Why Do Dogs Sploot? And Should You Worry About It?

If you’re a dog lover then you surely know that a pup can make your life a lot better. And social media can vouch for this, with its thousands of videos of adorable pups. And dogs, in general, are among the most adorable creatures appearing in both rescue videos and funny training fails.

There is one video trend in particular that a lot of vets and pet parents try nowadays and it’s the dog splooting. Although this position looks very innocent and makes dogs seem even cuter than they are, it can become a reason for concern. And in most cases, splooting itself isn’t what should cause you to worry, but it should prompt a visit to the vet to make sure that everything is alright.

So what is the actual reason for concern? The next part of the article will give you all the information you need to know what splooting is and when it should worry you.

So why would a dog sploot? This position is bound to stick with you when you notice it

It makes your dog look like a professional yogi. It is similar to the popular Sphinx pose. It’s basically the position in which your dog will be lying on its stomach and have its back legs pushed straight out behind and not tucked under its body.

The sploot can be similar to several different things. According to Gilbertsville Veterinary Hospital, these are the usual poses you might notice:

• The side sploot – This is when the pup will lie on its stomach and have either both or just one of the legs pointing to the side, and not straight behind it.
• The half sploot – This is the position in which the dog will be splooting with one leg tucked under its body and the other one stretched out to its behind.
• The full sploot – This is the more common position in which the dog will lie down on its belly with both of its back legs stretched out, as described above.

Splooting has become very popular in recent years, being adopted especially in social media, although it is a position known for ages. This position also has some other agreed-upon names, according to the National Canine Research Association of America (NCRAOA), being also known as:

• Superman
• Pancaking
• Frogging,
• Frog legs
• Frog dogging

So what exactly causes a dog to sploot? Why is splooting bad and when should you worry?

So although this is a very cute position for a dog, why does the pet actually do it? Well, things aren’t always straightforward in this regard, and depending on the age and the actual breed of the dog, the reasons might differ. So, as you might know, chihuahuas, corgis, and other small breeds have somewhat more flexible legs than other types of dogs. This is why it isn’t uncommon for these breeds to use splooting as one of their usual lying position and from time to time use it to stretch a little.

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When it comes to those dogs that don’t fall in this breed category, the sploot position can be seen as a negative sign, a positive one, or even a neutral, nonimportant one. But usually, this position shouldn’t be something you should worry about. According to Top Dog Health, although younger dogs will adopt this position more often than their older relatives, this is usually because pups are usually more flexible.

So dogs use this position mostly to stretch their legs when they feel to, but they can choose to sploot when they need to cool off as well. If you notice that your dog is lying like this on hardwood, tile, or other cold surfaces, then he might just be feeling warm.

There are also instances in which dog splooting is cause for concern

It might be worth it to check on your dog if you notice it suddenly picks up this behavior, although splooting in general is harmless. A pup taking on this behavior might take it from an older dog as it learns how to behave, but if you have an older dog that out of nowhere starts to sploot, then it might be faced with discomfort.

When a dog that is older starts to sploot, it most likely is dealing with either a joint or a muscle issue that makes it want to stretch. Splooting can either be a sign of the beginning of dysplasia in dogs, as well as either an injury or arthritic knee or hip according to the same NCRAOA. If you don’t want to take your dog to the vet until you have stronger evidence, you can check its movements and walking to see if you spot any difference in the dog’s behavior. It doesn’t hurt to go to the vet either.

You should also try to pay attention to the skin of your dog, according to experts. Some dogs also use splooting as a way of calming rashy, hot skin. This is why you should make sure you check out their underside too.

Final words

When you see your dog splooting, don’t think of medical issues right from the start as these aren’t all that common. But if a medical problem is the culprit, you should know that most of them are easily treatable when caught in time and cared for properly.