Have you ever wondered why dogs turn circles before they poo? Why does your Chihuahua turn circles? We used to say — affectionately, of course — that our Chico has “issues”. One of the strangest things he used to do, ritually was, he would turn counter-clockwise circles in front of his bowl before he would take a bite of food. And he would turn clock-wise circles before he would poop. Not just sometimes, every single time.
When we traveled and I had to take him out to potty on a leash and wait for him to poop, I admit I would be a little annoyed about why it took him so long to find just the right spot and then make several spins before he would finally do his business.
Why Do They Do That?
So, the question is; why? Dogs have several little behaviors that seem to defy explanation, but this one has scientists and animal behaviorists baffled. At least until now.
A Few Theories
Although the answer has been unknown there have been several theories thrown out there.
- One reason, some say is that they are leaving their scent to warn other dogs to stay away from his territory, and they turn circles to make sure that the area is just right for the scent to “stick”, so to speak.
- I’ve also read that it’s because they want to tramp down the grass to keep tall grass from touching their tushes while they poop.
- Another explanation I’ve seen is that they are scanning for snakes and predators before they become completely invested in the act of pooping.
Have Scientists Discovered The Real Reason?
Although any one of those explanations sounds quite sensible, here’s one you may not have heard yet.
A Czech researcher theorizes that because dogs evolved from wolves, they didn’t need to worry much about the tall grass. If they were scanning for snakes or predators, spinning wouldn’t be the way they would do it. Standing very still to listen and sniff would be a much more effective way to scan for snakes and/or preditors.
His suggestion is that dogs spin to get a feel for the earth’s magnetic pull. He says that animals use the earth’s magnetic pull to get a sense of where they are. Trying to determine where the north and south poles are.
It is, after all the way birds know which way to go when they migrate. This researcher published a study in 2013 in a zoology journal that pointed out that dogs also have a strong internal compass.
How To Stop Your Chi From Rolling In Poo
His research showed that doing so might help them to remember where they marked their territory and that it is probably easier for him to do that by “calibrating” his internal compass. Therefore he will easily find that same spot again.
Conclusion
So next time you get annoyed at your Chi for taking so long to decide where and when he is going to poop, just remember how smart he is and that he’s actually being quite scientific about his potty spot.
If you would like to read the entire study, you can read it HERE.
Does your Chihuahua turn circles before he poos? Let us know in the comments below: