A Very Interesting Way To Tell Which Way Is North

Vikinggirl

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This article came up on my e-mail, and it's a very interesting way to tell which way is North. Who knew
that you could use your dogs poop as a compass? Very Interesting.


Want to Know Which Way Is North? Just Watch Your Dog Poop
September 27, 2014 |


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By Dr. Becker


For reasons only they can explain, a group of German and Czech researchers decided to study pooping dogs, which led to their finding that canines seem to possess an “inner compass.” Further, the researchers theorize that it could be the compass at work when a lost dog finds his way home from hundreds of miles away.


Researchers Discover That Dogs Align North-to-South to Do Their Business


According to the researchers, it seems when our canine companions stop outdoors to relieve themselves, they tend to follow a north-south magnetic axis if the Earth’s magnetic field is stable at the time nature calls.


The scientists noted no difference in magnetic sensitivity among different breeds of dogs, which during the course of their study included pooches as small as a Yorkshire Terrier and as large as a Saint Bernard.


“We found that the dogs are wonderfully aligned north-to-south – somewhat more so when they defecate than when they urinate – but only when the magnetic field is stable,” said researcher Dr. Sabine Begall of Germany’s Duisburg-Essen University, in an interview with the AFP global news service.


Two Years, 70 Dogs, and Over 5,500 Pees!


For the two-year study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology,1 the research team evaluated 70 dogs across 37 different breeds as they pooped (1,893 times) and peed (5,582 times!). The researchers observed that dogs chose to point along the north-south axis to do their business, providing the magnetic field was stable. (When the field shifted, it made seeing the pattern more difficult.)


Both male and female dogs did the north-south thing when pooping, according to the researchers. But male dogs took slightly different positions than females while urinating, which was probably due to their leg-lifting behavior. The scientists are still trying to determine if the direction (right or left) of leg lifts affects a dog’s alignment.


In Addition to Their Acute Sense of Smell and Hearing, It Seems Dogs Also Have a Magnetic Sense


These study results are more proof that animals detect electromagnetic waves humans cannot, and that in addition to their keen sense of smell and hearing, dogs also have a magnetic sense.


According to study author Begall, “There are anecdotal reports that dogs find their way home over hundreds of kilometers (miles), and an explanation may be that they use the Earth’s magnetic field for their orientation.”


However, the researchers stop short of claiming to know what goes on inside a dog’s head when he’s pooping. It could be that dogs hone in on their location, but can’t do so when high electromagnetic activity interferes with their internal compass.


Or, it could be that when nature calls, dogs are able to sense a stable, comforting north-south polarity, which relaxes them.
 

nycbullymama

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Today Blue faced west, and Wellie faced south. Will see which way they face next time..
 

bullmama

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Interesting.... I think mine usually face east or west. I'll have to start paying attention.


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Manydogs

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I guess now we will be doing poop studies-other than the usual-not too loose,not constipated, wiping butt-now we will have to carry a compass!
 

agingermom

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I will just use my phone, thanks!!
 

jenzaar

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Too funny! A few weeks ago my friend noticed Winslow was facing north when he went to squat. He told me dogs face north when they poop, and ever since, i find myself seeing what direction he's facing.

Not always, but more often than not, yes he's facing north. :rofl:

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Davidh

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I think the study is hog wash. Ours poop facing all different directions. You want to know which way is north, look at a tree, moss grows on the north side of a tree. Not Spanish moss, but the green stuff on the trunk of a tree. :)
 

2BullyMama

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definitley not true for my two... they both tend to face all directions, when going
 

rjisaterp

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Interestingly enough. Jewel and Bentley line up north south but have been spastic more than a few and east-west comes into play.
 

nycbullymama

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I've been watching since this @Vikinggirl started this thread, and they have to face north. Maybe they're just weird, or maybe they'd don't like the view..lol..
 

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