Mary Allen
Does your dog always play spinning tops before squatting down? What looks funny has its reasons. And pretty good ones at that.
For most dogs, turning is a ritual to prepare for small or large businesses with a fixed procedure. And with good reason, as you can read here.
Physical activity to rev up your metabolism
You’ve probably seen it often in your dog: First, he sniffs the floor excitedly. Your four-legged friend shows hasty movements and the search sometimes takes a few minutes until he finally finds the right place. He then turns around his own body axis a few times and jumps from one hind leg to the other just before he starts his business.
With this little preparation, your dog will get its metabolism going again and will probably get rid of its poop quickly and smoothly.
Scent marks are also set with the paws
Dogs use scents to communicate with their fellow dogs by marking their own terrain with scents. A dog’s nose is many times more sensitive than our human olfactory organ. The scent tracks contain information about age, gender, size, stress, the food is eaten and many other things that are essential for the survival of dogs and other animal species in the wild.
Your pet’s life is free from previous dangers, but scent marks have by no means lost their function: they mark their own territory. These scent marks are not only placed over urine and heaps, but a glandular secretion also leaves your pet’s personal touch. With every big deal, the anal glands on both sides of the anus automatically empty themselves.
When dogs turn in a circle, the scent glands on the pads of their paws are used, through which the scent of the dog is released to the ground. A larger marked area is created, demonstrating a stronger presence of your dog in this place.
This is also the reason why male dogs urinate on the well-known “newspaper corners” and on other people’s piles: their own scent should overshadow the others. Scratching the ground after the business is also popular. Your dog does this for the same purpose, to strategically leave its scent mark on its paws.
Flatten the place
When you are out and about with your dog in the great outdoors, it also turns in circles for practical reasons before it puts down its pile: tall blades of grass and twigs disturb your dog when he wants to sit down. He leveled the chosen spot, so to speak so that the transaction proceeded as pleasantly as possible.
Orientation to the cardinal points
In one study, cynologists (dog researchers) found that many dogs stop turning when their bodies are on the geographic north-south axis. The noticeable influence of the magnetic field is held responsible for this, which many other animal species also use for orientation.
Another reason is environmental control. Potential dangers can thus be excluded and scents carried by the wind can be absorbed from all directions. Incidentally, turning over before your dog lies down to sleep is done for the same reason.
Not all dogs turn
Turning before the heap is produced is an innate behavior. Most four-legged friends of all breeds of both sexes have this habit, but some skip this revealing dance. This eliminates the need to register in advance for the upcoming business, but you certainly know your animal well enough to know when it’s time to go for a walk.