Medical Mysteries WHY DOES FIDO TURN IN CIRLCLES?

WRITER: FRED HILTON

Afriend of mine dearly loves his noble dog Fido. However, he is beginning to believe that Fido is really, really weird. For starters, Fido is afraid of squirrels. At the same time, however, he’s always trying to pick a fight with that monstrous, nasty-looking pit bull that lives up the street.

And then, there’s the matter of turning around in circles. Before lying down, Fido spins around quickly four or five times. Then he lies down and goes to sleep in seven seconds.

(Seven seconds is equal to one-and-a-half seconds in dog years.) From all of that, my friend has concluded that Fido is one strange puppy.

The folks who know much more about dogs than my friend and I do point out a dog twirling around before bedtime is not unusual. There’s no widely accepted theory about what causes the pre-nap circling but the most common explanation is the dog is just making himself comfortable. “Some speculate that it has to do with ‘making a nest’ and the dog is doing the motions of trampling down grass, leaves, etc. to flatten them out and make a suitable bed,” says Mychelle Blake, chief executive officer for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Leslie Irvine, author of “If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection With Animals,”agrees with Blake: “This behavior was hard-wired into the dog’s ancestors as a way to build a safe ‘nest.’”

The circling motion may also be a way of checking out the environment and scaring off snakes, bugs, and other nasty critters that could disturb Fido’s nap. The matter of creature comfort could figure into the circling, too. Dogs want a warm place to sleep. “They’re moving in a circular motion to keep their body warm while sleeping,” explained Burke.

Another theory is a dog in the wild prefers to sleep with his nose into the wind. Circling allows dogs to determine wind direction and be better able to sniff out danger.

Of course, there’s another possibility for my friend’s dog. Fido might just be weird, after all.

Our spoiled dog Paris doesn’t spin around before she goes to sleep. She’s too snooty for that. Paris puts her chin on the floor and stretches her front legs out while raising her rear high into the air.

My wife tells me that’s a yoga pose. It’s called downward facing dog. Figures.

Sources:

6 reasons why your dog turns in circles,” did you know? dykn.com http://dykn.com/why-dodogs-walk-around-in-circles-before-lying-down/ “

Why Dogs Turn Around In Circles Before Lying Down,” by Sue Ann Zollinger, A Moment of Science, Indiana Public Media http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/turningcircles-lying/

Why Do Dogs Walk in Circles Before Lying Down,” by Remy Melina, livescience.com http://www.livescience.com/33160-why-dodogs-walk-in-circles-before-lying-down.html

“Why Dogs Spin Before Lying Down,” SPCA of Texas http://www.spca.org/document. doc?id=122

“Why Do Dogs Walk In a Circle Before Lying Down?’ by Kristina Lotz, IHeartDogs.com http:// iheartdogs.com/why-do-dogs-walk-in-a-circlebefore-lying-down/