If you have a dog as a pet, surely this scene will be quite familiar to you: you are walking so calmly with your furry friend and suddenly he starts moving in circles, he chases a trail making you have to pull the leash or he just stares at you. eyes as he poops wondering why not give me a little privacy?
As you already know, these pets are more complex than they seem. They have really fascinating behaviors and sometimes it seems that they just need to talk to be one of us.
Although many times with just a glance we know what our friend is demanding of us, other times we may be a little lost and we don’t know what his behavior is about.
You’re walking calmly and suddenly he gives her a non-extendable squeeze.
If you have ever had a dog, you will know first hand those extraordinary moments in which it stops in the middle of the street, in places where there are a greater number of people, and starts with its business.
Everyone around you looks at you, you look at the dog waiting for it to finish and the dog calmly looks at the horizon.
Shortly after you see yourself with a plastic bag in your hand to start cleaning and you observe a somewhat strange behavior in your dog.
Do you really know what they are trying to tell us with those behaviors?
The look
For humans, potty time is a private time where we need to be alone and isolated from everyone, yet when dogs widen their eyes and stare at you when they poop they are doing everything otherwise.
In nature, an animal is vulnerable while defecating. Staring at you, your dog sees a member of his pack watching for danger. This is why by observing your body language it is able to detect if there is any danger nearby.
So now you know, if your dog stares at you, don’t feel uncomfortable, it means that he fully trusts you.
the trail
If your dog decides that in the middle of the bowel movement it’s time to go for a walk and leave a trail of poop on the ground, don’t worry. In reality, it is totally normal behavior between them, although it is a bit annoying if you are the one who has to pick up the breadcrumbs that mark the way home.
Sometimes dogs decide to poop while moving around as movement helps them pass the bowels more easily. It can also mean that they are trying to clean themselves or that they are trying to mark the area with the glands they have near their buttocks. Still, if you notice this happening too often, see your vet.
The kick
After finishing, some dogs like to raise their hind legs trying to push some grass or dirt onto their play. Why do they do this?
Actually, your dog is cleaning himself. What he does is try to get rid of all the waste they may have after having defecated.
In addition, by rubbing their feet against the ground they can further mark the territory thanks to the glands found on their feet.
Indecision
Dogs not only poop out of necessity but also to mark their territory.
In this way they let other dogs know that they have been in that place. So when your dog sniffs for what seems like an eternity to end up pooping in a seemingly random place, he’s actually looking for the perfect place where his “message” will be more easily captured.
the laps
Dogs like to walk in a circle before pooping the same way they do before taking a nap.
When turning in a circle, dogs quickly observe what is around them, searching with this behavior for a safe place to squat.
The compass
A team of German and Czech researchers discovered that most dogs align their bodies while defecating with the north-south axis.
This indicates that dogs may be sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field, although they only display this behavior when the magnetic field is calm.
the snack
The most unseemly behavior that our pets practice occurs when they decide to savor their own bundles as if it were a small snack.
Coprophagia, the cool name for eating poop, is often due to enzyme deficiencies, the onset of parasites, or intestinal malabsorption.
It can also happen if your pet is feeling anxious or stressed.
If you see that your dog does it frequently, talk to your veterinarian about changing your pet’s diet or giving it a dietary supplement with its meals, in addition to analyzing possible digestive problems.
The escape
As with humans, some dogs are unable to defecate if a stranger is watching. Again, this has to do with feeling safe while in a vulnerable position.
Just like when he stares at you, if your dog strays a bit and hides when he’s going to poop, he’s simply looking for a more comfortable place where he feels more protected.
