Have you ever taken your dog for a walk, and after they relieve themselves, they kick up their hind legs almost as if attempting to do the Moonwalk? Did they rip up a few patches of grass while they were at it?
If so, then professional dog trainer Garret Wing says you have a confident dog who has no problem spreading their scent around the neighborhood. “It is a classic sign of what we refer to as a cocky dog,” Wing said in a viral TikTok video with over 12.6 million views.
Wing is the owner of the Florida-based American Standard Dog Training. He started his career training dogs as a K9 instructor and later expanded his services to the general public. His tips and tactics for training dogs have earned him over 3 million followers on TikTok.
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Why do dogs kick their feet after going to the bathroom? At first, it looks like they’re trying to clean themselves, but that’s not the case. “There are scent glands in their pads, and when they start to kick up the grass, they’re spreading their scent and their pheromones everywhere to let everyone know,” Wing explains.
So, it’s just another way for dogs to mark their territory. Even though he’s trained dogs for over 20 years, Wing still has to deal with ripped-up grass at his facility.
Wing says he is training a French Pitbull who likes to “tear up my whole yard when he pees and poops, kicking the grass up as high as he can to spread his odor everywhere.” He does it to make sure that “all the ladies and the guys know who’s in charge.”