It’s normal for dogs to sniff around. How about when dogs need to poop?
To find the right spot to poop, many dogs spend extra time sniffing which also includes lots of circling around. Why? They are trying to align with the Earth’s magnetic field. According to a new study recently published by Frontiers in Zoology, dogs choose to relieve themselves along a north-south axis in line with Earth’s magnetic field. Very interesting findings by a team of Czech and German scientists. They conducted their research by measuring body axis of 70 dogs of 37 breeds over a 2 year period.
“Dogs are sensitive to small variation of the Earth’s magnetic field.”
Do you agree on this study? Does this solve the mystery why dogs spin in circle before doing their poop business. What’s wrong with east-west axis that dogs prefer north-south axis? According to the study, “It is still enigmatic why the dogs do align at all, whether they do it “consciously” (i.e., whether the magnetic field is sensorial perceived (the dogs “see”, “hear” or “smell” the compass direction or perceive it as a haptic stimulus) or whether its reception is controlled on the vegetative level (they “feel better/more comfortable or worse/less comfortable” in a certain direction).“
In my case, I do admit on doing lots of sniffing and circling around before doing my doggy business. I have favorite spots on the back and front yards. My mom observed that I prefer the east-west in the backyard and north-south in the front yard. At the park, I’m very picky and I often go to the same spot which is north-south.
How about your dog?
Just a reminder no matter WHERE your dog does his/her business,
remember to ScoopThatPoop, Be A Responsible Dog Owner.
Join me and my fellow poop scoopers Oz the Terrier, Emma,MYGBGV, Pawsitively Pets, Lazy Pit Bull, and According To Garth Riley to raise awareness of the importance of picking up after your dog. Spread the word #ScoopThatPoop.
#ScoopThatPoop is a monthly blog hop (every 3rd Monday of the month). Follow us on Twitter @Scoop_That_Poop. Our next hop is on Monday, Feb 17th.
Lots of Golden L♥VE n Woofs
SUGAR
This is fascinating! I wonder if certain dogs are more sensitive to the magnetic field than others? Wilhelm is very, very picky about where he poops and he does always poop in the same spots on the yard- often exactly the same spots! But Brychwyn and Huxley usually just drop’n’go! Thanks for hosting the hop and for the cool info.
Dogs poop when magnetically aligned? It’s news to me!- I just poop wherever and expect Mom to pick it up.
Interesting, but the human just wants me to poop faster and get it over with 😛
This IS a very interesting study and hope you don’t mind that I have referenced it in my post!! Have a fabulous Monday!!
Mom has never noticed what direction, she just knows that we prefer to not go on the street, so in the winter we scale the snowbanks and pack down some snow to make a spot for our business. Mom gets to scale the same snowbank to pick it up, but she doesn’t mind. Main thing is that we #scoopthatpoop!
I’m new at following Sugar and I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. I’m extremely grateful for all the info you share with all of us! Thank you Sugar for helping me understand why we need to circle several times before doing our doggie do. I will be more patient with the girls when it’s time to go!
Now that’s a fascinating study you have going on there. As fur me, I just turn in circles while pooping so I have all angles covered!
🙂
Hap-Pee Monday!
Very interesting. I do sniff and sniff and do a few circles. I’m going to have my MOM watch more closely to see what I prefer. Of course the more important thing is to Scoop That Poop, which we do every time.
Blessings,
Goose
Current Labrador doesn’t seem to care in particular, just time tested places that smell right. Our last Lab ALWAYS pointed into the wind to poop. Seriously!
My mom and dad read this and have noticed I usually prefer the North-South axis! They’re going to keep watching!!
Interesting. Now that I think about it, I am a North-South pooper, Sugar. However, I like to pee in an East-West direction. Strange, isn’t it.
#ScoopThatPoop!
Oz
Hilarious and all over the news, even on NPR’s quiz show “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me”! This is one of those studies that thankfully didn’t occur in the US or there would have been an outcry over the waste of federal spending…but clearly it hit a nerve as we dog owners have wondered for generations why they can’t do their business just any old where 🙂
BTW that jacket is impressive Sugar. Where in the world did you find it? I almost never see them for large dogs.
Wow! That certainly is interesting.
Mika will go basically any time, any place, but Lexus does a MILLION circles before going to the bathroom. We have always wondered why. Maybe she is more sensitive to the ‘magnetic field’ ? Who knows. lol
((husky hugz))
“love is being owned by a husky”
Mom had heard about this… and she did a Study of our Pooping Orientation practices. We are N/S kinda guys whenever Pawsible.
Wow that’s interesting, Sugar. We will check that the next time. Thanks for a great post!
This is a very important message Sugar and we are participating
Lily
Very interesting, Sugar. I always wondered what all that sniffing and searching was about! 😉
Great post! Thanks for inviting me to be part of the Blog Hop! <3
What an interesting thing to study. We don’t seem to align either way. Torrey does try to get far away from the house, which is good.
Sugar. I always use the exact same corner of my box to do my business. It is kind of southeast though or at least that is Mom’s best guess since our house faces North.
Hugs madi your bfff
Interesting theory! Will have to take more notice in future
When I first read this study I thought it seemed silly. so I decided to use my iPhone compass on walks with Moses to verify ourselves. The first two times I (remembered to) tracked it, Moses pooped facing precisely north and I was surprised. But then he went East, and SE, and then it was all over the place. Often it’s just in line with the sidewalk we’re walking on, and obviously city roads are often N-S or E-W, so I wonder how much that was accounted for in the study?
I’m still laughing, so let me regain some self-control. (((DEEP BREATHS))) Okay, this post is still giving me a case of the grins, but I’ll try. I’ve never really thought about — or even noticed for that matter — which direction my girls face when they finally find “the perfect spot”. I just know I get kind of exasperated at times with Shadow because she circles so much it almost makes ME dizzy…And at times, she’ll even stop and move to an entirely different place and start circling again. “PUULLEEEZZ, Mom, can’t a dog get any privacy around here?!!” Ducky and Callie do some circling, too, but not like their sister.
I circle around so much peeps has no idea. Sometimes I can’t make my mind up where to go. One thing for sure peeps makes sure she knows where it is to clean up. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
Very interesting…and funny. I never thought of that being a possible reason of why they circle and circle before pooping.
I’ve been watching my dogs since I first saw this study. It’s a big pile of crap. Heh. Seriously, though, my dogs face different directions to poop.
I’ve never really payed much attention to which way Duke is facing but now I’m curious.
How funny! Petal is picky and circles a lot, but I’ve never paid much attention as to why. I have noticed that when it is windy out, she tries to work with the wind so that it blows her fur away from her bottom while she poops. Lassie did the very same thing, he also preferred to poop in bushes for some reason, which made scooping difficult at times, haha.
How weird! And funny that scientists took the time to research this. Thankfully, Shiner doesn’t do too much spinning around but I have walked so many dogs that do!
We poop where someone else has pooped its that simple! I go around in circles and I don’t always end up north and south so there! Love Dolly
I do have favorite areas of the yard that I poop in and I do go round and round and round. Mom will have to pay attention if I stop in a certain direction!
hugs
Greta
Bailey & Hazel too
I really don’t think my dogs poop facing any particular direction. I pick up my dogs’ poop every day, otherwise Pierson will eat it, and I am picturing them facing a variety of directions. I can specifically recall Pierson pooping facing both east and west because this is along our fence line.
Very interesting. Mom says she never paid any attention to how her dogs aligned themselves when doing there business. She says the sample group sounds pretty small. Interesting research, though. Have a great week. Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
We’ve been testing out that paper’s results and it seems to be true 99% of the time. Unbelievable! Now, some dogs need to go to the North or South pole to be tested (their orientation should be random there). Do you volunteer, Sugar? We do!
OoH dis is very interestin’. Mom says her will pay more attention to us when we is out in the yard and lookin’ fur da perfect spot. 🙂
Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae and Max
Very interesting. My gang is usually out hunting and when they got to go they just stop and go. Usually don’t circle when not hunting, do sniff thou. Have a great Monday.
Hi Sugar I’ve been mad busy so haven’t got time to take part sorry, hopefuly will be ok for next month.
Ian & Sheba.
LOL I am going to have to watch more closely to see of the study is true! Storm doesn’t circle. She runs back and forth….lol.
Sage certainly picks her spot and it’s generally in about the same place. I’ll have to watch her and see which way she’s aligned next time!
WOW, that is really interesting 🙂 I am going to be more observant the next time we go out 🙂