Finding a spot to pee is quite a simple matter - if they don't smell any other dog's pee, they "whiff" a couple of times for a spot they like and go for it. If however, they come to a place where another dog has urinated, they make a big scene. They whiff around the spot, analyze the conditions of when the other dog had peed. It's like there is a whole story behind the pee from the other dog. They get their nose so close to the spot that their nose almost touches it. I guess that they have to make sure that the data they are downloading does not get corrupted. Was the dog that peed at that spot happy, was he scared, was he communicating a search for a mate or was he simply pissed off at his owner and wanted to stop just to aggravate them. Who knows what they communicate with pee, but whatever it is, it is interesting to other dogs. I believe that dogs use their sense of smell to interact with the world around them just like we use our sight. I think that is why dogs like to ride in a car with their heads out the window. It is not because they like the breeze, it is because they get more different odors flowing through their nose. To them, I think the odors flowing through their nose is similar to our view of the panorama passing through our car window. To them coming across another dog's pee is like us coming across a road sign or an announcement with interesting information. we got to slow down or stop to read it. Whatever the reason, they feel they must give an answer and manage to pee with their own information over the spot where the other dog had peed.
Now, finding a location to go number two is a more extensive, planned and choreographed process. First, they "scout the area." This involves whiffing around a large area of about one hundred to two hundred square feet going around the same "potential" spots several times to make certain their information about that spot is accurate. They stop, look around, probably to see if there are any other "potential" spots to search. They smell the air around them a couple of times and they return to their "whiffing" in order to narrow down their search. Once they have narrowed their search for an ideal location they proceed, in what seems to be a more rapid motion of smelling, probably to make sure that their selected area meets all the criteria they have set for themselves and the "right spot" to poop. Once they think they have narrowed down the spot to the perfect area to take a dump, they whiff around with more urgency in the narrowed area they have identified. Up to this point in their search, the concentration of their search can be interrupted by such things as another dog barking nearby, a squirrel running in front of them, a loud whistle or a scream from somebody. If no interruption, then they enter the final phase of their decision to use that particular spot to do their "business." This final stage involves a small dance where they begin a side-step little dance moving rapidly taking short steps sideways and forward and backward. Their little side-step "dance," is akin to the Texas Two Step - one can almost hear the two-step music in the background. A few steps later, he stops, he goes into a full crouch as they enter a total state of concentration. They almost have an expression of contentment and relief as they complete their "business." Finishing their "business" is less ceremonial; this dog just walks away and pretends nothing has happened. Our other Australian shepherd pretended to "bury" the result of his "business" by making a couple of motions with his rear legs pretending to scratch dirt on the result of his business, but it was never a serious effort. Luckily this dog likes to go in the back corner of the yard at the edge of the woods that used to be an apple orchard but has since been overgrown with fifty-foot apple trees. I don't let him go into the woods since there are a lot of deer in the area and I do not want a tick to get on him.
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