Although you may expect a plant called dog rose is of lesser quality than other rose species, the name actually comes from the fact that this plant used to be used to treat dog bites (rabies). Dog rose is one of the least choosy woody plants in the rose family. It grows in sunny as well as half shadowy places and in all kinds of soils, with the exception of very nutrient-poor ground, acidic soil or peat. In the dunes, dog rose grows in sands where lots of plant materials degrade.