# Where's North? Watch a dog poop. Comments? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772 "2014-01-03T04:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/21 "2014-01-05T00:54:03Z")
I always poop aligning to magnetic north. But only because my toilet happens to be oriented that way. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/22 "2014-01-05T00:58:37Z")
One question: Do dogs on the South Pole shit straight up in the air? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/23 "2014-01-05T01:26:26Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > In all seriousness…good for you! The world would be a better place if this was most people’s response to hearing something novel and questionable. Nobody seemed to think it was a good idea when I proposed controlled tests in the thread about eating shit. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/24 "2014-01-05T03:46:53Z")
So far I have 3 shits. N, E, and N. Still not enough data to say anything… ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/25 "2014-01-05T04:30:14Z")
4th shit is West. The dog is still shitting data… ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/26 "2014-01-05T04:37:11Z")
Yeah… I’m thinking that they’re really reaching on this one. There are too many factors like wind direction and the sun’s orientation that could all affect the direction a dog (or cow) chooses to face. I know that if you watched me sitting down at restaurants, you’d notice a strong tendency to face north ward when I’m sitting near a window. But that’s because north is the direction that’s always facing away from the sun and I don’t want bright light in my eyes. It’s not because of magnetic senses that get messed up by electric wires when I sit closer to the center of the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/27 "2014-01-05T05:07:55Z")
I watched my dogs, and for a sample size of three defecations, they were each in a different direction - NW, ESE and W. The only apparent correlation was that they faced a house each time- my house, a neighbor’s house and the adjacent fire house. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/28 "2014-01-05T05:08:32Z")
What if the turds are magnetized somehow through the digestion process? Or only dogs that eat Science Diet? Then I wonder which pole would squeeze out first… ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/29 "2014-01-05T11:54:12Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > … which pole would squeeze out first… North pole for the northern hemisphere types, south for dingoes. ETA: my dog just shat south, so in 5 shits, he’s now covered all 4 cardinal directions. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/30 "2014-01-05T14:32:14Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > IIRC, the effect was first noticed in cows. As pilots would fly over ranches (to spray fields, etc) they noticed that cows tended to line up along the earth’s magnetic field lines. Am not sure who first discovered this, but [here](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cattle-deer-sense-magnetic-field) is a recent article on the subject. An excerpt: > [@](#): > > German and Czech researchers used Google Earth satellite images to look at 8,510 domestic cattle in 308 pastures located randomly across six continents. They also studied body alignment in 2,974 red and roe deer in the Czech Republic, either by photographing the animals or checking the impressions they left in snow. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/31 "2014-01-05T15:24:44Z")
If these guys are claiming a magnetic component to cattle orientation, too, they’re crazy. The mechanism for cattle alignment is known, and it’s not magnetic. Cattle always line up according to the wind. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/32 "2014-01-05T16:31:42Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > WHO paid for it? And WHY? 😕 From the link: > [@](#): > > The study was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (project. nr. 506/11/2121). As to the ‘why’ (or “WHY?😕”), shit if I know. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/33 "2014-01-05T18:21:40Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > From the link: As to the ‘why’ (or “WHY?😕”), shit if I know. Apparently our gov’t isn’t the only one handing out blank czechs… 90% of the time I shit facing east, but attempting any other direction would create a messy problem. Don’t own a dog. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/34 "2014-01-05T19:37:03Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I watched my dogs, and for a sample size of three defecations, they were each in a different direction - NW, ESE and W. The only apparent correlation was that they faced a house each time- my house, a neighbor’s house and the adjacent fire house. > [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > North pole for the northern hemisphere types, south for dingoes. > > ETA: my dog just shat south, so in 5 shits, he’s now covered all 4 cardinal directions. I guess you guys don’t live where the magnetic field is strong… or something.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/35 "2014-01-05T20:02:33Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I wonder if it’s breed-dependent – do Carolina Dogs and Catahoula Leopard Dogs face south while Alaskan Malamutes face north? Of course, Miniature Poodles stick their noses in the air when pooping. I have a Catahoula mix. He poops any which way. (He does, however, always look you right in the eye when he does it, even if he has to turn his neck to a clearly uncomfortable angle. He doesn’t blink during, either.) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/36 "2014-01-05T21:27:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > _ **Apparently our gov’t isn’t the only one handing out blank czechs…** _ > > 90% of the time I shit facing east, but attempting any other direction would create a messy problem. Don’t own a dog. (bolding mine) \ Nice try. 😛 > [@Zsofia](#): > > I have a Catahoula mix. He poops any which way. _**(He does, however, always look you right in the eye when he does it, even if he has to turn his neck to a clearly uncomfortable angle. He doesn’t blink during, either.)**_ (bolding mine) And that’s _ **way** _, TMI. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/37 "2014-01-06T01:05:03Z")
Appropriately enough for this thread, my dog’s name is ‘ **Deuce** ’. We’re still at 5 deuces, since he didn’t drop another deuce when I took him out a few hours ago, but I have to take him out again before I go to bed. He might deuce again, tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/38 "2014-01-06T01:39:21Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > > [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > > > North pole for the northern hemisphere types, south for dingoes. > > > > ETA: my dog just shat south, so in 5 shits, he’s now covered all 4 cardinal directions. > > I guess you guys don’t live where the magnetic field is strong… or something.🙂 If you drive south on the QEW, (AKA: 401) 'til you hit Kingston, get off on 15 and head south to the Royal Military College, then head directly south from there (bring a boat, it gets a bit wet, at this point), after you go over, through, or around Wolfe island, if you keep going south, when you hit land again, you’ll be within 3 or 4 miles from where I live. The magnetic field, here, is pretty much the same as where you are. My mutt still doesn’t line himself up with anything I can identify. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/39 "2014-01-06T07:36:56Z")
I’m guessing the only ones who give a crap about this are in fact… the dogs. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772/40 "2014-01-06T08:50:27Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m guessing the only ones who give a crap about this are in fact… the dogs. Dogs don’t give a crap. They _leave_ a crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-north-watch-a-dog-poop-comments/677772.md?page=3)