Are you wondering what the heck a sploot is? Allow us to enlighten you, and introduce you to one of the cutest (and weirdest!) habits our fur-friends like to indulge in.
To be honest, you have probably seen a sploot already even if you didn’t know the name for it. You may have also heard it called ‘frogging’, ‘frog-legging’ or ‘free-falling’.
A ‘sploot’ is simply a fun word to describe a position adopted by some dogs when they lie down.
When dogs sploot it can look a lot like their legs have just given out from under them in a big, all-body sigh.
Sploot definition:
A sploot is when a dog lies down but instead of tucking their hind legs up underneath their body like most dogs, they stretch their back legs out and open up their hips for maximum floor coverage!
Variations of the Sploot
The Half Sploot
Some dogs don’t fully commit to the sploot and you’ll see them adopt the ‘half-sploot’ position with just one leg outstretched. Perhaps this is a different kind of stretch they are working on? Or maybe they are anticipating getting up again soon?
The ‘I give up’ Sploot
This one involves a fully splayed rear-end sploot plus your pup has his front legs stretched back along his sides! The effect is rather like the human fad for planking, i.e. lying on the floor trying to look like a plank of wood, not the grueling workout position!
The Coy Sploot
As if trying to prove just how flexible they are, some dogs will sploot with their back legs and then turn their heads round to smile up at us. It’s not unlike the typical pose scantily clad women sometimes adopt in photo-shoots!
‘What? It’s comfy’, they seem to say.
The Superman Sploot
This one is seriously fun. The dog adopts the usual splooting position but has one of their front paws outstretched and one tucked under, just like the classic superhero flying pose.
Super Pup to the rescue!
The Reverse Sploot
Sometimes dogs get the urge to flop onto their backs, not their tummies. This is sometimes known as the ‘Reverse Sploot.’
The Sweeper Sploot
This one involves a human assistant. Simply hold a rope or toy to your dog while they are in a sploot position on a hardwood or tile floor.
Once your pup has grabbed on to the rope you can carefully drag them around to give the floor a quick dusting!
Why do dogs sploot?
Good question! And no it’s not just because they think it’ll look cute on your Instagram feed (although that is undoubtedly true).
There are plenty of theories out there about why our fur-kids like to throw themselves onto the floor like a floppy pancake, seemingly out of nowhere.
Sadly we can’t ask our pups what the sploot is all about, but here are some of the best explanations we’ve been able to find.
- It’s a great stretch People who do yoga will be able to vouch for this. Stretching out those leg and groin muscles just feels really darn good.
- It’s lovely and cool on sensitive areas You’ll often see pups splayed out in a sploot on a nice cool hard floor (like tiles or wooden flooring). In hot weather, lying your most exposed area (between the back legs) on a cool surface must be all sorts of soothing.
- It just feels heckin good! Dogs are creatures of comfort, and they adopt all sorts of crazy positions to get comfy. It could just be that they find it super satisfying being all stretched out.
- It gets them lots of attention Honestly, this is probably not the reason a dog first starts to sploot but knowing how much our pups like to please us, it could be why some dogs make it a regular habit.
Do all dogs sploot?
A lot of the pictures of splooting pups you'll find online are small breed dogs. Corgis are of course the rulers of this cute trend – the corgi sploot is notorious!
Corgi Sploot
The splooting appeal of Corgis is no doubt down to those cute, round fluffy butts and their stubby tails. Most Corgis seem to really love a spot of splooting.
It appears that having dumpy little legs is definitely a plus if you want to sploot with ease.
Dachshund Sploot
Plenty of other breeds with short legs, like Dachshunds are also fond of splooting, much to their owner’s delight! Here’s a sweet little Dachshund sploot we found on reddit.
Bulldog Sploot
Other breeds that have mastered the sploot include Bulldogs. There is something extra hilarious about an already jowly dog suddenly pancaking onto the floor!
Take a look at these teeny tiny Bulldog puppies who are splooting all over one of their first grownup din-dins!
To be honest, they are probably just finding their feet rather than intentionally splooting, but it’s still super cute.
And then there are these little guys all splooting in a row!
Pug Sploot
‘What about Pugs?’ I hear you ask. Well, they love to get in on this craze too! Here’s a cute little Pug puppy showing off his flexibility and melting our hearts in the process.
Beagle Sploot
Beagles are another breed showing some real talent for the sploot. Here’s a Beagle sploot for you to enjoy. Fast Forward to 1 min 46 secs for a sleepy Beagle waking up into a sploot-stretch!
Big dogs can sploot too
Splooting is not limited to small breeds by any means! All sorts of dogs enjoy a good sploot.
Just check out this adorable video of a Husky splooting.
And then there’s this guy giving us a classic example of the Pitbull sploot.
The puppy sploot
Puppies of all breeds are particularly talented at the sploot position. It’s especially adorable when a sweet puppy is bumbling along then suddenly decides to flop into one!
Puppies, like little kids, are much more flexible when they are young. This explains why they find it so easy to sploot and contort into all sorts of other weird positions.
Is your dog a splooter?
If you’ve yet to catch your pup in the act of splooting, that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to. Pretty much all breeds have been known to sploot on occasion.
Maybe he just hangs out in a sploot when you are not around? Keep an eye on your home pet camera to find out.
Do other animals sploot?
Yes! Lots of cats love splooting, which is unsurprising really since they are the masters of relaxation.
Cats probably like to sploot for the same reasons that dogs do; it’s comfy and it’s a great way to cool yourself down on a hot day.
If your cat starts splooting there is no need to worry – it’s probably good for them to have a good stretch! Have a look at this lovely chilled out kitty.
Other household pets that like to indulge in a good sploot include rabbits. Most rabbit owners agree that splooting is a sign that their pet bunny is relaxed and happy.
Size is no barrier to splooting, as can be seen clearly here from this enormous Polar Bear enjoying a bit of cool concrete on his lower regions!
Other weird positions our dogs like to confuse us
Wave your legs in the air (like you just don’t care)
Halfway during a nap, your dog will often roll over and stretch and then just stay in a derpy position with all four legs up!
Maybe this is just a nice way to cool down a bit by exposing their pink tummies to cooler air?
The Couch Straddle
Some pups love nothing better than draping themselves over the top of the couch or a couch arm and then taking a good long snooze. Smaller dogs may do something similar over your leg. Super cute!
Is splooting good for your dog?
Normally splooting is nothing to worry about, even if your dog does a lot of it. The fact that your dog is stretching into a sploot is probably a good sign as it means they are nice and flexible.
Can splooting be a sign of health problems?
Sadly our fur-friends doing funny things with their back legs can sometimes be a sign of health problems.
Although splooting with no signs of any pain is not usually a sign of a problem, make sure you look out for the following warning signs that something could be up with your dog’s health.
- Pain or stiffness in the back legs
- A bunny hop movement
- Reluctance to move around
- Muscle wastage around the back legs
These symptoms could be a sign of Hip Dysplasia, a common hip joint issue in dogs, especially for larger breeds and those that are overweight.
What is hip dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is a genetic weakness in the hip joints. The ball and socket joint in the hip is deformed and will grind uncomfortably as your dog moves.
Over time hip dysplasia can cause the joint to gradually deteriorate, leading to arthritis, inflammation, and a lot of pain for your pup.
The problem is common in large-breeds like Labradors, German Shepards, and Golden Retrievers.
Hip dysplasia can cause your pup a lot of pain and can start affecting dogs from a young age. If your fur-kid is overweight it will put even more strain on weak hips and make the symptoms worse.
What can be done about Hip Dysplasia?
Keeping your dog at their ideal weight is the best way to avoid hip issues. Extra weight puts extra pressure on the joint, and causes problems to show up at an earlier age.
If the problem becomes severe your dog may need pain meds or even surgery to correct the joint or give him new artificial hips.
Here are our favorite dog sploot videos and pics
So now we know all about splooting, what a sploot is, and which dogs love to sploot.
It’s time to introduce you to some professional splooters out there on the internet. (And yes most of them are Corgis!)
Here’s an adorable compilation video of Corgi puppies doing their sploots with aplomb. Thank you to the beautiful person who put together for us!
Here’s a lovely example of a Corgi enacting the Sweeper Sploot, except this guy has chosen to grab onto a mop.
Caught in the act! But this Corgi is unlikely to make a quick getaway from his comfy sploot position.
Calvin is the co-founder and one of the main contributors to dogtemperament.com. He has been an avid dog lover all his life. He enjoys researching and sharing great ideas on how you can avoid common pitfalls of dog ownership and build the most loving and enjoyable relationship with your dog.