answer, this is it…

The main reason dogs scoot on their butts is that their anal glands/sacs are itchy and/or full.

So, you might be wondering what in the world anal glands are. Let’s cover that. ⤵️

While you’ll more commonly hear the term anal glands, it’s actually the anal sacs that get filled and irritated for your dog.

Let’s break this down as simply as possible.

All dogs, male and female, have anal sacs (inside their anus) that are filled with foul-smelling fluid. The purpose of this fluid is essentially a “calling card” with their information. 

PS- That’s part of why dogs like to sniff each other’s butts and feces.

The fluid passes out of the sacs, through a duct, and then out of the anus, typically at the end of a bowel movement.

But sometimes the fluid doesn’t make it out as it should.

When that happens, you get a build-up in the sacs (often stemming from the ducts being clogged or irritated) that causes pain, inflammation, and general discomfort for your dog. This can also turn into Anal Sac Disease, especially if left untreated.

This leads us to why anal glands are often the root cause of a scooting dog… 👇

When your dog’s anal glands are full it can be quite uncomfortable for them. Think of how you’d feel if you constantly felt snot in your nose but were unable to blow it out… 

Fun topics, right? 😉

Scooting can do two things for your dog: 

-Comfort and itch relief

-Hopefully, it encourages the anal glands to discharge the liquid

Dogs scooting on their butt across the floor is common. Dogs typically scoot because their anal glands are full, irritated, and/or itchy.

Again, if you suspect this to be the case then please consult your vet. If anal gland issues go untreated they can become increasingly worse for your dog’s health!

And don’t stop your dog mid-scoot. Let them scoot and then work on finding a solution and remedy for the root problem.

As part of a healthy gut, be sure to check out our Gut Health + Immunity Supplement. Since a puppy's gut makes up a large majority of their immune system it's so important to properly care for their microbiome. This supplement has been formulated with optimal ingredients to support a healthy gut! 

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is the perfect pup podcast.Helping you build a better
relationship with your pup presented by pop furred Hello,
pop parents and welcome to today's episode of the perfect
pup podcast. My name is Devon.
It's going to be an interesting one.
I learned a lot diving into why our dogs scoot on there but
across the floor, it's such a weird Behavior.

(00:23):
It can be slightly embarrassing if you have guests over and you
don't really know why it's happening, but it can also be a
sign of underlying health concerns.
So let's dive into why dogs, scoot, what you should do.
If your dog is scooting, What you shouldn't do.
And of course, some ways we can prevent the scooting from
happening. So let's get right into it.

(00:44):
Very first disclaimer, this is ahealth issue.
Anytime we are talking about kind of abnormal behaviors that
your dog is exhibiting. It's important to be in contact
with your vet, and if you have concerns, go talk to them.
I'm not a vet and I don't know your dog, but your vet is a vet
and they do know your dog. So, talk to your vet, if you

(01:04):
have concerns. So your dog starts scooting
across. The ground.
I've seen dogs do it everywhere.I've seen him.
Do it on concrete, grass, hardwood, floors everywhere.
Typically the main reason, your dog is scooting there but across
the ground is they have itchy and or full anal glands.
So the next question is, what inthe world are anal glands?

(01:25):
You've maybe heard the term of needing to express your dog's
anal glands, which basically means removing the liquid that
is within your dog's anal glands, what are anal And so
let's cover that. So your dog has what's called
anal sacs in the air inside yourdog's anus and they are filled
with a kind of foul-smelling liquid, that's basically your

(01:48):
dogs calling card. We talked in another episode
about why dogs. Sniff each others butts, it has
to do with the liquid that is inyour dog's anal, sacs and gets
expressed typically when they goto the bathroom specifically,
when they go poop. So you have the fluid in the
glands, it gets pushed out. A duct and then out your dog's

(02:09):
rear end when they go number two.
But sometimes what happens for various reasons is the liquid
does not come out as part of your dog going.
Number two, and when that happens, you get a backup and
it's typically in the ducts fromwhich the fluid goes from the
anal sacs out your dog's rear and it gets backed up and that

(02:30):
causes pain inflammation. Discomfort think of it like if
you had the feeling of snot in your nose but you couldn't ever
get it out. It'd be really bothersome, it
would probably make your nose itch and it would probably lead
you to do some strange things totry and get that out.
And that's why our dogs scoot, they have backups or some type

(02:54):
of issue with their anal glands and the liquid not being
expressed and those anal sacs fill and it's uncomfortable,
it's itchy, it's annoying. So they scoot, they're trying to
provide some just comfort and itchy Leaf, right?
Like, just like, when you had a rash, as a kid, your mom said,
don't eat your rash. You probably hitched it anyways,
because even if it made, it worse, it still felt good for a

(03:17):
few seconds to get that itch relief and it's similar to why
our dogs scoot. Additionally, they may be trying
to just Express their anal glands on their own through some
movement on the ground in that area.
Other behaviors and things. You might see if your dog is
having anal gland issues, of course the scooting but also you
might see them just Generally itching or scratching at that

(03:39):
area licking or hiding that area.
And it's often at the base of their tail.
You might see them straining to poop.
You might see that swelling and redness and you might see or
smell more bad breath. Especially if they are licking
that area, it's gross. This is part of being a parent
but we've got to cover these topics because even if you

(04:00):
haven't experienced your dog scooting, I'm almost certain at
one point in time in your dog's life.
You Well, so it's good to know why those are some of the
associated behaviors. If you're seeing those variety
of things, it's a high likelihood that your dog has
anal gland issues. You should go to your vet and
typically all they need to do isExpress their anal glands.

(04:21):
But sometimes there's other things they need to keep an eye
out for there are those other reasons why your dog might be
scooting. These are definitely less likely
but they are things to be aware of.
You might be causing anal gland issues.
If your dog is having their analglands expressed too much.
So if you take your dog to the groomer frequently, be sure to

(04:43):
know if and how frequently they are expressing your dog's anal
glands because sometimes overdoing it causes more pain
and issues. You know that area is very
sensitive and tender and too much happening there with the
anal gland expression can actually cause problems.
They may also just have irritation from grooming if they
are being buzzed down in that area near there.

(05:05):
But you might Almost like a razor burn type thing.
And your dog is just scratching,trying to relieve that razor
burn inch. You also should be aware that
scooting along the ground, your dog's going on there but can be
a sign of more serious issues like parasites or worms.
You'll often see things associated with that like larvae

(05:29):
or eggs or actual worms in theirpoop.
But again this is why when you see your dog doing things that
It don't seem normal or their behavior is odd and it seems
kind of health-related. You should always go to your vet
this to rule out any major issues.
It also can be just a sign of General allergies.
If your dog is itching and scratching, you know, along

(05:50):
their neck or there, you know, the rest of their body that
might translate to them scootingon there, but because there but
is itchy as well. It can also be a sign of a
urinary tract, infection, or UTI, that's more common in
female dogs. And if that's the case you'll
see, you know straining, while they PU We'll see more frequent
urination more licking in that area.

(06:11):
So again go to your vet rule that out and it could also just
be your dog has a dirty Bottom now, to be weird.
But if you couldn't use toilet paper, how would you try to
clean your own? But you know, think about how
dog works and lives and has to find solutions for things, you
know, scooting along some grass.Maybe would clean it up down

(06:33):
there. So what should you do if your
dog is Scooting, first thing is,you should assess the area, so
make sure that there's nothing stuck in there.
Or unfortunately, you've probably experienced this or
seeing, you know, dogs can get grass or hair or pieces of a
stick or whatever. It is stuck in there, but so

(06:54):
just rule that out. First, look at the area, is it
red is an inflamed? Is there water anything like
that? And you know if it looks normal,
The Next Step would be to just kind of keep an eye on this
Behavior. You know, if if your dogs On
there. But maybe once or it's very
infrequent, it might just be kind of a one-off thing and
you're all right. But if it's happening
frequently, they're doing it on a constant basis.

(07:17):
If they're scooting for extendedperiods of time, it is probably
a clear sign that you should take your dog to the vet.
So, that's the main thing, you know, if your dog is scooting a
lot, take them to the vet rule out health concerns.
Here's what you shouldn't do. You shouldn't interrupt, your
dog, you shouldn't scold them, you shouldn't punish them for
scooting even if If it made a mess or their gross smells got

(07:39):
over your new carpet, punishing your dog or scolding your dog
for scooting across the ground. Number one is not going to
accomplish anything and it's just going to cause stress
anxiety, confusion, because for them, it's a natural behavior.
They're trying to find a solution for a potential Health
concern and you scolding you're punishing them or trying to stop
them mid. Scoot it's not going to
accomplish anything. So let them finish their scoot

(08:01):
assess, the area, keep an eye onhow frequently it's happening
and probably above all take themtoo.
That so, that leads us to our last point of how can you
prevent anal gland issues? How can you prevent scooting as
much as possible as mentioned? It can just be a common
Behavior. It's kind of part of a dog's
life. It might happen from time to

(08:21):
time, but there are some things you can do that kind of main
thing would be to keep an eye onyour dog's diet.
The gut microbiome plays such a huge role in our dogs overall
health and especially when we'retalking about something with
their anal. Glands and anal sacs and those
types of things. It's so closely associated to

(08:41):
their diet because what they're eating, is what they're pooping
out and that can be causing someanal gland issues.
So, as much as is feasible for your lifestyle, in your
financial situation, feeding a high quality, diet is important.
And if you are noticing some more anal gland issues or more

(09:01):
scooting, you can try to do things like adding more fiber.
Just because again, that that Movement of your dog going
number two is going to help ideally and in most cases flush
out the liquid that is in their anal glands, their anal sacs.
So you can add things like pumpkin, you can add things like
apples, broccoli, and also supplements.

(09:23):
You know, there are many supplements out there that are
geared specifically towards the gut and your dog's stomach
Health. Here at buffered, we offer a
couple options. We have super pup, which is
formulated by dr. Greg son V who I've had on the
podcast before. Very informative episodes about
the gut and the microbiome and how that affects our dog's life.

(09:44):
We also have a new one called the gut Health Plus immunity.
And it has some amazing ingredients that are, you know,
again built specifically put in there specifically to improve
your dog's gut health. Because again, here's another
kind of often cause for anal gland issues is if your dog is
not having normal bowel movements, whether that's
they're constipated, or they're having a lot of diarrhea Loose

(10:07):
stools, those things can all lead to the anal gland backups,
and that liquid not coming out. When it's supposed to and
turning into anal, gland issues and scooting.
Another important point is to keep your dog at a healthy
weight. We've done a lot of episodes
about the Obesity epidemic of dogs, especially in the United

(10:28):
States, it's something like around 50% or overweight or
obese, and that just causes a whole host of health concerns,
you have arthritis. You have helped, you have heart
issues, you have liver problems,but also it can translate to
anal gland issues. So exercise with your dog, keep
them at a healthy way, don't overfeed them, don't let them
free feed. You can just lead to so many

(10:49):
health problems. If your dog is over weight and I
know this is going to slightly sound counterintuitive because
of what I mentioned before that sometimes too frequent of anal
gland expression can cause problems but one way to prevent
anal gland backups just to make sure that they're in Hands are
frequently being expressed this one in particular, you need to

(11:11):
talk to your vet in most cases, your vet.
And or your groomer can do it for you, but if you want, it is
something you can do at home. I'm going to be very clear here
though. You shouldn't just go out on
your own and try and figure thisout.
You should talk to your vet. They can even show you in most
cases and you can do it on your own.
It's gross. It smells bad.
It's, you're putting your hand in your dogs, but your finger in

(11:32):
your dog's butt. Like it's kind of a gross
experience, but it is something that you can Do but again have
direction from your vet. There you have it.
That's why dogs, scoot the vast majority of times your dog
scooting along their bomb on theground is because they have
itchy or full or an issue with their anal glands and it needs

(11:53):
to be assessed. So, the next time your dog,
scoots across again, don't stop.And let them do their thing.
Assess the area, keep an eye. If it's becoming frequent or
seems problematic, definitely go.
Talk to your vet. I hope you enjoy this episode.
I hope you learned something. If you have if you did enjoy it,
please share this. Leave a review on Apple podcast,

(12:15):
subscribe on YouTube, leave a comment on YouTube.
I try to respond to all of them but other than that we will
catch you on the next episode.