# Why do dogs spin around before they defecate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583 "2010-12-18T02:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/1 "2010-12-18T02:05:08Z")
Well? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/2 "2010-12-18T02:20:23Z")
I’ve known many dozens of dogs and can’t say I’ve ever observed one spin around before defecating. You know “defecate” means “take a shit” and not “go to sleep,” right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/3 "2010-12-18T02:23:59Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I’ve known many dozens of dogs and can’t say I’ve ever observed one spin around before defecating. > > You know “defecate” means “take a shit” and not “go to sleep,” right? 🙂 Yes, I know what defecate means. My dog spins before shitting all the time. I see many dogs do this at the dog park. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/4 "2010-12-18T02:29:13Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > Yes, I know what defecate means. My dog spins before shitting all the time. I see many dogs do this at the dog park. Both of my dogs do this, the rarely spin before sleeping, and this is the first thread I ever subscribed to _before_ I posted. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/5 "2010-12-18T02:37:12Z")
Spin sounds a bit fast to me, but my dog definitely makes tight little circles in the grass before pooping. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/6 "2010-12-18T02:41:39Z")
From some website: > [@](#): > > Q: Why does my dog like to turn in three circles, looking for just the right spot, before she pees? > > A: There are at least two thoughts on why dogs circle before defecating or urinating, says Tony Kremer, a veterinarian and dog behavior expert who runs a Web site, [DrTony.com](http://DrTony.com). One reason, Kremer says, is to “scan the terrain for predators so they don’t get ‘caught with their pants down.’” Dogs also use their keen sense of smell to know who was there before. “They may be [homing] in on just the right spot to mark with their scent,” he adds. There’s no harm in indulging this behavior, other than standing around in the elements waiting for your dog to find a spot she likes. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/7 "2010-12-18T02:45:27Z")
I do the Wonder Woman spin before taking a dump. Makes me feel pretty. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/8 "2010-12-18T03:08:35Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I’ve known many dozens of dogs and can’t say I’ve ever observed one spin around before defecating. You’ve been deprived! I’ve owned a zillion dogs (Australian herding dogs, black and golden labs, English bulldogs, American bulldogs, Pugs, and mutts) and every single one of them did the spin waltz before taking a dump. It’s adorable and mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/9 "2010-12-18T03:32:32Z")
“This is my spot! Admire my graceful dance of possession!” \ ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/10 "2010-12-18T03:44:03Z")
They’re utilizing centrifugal force so the poop comes out more easily. ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/11 "2010-12-18T04:32:19Z")
I thought of this the other day when my dog defecated after it snowed. His spinning patted down the snow. The snow pat down was just so perfect. The snow would have hit his ass if he had not done the spinning. Made me wonder if there was a connection, but he does it in the summer, too. ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/12 "2010-12-18T04:59:02Z")
I hurt a rib reading this thread, laughing and all. Who do I sue?😃 ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/13 "2010-12-18T05:14:05Z")
> [@](#): > > [DrTony.com](http://DrTony.com). One reason, Kremer says, is to “scan the terrain for predators so they don’t get ‘caught with their pants down.’” This is my feeling. My dogs have vulnerable body language when they do this, looking to me as the pack leader for a signal that they are OK. They tend to move off the spot quickly too when done so as to not be a sitting target so to speak. > [@](#): > > Dogs also use their keen sense of smell to know who was there before. “They may be [homing] in on just the right spot to mark with their scent,” he That seems more like marking with peeing, which my dogs will do with what must be urine measured in molecules. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/14 "2010-12-18T06:36:29Z")
> [@](#): > > You’ve been deprived! > I’ve owned a zillion dogs (Australian herding dogs, black and golden labs, English bulldogs, American bulldogs, Pugs, and mutts)… Did the Australian dogs spin around in the opposite direction? ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/15 "2010-12-18T06:44:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I’ve known many dozens of dogs and can’t say I’ve ever observed one spin around before defecating. It may be a little dog thing. I’ve had big dogs for decades, probably 50 dogs in that time, and the only dogs I’ve seen spin before pooping are toys. I’ve seen dogs of all sizes spin before piddling, but only seen toys spin before pooping. ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/16 "2010-12-18T15:37:48Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > I thought of this the other day when my dog defecated after it snowed. His spinning patted down the snow. The snow pat down was just so perfect. The snow would have hit his ass if he had not done the spinning. Made me wonder if there was a connection, but he does it in the summer, too. I remember reading some article some time ago saying basically the same thing, they do it also in the summer to flatten down any long grass that may be around them. Of course, today there’s often not much long grass around but they still have the instinct to spin around. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/17 "2010-12-18T17:30:42Z")
We covered this in one of our physics classes… Centripetal (centrifigugal?) forces? Or was it the Coriolis force? Do dogs down under spin the other way before dropping a load? I forget. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/18 "2010-12-18T22:35:56Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > I thought of this the other day when my dog defecated after it snowed. His spinning patted down the snow. The snow pat down was just so perfect. The snow would have hit his ass if he had not done the spinning. Made me wonder if there was a connection, but he does it in the summer, too. I always figured this was the case, and the same thing for grass. Would you want grass tickling your tuckus while you’re doing your business? ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/19 "2010-12-18T23:26:38Z")
Neither of our dogs spin before pooping, but they both pace back and forth over a space of about 20 feet several times. Now that I think about it, the younger dog didn’t do this originally and seems to have picked it up from the older one. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-spin-around-before-they-defecate/564583/20 "2010-12-18T23:35:41Z")
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