Why a Dog Takes so Long to Decide Where to Go Poop

man-and-pug-going-poo

No, it's not a topic to bring up while having dinner with the family but it is definitely a curiosity! Dogs and pooping – the way they go about it – what is with that?!

(But) for dogs, it’s all about smells. Elimination (that is, poop and pee) is one of dogs’ most nuanced and effective methods of communication. That’s why fire hydrants are so popular: they’re like the busy Facebook group of the dog world. Your dog’s chosen potty spot sends other dogs a message about where she’s been and what she’s been doing. When she sniffs around for a long time, she’s “reading” messages from other animals.

According to Carlo Siracusa, director of the Small Animal Behavior Service at the University of Pennsylvania veterinary hospital, “These messages can tell your dog how many other dogs are in the immediate area, the sexual status of those dogs… whether a particular dog is a friend or an enemy, what he or she had for lunch, and when they were last in the area.”

For some dogs, the “messages” encoded in scent secretions in other dogs’ waste serve as cues to make them go potty, too. That’s why your dog sometimes poops right next to another dog’s pile. (Perhaps this is a good time to remind you to always have poop bags handy!)

In the end, let's allow them to have their way. There are simply some things a dog is going to do and do it the best way he or she knows how. With all due respect to Lord Alfred Tennyson — Ours is really is not to wonder why but allow our doggy do it then say — bye, bye!

Allow our best friend this one little strange but mysterious quirk. After all, Rover has been tolerating our quirks for a long time!

Source: Daily Treat 



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2 thoughts on “Why a Dog Takes so Long to Decide Where to Go Poop

  1. I know. And my lawn is the best poop place on the whole block. Ask all the dogs, ‘cuz I sure see them all stop and take a dump on my nice green grass. Oh well….better than humans doing it.

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