Why do dogs have to pace back and forth to poo?

It’s the wild instinct in them, similar to when they turn in circles when they’re about to have a nap.
Basically it recreates trampling long grass, which makes sleeping & pooing a whole lot more comfortable, for pooches anyway.

You’ll never know. Literally. You cannot smell what your dog does.

“To gain more respect for your dog’s olfactory ability, compare it to a person’s nose. Inside the nose of both species are bony scroll-shaped plates, called turbinates, over which air passes. A microscopic view of this organ reveals a thick, spongy membrane that contains most of the scent-detecting cells, as well as the nerves that transport information to the brain. In humans, the area containing these odor analyzers is about one square inch, or the size of a postage stamp. If you could unfold this area in a dog, on the other hand, it may be as large as 60 square inches, or just under the size of a piece of typing paper.

The percentage of the dog’s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is actually 40 times larger than that of a human! It’s been estimated that dogs can identify smells somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times better than nasally challenged humans can.” Source

So, assume that your dog has a reasons for going where he does and leave him to it.

@marinelife I just wish I could help him pick a spot faster in the cold. He seems to be in another zone when he goes and doesn’t seem to feel the cold till he snaps out of the zone. LOL
Me not so much. I feel the cold the whole time.
@ucme Good one about the trampling of grass. Never thought of that.
Imagine if we could bottle that scent that makes them go and have it work on humans. Everyone in the world would be regular.
However, chemical warfare can be explosive.

Maybe he knows he has to go, but isn’t quite ready to poop. Happens to me.

Probably for the same reason I pace circles around the toilet seat, then shuffle my feet while I’m pooping: I wait for the perfect moment, then do a little shuffle dance when it happens.

Haha…you guys are cracking me up. I think @ucme probably nailed it.
Just be glad you’re not a horse and you’re forced to go when someone is riding you. It’s always rather embarressing when your horse stops to poo on public trails. Especially when there’s hikers and mountain bikers coming up behind you. haha

I know what you mean. All I can say is never put Clydesdale Horses first in a parade, followed shortly by tumblers. It is funny as heck though.

Mine won’t poop until I yell “That’s enough. Let’s go!” then it’s squat and go. I think his understanding of english is somewhat limited. Speaking of which, here he is now, gotta let him out.