Funny that you mention dogs rolling in smelly stuff as a hunting instinct, I had never thought of that. It explains very nicely why my old dog, every time he we gave him a bath, would cry to go outside, and then immediately go rolling around in the grass. He needed to get that pretty shampoo smell off him so he could try and sneak up on the squirrels!
Haha, it’s so true. I’m not an expert in the subject, by any means, but my understanding is that it comes from the pack method of hunting. A domestic or forest cat (basically all cats besides lions), are solitary hunters. So they rely on stealth to catch their prey. But a dog/wolf (same thing scientifically) is a pack hunter. And what they like to do is to get all smelly and putrid. Then, they all go downwind and set up an ambush. Then one or a few of the pack breaks off and goes upwind. The smell causes the prey to run away, and into the awaiting jaws of the rest of the pack. That’s my understanding at least, think I saw it on some program or another. Makes sense to me!