A scientific study has revealed that dogs adapt their excremental habits to align with the planet's geomagnetic field. Here's how they worked it out

For years, scientists have known that several species spontaneously align their bodies with the earth’s magnetic field when engaging in certain behaviours.

Now, a team of 12 scientists from universities in Germany and the Czech Republic have come together in a unique study that observed 37 breeds of dog over a two-year period.

Exactly 1,893 defecations and 5,582 urinations later, the team reach one incredible finding: "dogs preferred to excrete with the body being aligned along the north–south axis".

Before you grab your schnauzer and a clipboard, here's how the scientists work it out.

Method

In open fields, away from manmade structures and off the leash, the alignment of dogs’ spines was recorded using a hand-held compass.

An image taken from the published study Photograph: Hart et al

The breed of the dog, its sex, age, body mass and condition were recorded as well as the date, time and location.

We’ve included a sample of the male dogs' behaviour here. It’s impossible to say what was wrong with M07.

The researchers then monitored the proportion of those urinations and defecations that were aligned with the earth’s north-south axis.

If you don't understand the graphic, it may be that you need to get yourself a PhD. Photograph: /Hart et al

Results

Dogs join cattle, roe deer, red deer, hunting red foxes, red foxes, coyotes and grey wolves as yet another mammal to have a mechanism of "magnetoreception".

Although their altered behaviour was only evident under calm conditions, it’s still a breakthrough in demonstrating measurable, predictable changes in dog behaviour in response to the earth’s magnetic field.

And before you go pointing any fingers, this isn’t made up (although it’s not clear how George Arnett found it online) and you can see some of their findings for yourself here