Why Does Your Dog Want Ear Rubs

Over the years I have noticed that my dog likes to do three things as soon as the snow melts. One is rolling in all the dead grass in the yard. Two is lick her paws and then wipe them across het face and last is have her ears rubbed.

There are numerous reason that you dog will do anyone of these three things but I think I have figured out why my dog has these spring rituals.

The rolling in the yard is sort of a way of getting back her summer dog smell. Over the winter Pearl, my dog has had to deal with a large amount of snow in and around her part of the yard. When it first snows she loves it but after a day or two she is not real happy that it hasn't melted.

I have discovered that on the first warm day after most of the snow has melted she throws herself in the dirtiest part of the lawn and rolls. And it's not just a roll, it is a roll with a back rub. At first I thought she is scratching her back but now I realize she is just getting the dirt and the dust back in the coat.

The paw lick with the face wipe I believe is part of the process after all the lawn rolling. She manages to kick up a lot of dirt which ends up on her face and in her eyes. Once she is done rolling she will lick her paw and then wipe it across her face to remove the dust. It reminds me of something a cat would do.

The last spring habit has to be my favorite, Pearl will sit next to me and wait until I rub her ears. I always thought it was her way of getting the dirt out of them after all the dust rolling and that may be partially correct, but it could also be because it releases an endorphin that makes her feel good.

According to cesarsway.com the dogs ear if full of nerve endings and when they are rubbed it releases a "feel good" hormone that makes them feel happy and calm. I can see that being true, but I also think that the ear rub has something to do with Pearl's ears itching after all that dirt. I believe rubbing her ear accomplishes both results.