Just curious - do your pugs, or other breeds for that matter, ever do back kicks or circles when they go to the bathroom?

I laugh out loud ever time I witness this. And I find it so funny how each dog seems to have their own little rituals of marking or whatever it is they are trying to do.

Pugsley for instance, would circle about 10 times before he went # 2. I always thought he had a touch of doggy OCD b/c he had to keep circling and circling until he found just the right spot.
And on occasion after eliminating - if and only if he was feeling particularly spry and stout that day - he would crank out a couple back kicks just to put the exclamation point on top of his load.

I have to say the Sausage, bless his little soul, was not the most graceful of kickers - his little chicken legs in the front made his hind quarters awkward and wobbly. Oftentimes he would lose balance and catch himself from falling over to the side despite his valiant efforts.

Boy do I miss that Sausage.

Then as a capper he would take off running in a mad dash back for the house with an ear-to-ear grin on his face like he'd just accomplished the biggest feat in the world! This may also have had something to do with the fact that I gave him a "poopie treat" each time he went.

Now Miss Plum on the other hand - She is a kicker! She never kicks after #2 though, only #1. Maybe that's a male dog thing?

When the ACC van pulled into my driveway to drop her off, poor little Plum was so scared of the big guy with leather gloves coming at her that she wouldn't come out of the cage and was viciously trying to bite him. Finally I had to climb into the back of the van that was stacked full of homeless dogs in cages and I had to coax her out with nothing more than my bare hands and a soothing voice. I think we bonded right then and there.

She was in sad shape and ACC guy had a doubtful look in his eye like, "How are you ever going to be able to help this dog?" When I finally got her out onto the lawn she immediately squatted and peed and then launched into the fiercest back kicks I have ever seen! That's when I knew she had a whole lot of feisty left in her.....I just looked over at the big gloved ACC guy and said, "She's a kicker!" Then he drove off to make more deliveries.

And boy is she...a kicker.

When it comes to doing her lady business she doesn't circle at all.... and she is slow as the day is long, like I'm thinking of taking my book outside with me to get 10 or so pages in while I'm waiting for her to go!

But when she finally does go her back legs are steady and swift as quicksilver! Each time after she pees, without fail, she lowers her body back down to the ground to really get some dirt under her paws. On a good day she'll catch a patch of grass and make it fly, too. I tell you she kicks and kicks like I've never seen a girl pug kick. You'd be surprised too because she looks so dainty and unassuming. I've noticed her thing is to kick 4 times on each leg, 8 kicks in total.

I tried to find some pictures on the web of silly dogs doing back kicks to illustrate but I don't think any exist. Could that really be possible? With all the sick sh*t on the internet there are no photos of dogs doing back kicks after potty?

I will remedy this asap with my new Nikon D80. It will be one of my first action shots....I'm thinking I will use my 70-300MM lens in morning light.

So, what funny rituals do your dogs do?