Ask Mike: Why do dogs turn around?
Hey Guys,
Last week, I wrote about how cats seem to know to use their litter boxes. I figured it’s only right to give equal time to dogs.
Of course, dogs don’t use litter boxes (at least none that I know of), but they do have their own instinctual habits. Think about whenever a dog lays down. Ever notice what the pooch does before settling in? Most of the time, the dog will turn around several times before sitting down with a big sigh. What’s going on here?
Before I began researching, I assumed the dog’s instinct to turn around was a kind of defense mechanism against predators. After all, dogs used to live out in the wild, fighting for survival against much more dangerous creatures. It would make sense that dogs wanted to take one last 360 degree look around to make sure there weren’t any enemies lurking about.
How wrong I was. According to ThePuppyPlace.org, the act is a way for dogs to find the coolest part of the ground. “Dogs are often found digging into cool soil to escape hot weather; by digging and then turning several times they can direct their bodies into the curled posture that will best take advantage of the depression’s coolness.” They’re not worried about predators, they just want to be comfy.
Dogs may seem crazy, but everything they do, they do for a reason (even sniffing each other’s backsides).
Thanks for reading,
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Nice research!
A behavior as strong as ‘turning around’ for dogs to me has to have several roots. They ‘feel for the coolest spot’ is a new one to me. If that’s the case, why do huskies in the snow-covered ground also turn around? The most common thought is that they are making a nest to get warm, and that’s also a possibility. Your thought of looking all around is also a very strong possibility (when my dog turns around, he makes sure his face is always pointing towards me, so obviously to him it’s important to face me, unless he’s cuddling against me then he rests his back to me.) When my dog rests his back to me then I can’t help feeling like he’s watching behind me, and expecting me to watch behind him.
I think the only one who knows completely is a dog, but don’t discount your thoughts on him looking all around before deciding what direction he wants to face while vulnerably sleeping.
I thought it was because their ancestors would flatten the grass in the spot they were going to lie in and that mechanism was just never bred out of the canine.
~Mikhaela
Dud, dogs don’t have BOXES but some dogs have this pad to do their bissness on… i just pet sat for a dog that had one.
That is in the ancestry. My dog doesn’t do that, i don’t know why. Dogs do that as making a barrier and stepping on it for warmth. That’s what i get from it.
My dog starts digging into is laying spot to warm it up or rub his head on the pillow. My dog is a weird pooch!
I had read that the reason behind it is primeval. When dogs were once wild, they roamed among moors and long grass. To create a ‘bed’ they turned around several times, and thus flattened the surrounding grass.
Interesting!
Some people do litter-train their smaller dogs, FYI.
I’ve actually met one or two dog owners who claimed that dogs could be trained to use a litterbox, but the emphasis was on trained – they won’t do it instinctively like cats will.
I also met one person who claimed she’d trained her dog to do it in the toilet. I never found out if she was pulling my leg, but she said it without a trace of trickery, plus her toilet was low enough to the ground and her dog tall enough (a very large golden retriever) that it appeared to be technically feasible. Still, I have my doubts. What do you think?
There are actually a few theories on why dogs turn around three times before sleeping, including genetics, instinct and general comfort. Like many other domesticated animals, dogs still retain many of the traits found in their undomesticated ancestors. In fact, modern dogs are believe to be 99% identical genetically to their common ancestor, the wild wolf. Wolves living in packs exhibit many of the same behaviors observed by owners of domestic dogs.
One reason dogs turn around three times before bedding down is because that’s what feels right instinctively. Ancestral wolves traveled in packs for a number of reasons, primarily to hunt animals larger than any one wolf could kill on his own. When pack animals lie down to rest, they instinctively form a tight circle to take advantage of their neighbor’s body heat. Perhaps dogs turn around three times before bedding down today because the practice has become ingrained after thousands of years. When wild packs of dogs turn around three times in the wild, they may be establishing their territory and orienting themselves within the circle.
Sources: Dog Researcher
That’s very interesting.
Thanks for sharing. : )
Somehow my dog uses the litter box
i just relized from reading this we all learn somthing every day thanks for this interesting information!!!
Actually the turning around thing has nothing to do with digging, as anybody who has seen a dog dig can attest to. Dog’s originate from grasslands. By turning around in circles, in tall grass, they walk down a cozy little nest in the grass. I have seen my dog do that and it works quite well.
Interesting Article!
I have actually been very interested in animals, particularly dogs and horses, since I was a little kid. I would read dog books for hours on end, could identify most dog breeds, and even had all kinds of dog toys/models:P
My close friend actually has a shih tzu that is litter box trained. It’s becoming more of a common thing for the toy breeds that are inside most of the time
in the wild they used to have to smash down the weeds and brush to find a flattened place to sleep
to burrow to get cooler
My dad said that in the old days, there used to be a bunch of grass, so a dog would turn around a couple of times and flatten the grass abit. Then it would do its business. Just saying other option.
I’ve read that dogs turnaround beacause that’ss what their ancestors, the wolves, did. They turned around to flatten the grass before they laid down.
(Also, my mom’s friend has dogs that use a litterbox. I thought that was gross XD )
nice one
neat
We do have an equivalent in humans.
4 Legs, Info obtained from ass = Dogs
4 Wheels, Info obtained from ass = Cars
LMAO………that’s common sense wasn’t it? lol
Or maybe it is because I have had 8 dogs before thats why? Oh well,glad that you found out that they only want to be comfy xD
Sniff this, Mike! ha ha. Sorry. Couldn’t resist. I always thought they did it to “fluff up” the place they are going to lay down on in order to make it more comfortable. But dogs do run hot, so the explanation you provide makes sense.
Dude, I’ve taught a chihuahua to use the kitty litter.
It’s possible.
Misinformation.
Yes it does have to do SOMEWHAT with finding the coolest spot … but Huskies in the Arctic also burrow down under the snow to make a WARM spot.
The behavior has more to do with making a safe and comfortable ‘den’, including making sure there are no predators in the den AND carving out a space where the dog (or wolf, from which domestic dogs are descended) feels secure and sufficiently protected to let its guard down enough to sleep. The dog will usually settle in a position in which its back is protected from unseen predators and from which it can emerge in a hurry if need be.
One of my dogs turns circles on MY bed and then crawls under the blankets, smashing himself up against me to find the WARMEST possible place on the bed. So there goes your theory.
Dogs sleep where, when, and IF they feel safe. Please do some (REAL) research before you spout off with misinformation about dogs’ instinctive behaviors.
This makes sense. My dog would dig a pit under the deck to sleep in. He always managed to find cool places to sleep.
The reason dogs make the little circle thing before they lie down is because their ancestors lived out in the wilderness, and in many places there were things like tall grass, weeds, etc where they were. They would do this to sort of “tamp down” the brush and make themselves a little bed to lie down on.
They didn’t really need to worry about predators because wild dogs lived (and still do live in) packs where the group looks out for intruders.
they want to pee or there’s something wrong
you are super all the time
The actual reason dogs turn round and round before lying down is, because in the wild they lay in the tall grass….short if they could find it, but usually long grass….so in order to make it easier to sleep…they would go round and round to flatten the grass before they lay down.
I love anything about cats and dogs.They were my playmates a lot of my life…Yes i have watched when they get ready for a nap,and they do turn around a few times..Also,they are happier to see some people more than others,That is probably because certain people feed them.
I thought they turned around to find the most comfortable-looking place to lie down.
They also do it to stomp down the grass and weeds to make a bed of sorts for themselves.
I would say that, dog turn around by seeing the shadow of his own tails thinking some enemies is attacking him. This phenomenal usually happen esp. when there is bright sunlight. So dogs are called dog, it is derive from the Words “daow” a mixture different tribal language of North east India. which means a big knife use for cutting down trees and as well for defence against his enemy.
I learned in school that dogs did the turn-around thing to tramp down the grass and folage into a bed of sorts. The cool down thing may be the same idea when the weather is too hot, but when its too cool….my learned answer seems more probable. Maybe it is both.
I’ve lived with dogs my whole life, some don’t spin around before they lay down, some just flop. It depends… If they are on a hard surface they tend not to bother spinning. If they are on a dog bed, couch or something soft they do.. and they also sometimes paw their blanket or bed to rearrange it to a more comfortable configuration. It’s the same thing as us rolling around in bed to get comfy and warm..
But when a dog wants to get cool, they lay belly down in a shallow patch of wet dirt .. they don’t curl up when they are hot. It’s belly down or flat out.. When it is cold they will use a deeper hole and curl up in it. The depression traps body heat.
They also tend to curl up and circle more in the snow, and tuck their tail and paws under to keep warm. Circling gets their tail in place over their feet and nose.
sound nice………..
i like this story
but anyone donto like dog???
I dunno. It’s some strange thing they do
To Chase His Tail
My grandmas chihuahua is litter box trained and ive met a lotta dogs who are trained on a pad
My dogs are dumb.. we have a lot of squirrls in our back yard, and instead of “sneaking up real quiet” as soon as you open he screen door they start barking/snarling/ knashing of teeth/ one hell of a lot of dog noise. by the time they get to where the squirrls where , they are in the next “county”. So I think the turning around 3 times and then laying down is kinda of a doggie thing meant to be a “trap” just in case a squirrl happens to walk close and the dog can catch him. Although I have seen a dog catch one once, but he let go to scratch a flea and the squirrl escaped,
they both like their “belly scratched” and they like to eat ( I did an experiment, they dont chew, it goes in whole and down their gullet whole, no chewing, nothing, so if you give them a nice piece of steak they dont even chew it to enjoy it, it goes in fast and down to its stomach faster still, must be a survival thing I guess, ram as much in your stomach as possible, because you dont know when your next meal is.
Dogs Rule
My idea about why dogs turn around before Laying is because They are making sure they are Safe and that enemies aren’t around before laying down… My Hypothesis is “If a dog want’s to lay down , Then the dog will check for enemies and get secure before Laying Down. “
my dog does this all the time, i’ve always found it odd and even annoyng, never really thought of why he did. i just gave him two swift kicks to the nuts and he would quit, of course. now that i know this, i should feel bad, should. but i do not. i’m still gonna do it, and before anyone gets mad and calls me “some stupid kid” i’m not a kid, i’m 26 years old.
thanks for the info i had no idea
They simply love the way their fanny smells.
I had an aunt who was good with animals. She taught her cats to use the toilet and flush. She also taught their lab how to use a large plastic tray much like a litter box, My uncle wouldempty it when he got home from work. She was disabled. As for dogs circuling Other owners have told me it is their instinct to “nest” before going to sleep. I would assume looking for a warm spot like their mother did. Even male dogs do this. I have 3 male dogs.
Dogs like a lot of other animals like to lay down with their nose pointed in the direction from the way in which the wind is blowing so they can smell anything coming their way.
It is said dogs turn around before lying down so they don’t get nightmares, and even when they’re not going to sleep it just gives them a sense of reasurrance.
You say instinct to scout the perimeter for enemies. Scientist say they spin to find the coolest area to rest. I say: Why can’t it be both?
my dog does a slow 360 then lies down but only when hes really tired or has already been sleeping in another spot.. she also scratches at her bed a little, i think its about getting comfortable but also about having there back protected.
when my dog goes to sleep she makes sure her backs against a wall or shes in a corner where the only way to her is the way shes facing. as the saying goes “an animal backed into a corner is at its most dangerous”
to me its just one of them defencive instinct things that every animal (inclusing humans) have had for centuaries.
Because they want to.
As someone who breeds dogs and has seen this behaviour many times I was always led to believe that the dog is in fact still asleep or partially when they do this .
The reason from my understanding is that the dogs used to sleep in the marshes as it was safer for them being that nothing could approach them due to the noise of dry or moving reeds.
However the reason given was that due to the warmth of the animal a lot of insects would cralw over them at night for their warmth so the dog would stand up and turn around till most of the insects etc dropped off then lay down in the same spot.
Thsi would make sense as insects will burrow into fur so would annoy the dog preventing sleep the sad part is that no one really knows and so the speculation will always continue .
I thought it was because their ancestors would flatten the grass in the spot they were going to lie in and that mechanism was just never bred out of the canine.
http://www.florenceescape.com/
Has anyone thought that it could just be that they walk forwards then do a 180 degree turn so they face the right way? No… It’s a long shot.
SIMPLE!!!!
They do the whole turning around thing to get comfortable!
I’ve looked it up and got told by my mum, nan and rest of other family. and they give me the same answer.
and it definitely understandable that they do this to get comfortable!
My dog turns around several times when we are camping in the deer woods hunting deer but when we are home I have to kick his a** to make him lie down on his side of the bed without turning around repeatedly! ( Yep he sleeps with me at home!)
i have not own a dog, but i think this artical is very interesting. i believe the dag want to flatten the grass by turning round, then it will rest on the grass.
If you ever slept on the ground you’d know why they turn around. It’s not to get cooler, it’s simply a routine check for something that could hurt them on the floor, a simple scan of the floor. You don’t want to lie down on a sting beetle, a sharp stick, or whatever. It completely makes sense that they turn around or they could get hurt. Even before sitting on command a dog already knows if he’ll sit on something uncomfortable and he’ll move a little without even looking – he already scanned that spot without you seeing it. You can easily test this “theory” anyway…
Any dog can be trained to use a litter box and all of mine use one.
Dogs, most specifically chihuahuas, poodles, and other small dogs, DO use littler boxes
i think they are trying to flatten the area to make it comfortable and snuggly.my dog does that underneath her blanket and only sticks her nose out.so if they wre on grass by walking around and around it would flatten the area they are gonna lay down on..
You’re questions and researches are always interesting. Do you own a Twitter or something where to follow.
My dog does this when he’s about to do a poop :p
Ohh, you guys. Haven’t you ever heard ‘One good turn deserves another’?
jk
UR question : why do dogs turn around? Answer to see what is behind them ,LOL ha, ha,
ask mike ? i hope you don’t mean mike tyson lololol
My dog and my aunties dog are actually litter box trained haha
The reason dogs circle their place before laying down is because their use to the grass and it would poke them and make them itch is they were to lay down before flatting the grass also it gets their scent on it to warn other dogs that that is their territory so they wont go near and for females to let their newborn pups know where she is by getting her scent in that one place
They are trying to get a flat area to lay down in. I have four dogs, all of them do the 360 thing till the area is flat. All of them are some what the same bread, give or take. My cats do the same thing. Poof goes your thinking.
Wow. I actually think lightflow makes more sense than mike or puppyplace.org…However to notice as much as lightflow you have got to be giving your dog too much attention. I mean when your dog turns around you get the feeling you are watching each others back…lol Right, that’s awsome.
I am pretty certain that the reason that they turn around is because when dogs lived in the wild they did it to be ‘downwind” so they could smell predators coming. This is why the behaviour persists this long after they have been domesticated.
I know someone who owns two dogs and they both use a litter box. (One shared between them). Both dogs are female, by the way.
(1) I don’t know if all or even most wolves turn a circle before lying down, or even if all or most domestic dogs do so. But…
(2) For a behavior to be inheritable in the wild, it must be something that arose from natural selection of a set of one or more alleles that cause the behavior. Presumably the behavior was favorable to reproduction and living long enough to raise young, although it might be completely neutral in that regard.
Consequently, I think the first step in understanding the behavior is to determine if indeed it is ancestral back to the species of wolf that domestic dogs descended from. Then one would need ot determine the environment and ecology the wolves were constrained by. Somewhere in that information may be a clue as to why some behavior might be advantageous, i.e., favorable to the wolf surviving long enough to reproduce and raise its progeny.
Alternatively, one might discover if lack of the behavior would be unfavorable to reproduction.
And lastly, given that wolves are pack animals, would the advantage or disadvantage have be applied to social interaction, or contending with non-social constraints, or perhaps both.
Given that most of us do not have access to suitable wolf packs for direct research, it might be a good idea to search for data gathered by those who do. Dogs have some other apparently innate behaviors, but so do we, so by comparison perhaps we should consider whether or not the behavior in question is not only randomly selected but that it has no particular benefit for the animal as far as natural selection goes. It may be that the behavior in question just happens to be the most comfortable way for dogs to inspect their nest and to lie down. Or it may be that animals that first acquired the behavior were favored for selection because it helped them to better care for their newly born pups (i.e., keep the pups together, warm, near the teats, and not smothered accidentally by a the mother lying on a pup).
There are many possiblilties. Without further data of social and environmental constraints, speculation is inconclusive.
I mostly agree with the idea that dogs are just flattening the grass to make a more comfortable resting place. My spaniel also scrapes madly at the carpet for a few seconds and then settles down to sleep.
Dogs turn around to play with their tails or to relieve themselves.
I’ve honestly known this. But it differs from ancestry. My dog Banana, is part golden retriever and great paraneise (or i think thats how its spelled, a great mix very protective and smart, but lots of hair and very big) and she digs shallow holes in the ground and does this to find a cool spot. She also lays with her head a different way so she can hear something quickly, not burying her head in her paws. Emmy my boxer does not circle around she just lays down on floor!
They turn round because generally there will be another sniffing it’s backside ,it just wants to see who to thank
dogs do this from when they were living in the wild to flatten down the leaves which were their beds.
The reason dogs do this is because in the wild they would do it to flattern the grass
Wow, that’s really cool, Mike! I’ve always wondered this too! Thanks for sharing this!
Nice one!
Previously, I read (and believed) that dogs turn around before sleeping to flatten the grass around them; as they would normally do in the wild. Apparently, the instinct survived in the domesticated dog breeds, so they still exhibit the same ‘turn-around’ behavior before taking a nap.
My dog when i let him inside i get him a towel to lay on, but when he’s about to lay down, he doesn’t he starts to drag the towel back and forth with his front paws and last night i counted 11 times he did it before he finaly layed down with a big sigh…. why does he drag the towel around like that?
“Dogs may seem crazy, but everything they do, they do for a reason”
Except humans, everything we do doesn’t make sense! We never learning from our mistakes.
I always thought dogs turn around in little circles because it is a left-over nesting instinct. Don’t cats do it too? Animals have these little rituals that they do; they’re from ancient habits. At least that’s the way I understood it.
Dogs actually can be trained to use a litter box although the concept is a little different from a cat litter box.
i have a dog and he does not do that:)
he just lays down next to me and goes to sleep and then he is out:(
but he does make sure that i am next to him though
-_-
because they want to pee on you
Comepletely true. Although, it’s not just for ‘coolness’. It’s for warmth, aswell. My dog usually sleeps by the doors, or right by the tub, the leather couch, or the cool hardwood floor. But – in the winter, unless the heat is on real high, he will most likely go where someone has sat for a while, or on my bed, which is really warm. At night, he always comes and sleeps like next to me.
He also likes to sit practically right on a person.
He’s an attention hog.
So, why do huskies turn around? Why does my dog do it when we live in England and it’s winter and the ground is always cold everywhere?
Because they are making a ‘nest’ in a way. That’s my theory.
Cats do not know how to instinctively use a litter box. Want to argue with me? Get a barn kitten first. My Mom got one and she pees and poops everywhere in my Mom’s house. No one taught her to pee in a littter box. Kittens either see their Mom peeing and pooping in the litter box or they find it, sniff it and smell pee and poop. Dogs turn around out of instinct to make their sleeping spot more comfortable. Though my Maltese/Poodle mix never does. Nor my Shih-Tzu, my Mom’s Shih-Tzu, nor my sister’s Parson’s Russel.
It’s simply because all dogs descended from wolves and that is what wolves have done for thousands and thousands of years, it’s instinct.
I personally don’t believe it has ANYTHING to do with ground temperature..because dogs do the same thing in the house or on your bed.
OK my dog does not do that, she just plonks herself down. She really does not have many stereotypical ‘dog’ traits
I beg to differ about litter boxes and dogs; we have a pug who is trained to use a litter box as she lived on a boat for the first year of her life. There is dog litter used (it’s compressed paper, I think). Now, that said, she was a real bitch to housebreak. She just didn’t “get it” for 2 full years. Sigh.
Dogs turn around three times for the following reasons
1)the first turn is to tramp down the grass or snow and get a feel for warmth or cold, or dampness.
2)the second turn is to look for insects and low lying predators like snakes
3)the third turn is to completely check out a 360 for larger predators. Once the dog is satisfied it will lie down with its head orientated towards the last area of interest, some say pointed in the direction of potential danger, for example if a dog was lying against a brick wall it will never curl up with its head facing the bricks but facing the outside.
Its all about de-tail…
some people believe its because they wont get bad dreams
My boyfriend’s dog is trained to use the litter box, just saying.
Hi Mike. Neat article. I always thought it was getting the grass down for a comfortable place to lay down too. My dog turns around on a pillow before he gets settled to lay down and, also, he potties in a potty box. Much like a cat but on paper towels in a litter box without the litter. He turns around and around before he decides to go potty.
I tried to train him to go outside when I adopted him. He was at a rescue shelter saved from a puppy mill in Indiana. He was going on potty-type papers, I purchased, and then outside on the papers but when it became cold in late November, 2 yrs ago, he refused to go outside anymore. So I put the paper in a cat litter box and that is where he does his duty. Is this the first time you have heard of a dog being box trained?? He gets rewarded with clapping and treats. He gets so excited when he goes potty in his box!
i dont know its really weird
I knew a dog. he had a litter box.
Ask them (: