Magnetism and Dogs Dumping

    Ever watch a dog poop? Who hasn’t? Did you notice that they spin around and get set up exactly right before relieving themselves? There is a scientific answer for the reason why. 

    In what must have been one of the most interesting (?!) jobs on the planet researchers observed 70 dogs of 37 different breeds for two years when they took a dump (the dogs, nit the researchers) and all of the dogs preferred a north-south alignment when the earth’s magnetic fields were calm. And they all avoided an east-west alignment. 

`There is a name for this behavior (of the dogs, not the researchers); it’s called magnetoception. It’s defined as tapping into a magnetic field to align or use for directions. The best example is that birds use it in migration. 

    Magnetoreception is a sense which allows an organism to detect the Earth's magnetic field. Animals with this sense include some arthropods, fish reptiles, birds and some mammals. 

    When a dog sniffs the ground and turns around a few times then leave their deposit they are aiming to make their deposit along a north-south axis that lines up with the Earth's magnetic field because the North-South axis has a calm magnetic field. 

    When the magnetic field is in flux, like during solar flares, this directional behavior was abandoned. When that happens dog have a difficult time finding a place to do their business. 

    Why is this information important?!According to researchers, this discovery was the first time a measurable, predictable behavioral reaction to the magnetic field's fluctuation had been observed. Why is this discovery important? The findings open new horizons for further research in organisms’ use of magnetic fields for direction, as well as magnetic fields produced by living organisms.