What is a Sploot and Why are Dogs Splooting

Petcube
4 min readJul 21, 2023

The following article has been sourced from Petcube’s Petfeed blog.

Dogs (and their derpiness) bring smiles to our faces every day.

Most pet parents spend their days gushing over a new adorable or funny thing their pet did, and, of course, take a zillion pictures of it (my phone is overloaded anyway).

Well, there is a “new” snapshot-worthy, cuteness-overload thing your pet might do. Wondering what it is?

The sploot.

The Mystery of Splooting

What is a sploot? In case you haven’t been on Reddit lately, or browsed cute corgi photos online, chances are you have no clue what I’m talking about. But you absolutely should, because it’s as adorable as it gets.

Splooting is just a fun word (thank you, people of the internet!) that’s used to describe a certain cuter-than-button pose. More precisely, this one here:

If you have a dog, you’ve probably seen them in this hilarious position. If not, get ready to see a lot of cute corgi sploots floating through your timeline. Instead of tucking their legs underneath them while they’re lying down, they stretch out their hind legs flat — something like a doggie pancake.

This is the original sploot definition. However, there are also similar variations of this silly pose:

  • Legs flat and stretched to the side
  • Just one leg flat and stretched

These are all equally as cute, and you’ll see your pup in one of these positions when they’re in a relaxed state.

Why Do Dogs Sploot?

Why do dogs do all of the silly, goofy things they usually do? We might never know, but do we need a reason to enjoy their derpiness? If your curiosity is getting the better of you, here are some prevailing theories about why dogs sploot:

  • They do it to cool off;
  • Stretching out feels good;
  • It’s a form of dogga, also known as canine yoga (just kidding!).

Dogs that sploot love to be lazy and comfortable — and we can’t blame them. Most likely a sploot is a sign of relaxation, as it seems to be a very comfortable position for dogs. Going off the “it’s a dog’s way of stretching” theory, they’re using sploot to stretch their back legs.

There is some controversy as to whether or not splooting is a healthy or normal form of movement. Sometimes, dogs that often try to stretch their legs do that because they’re in pain, which could be caused by diseases such as arthritis or hip dysplasia, so make sure that you rule out any medical problems before you go aww!

Do Only Corgis Sploot?

As you’ve probably guessed by now, everybody does it! OK, maybe not everybody, but it’s not a breed-specific cuteness. The corgi sploot is just the most popular because… Well, because corgis are furry bundles of silliness that rule the internet, paw to paw with cats.

If you still haven’t caught your pet doing the trendy sploot, it doesn’t have to mean they can’t or won’t do it. Try catching them in the action on Petcube pet camera — who knows, maybe they only feel like splooting when they have their privacy!

How About Cat Splooting?

Cats are not far behind dogs in their skills and can do the same things. Perhaps the only thing they don’t have is the same motivation to entertain their owners as dogs. However, we continue to love our fluffy kittens even without that.

The cat sploot is, of course, a classic. Cat owners are already used to watching out for funny, ridiculous, curved poses of their pets. So no wonder that spotting is one of the most popular poses. Although you might have better luck catching them making biscuits or loafing.

By the way, not only dogs and cats are prone to splooting. Other animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and ferrets can also sploot. For example, sometimes in the woods you can find a squirrel what splooting in hot weather.

Your pet’s sploot can open up a new hobby for you. Every time your four-legged friend become a pancake, take a picture and share it on social media. People love funny animals, and you can capture sweet memories this way.

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