Why Does My Dog Circle Before Pooping (and Lying Down)?

This article was updated in April of 2025.

When you take your dog out to go to the bathroom, do they seem to search for the perfect spot before getting down to business, circling like a plane waiting for clearance from the control tower? If so, you’re not alone. And if you want to know why they do this, we have good news: Scientists want the answer just as badly as you do, and they’ve looked into it. Here’s what their research tells us.

Dogs may spin to get into a north/south position

Some observers believe that dogs spin before pooping in order to align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field. A 2013 study of 70 dogs (who produced 1,893 poops and 5,582 pees!) found that dogs are sensitive to variations in Earth’s magnetic field and prefer to “excrete with the body being aligned along the north-south axis.” A more recent study suggests that dogs may indeed have “magnetoreception,” or the ability to use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. Writing about dogs’ directional pooping preferences in his book Dogs Demystified, Dr. Marc Bekoff wrote: “I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical [at first]… but the data support the conclusions.”

Still, Dr. Bekoff points out: “Despite some experts claiming dogs always circle before they poop, it turns out that this isn’t at all so.”

Dogs may circle to get the lay of the land

Dr. Bekoff says dogs may also circle in an attempt to get good footing, or to be sure they can see who’s around when they’re in the act—as doing so puts them in a somewhat compromised position.

Circling could be part of a dog’s attempt to spread their scent, too, says Andrea Y. Tu, DVM. They will release identifying scent markers as they defecate—and, in doing so, possibly lay claim to the patch of grass beneath. 

When dogs circle before lying down, it may be their way of “making the bed”

Dogs don’t circle only when pooping—many of them also do so before lying down. There are a few common explanations for this behavior. One is that it’s dogs’ way of making a more comfortable spot. Dogs may spin once or several times before resting, or dig at the bed, rug, or floor before plopping down. This could be a vestige of a nesting action—harking back to when dogs’ wild cousins had to tamp down grass and other surfaces, smoothing away any prickles or stones.

Dr. Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and the author of multiple books on dog behavior—including The Intelligence of Dogs—conducted his own survey of 62 dogs to test this “nesting” hypothesis. The dogs were observed bedding down on either a smooth surface or an uneven surface (like a thick shag rug). He found that dogs were about three times more likely to circle on the uneven surface—the thick carpet—and several dogs on that surface also scratched or dug before lying down.

Some others believe dogs’ bedtime circling goes back to their wild ancestors—that it’s intended to help them determine the wind’s direction and more easily detect the odors of animals who might mean them harm.

The bottom line

You won’t know for sure why your dog is circling at any particular moment—but, in some way or another, the behavior is probably about helping them feel safe or comfortable before answering nature’s call or taking a rest.