The real reason dogs always find their way home – breakthrough study

Researchers are now convinced this helped the dogs orient themselves for the return trip.

The researchers wrote in a summary of their findings in the online journal eLife: “It is unlikely that the direct involvement of visual, olfactory or celestial cues can explain the highly stereotyped and consistent ~north south alignment of the compass run.

“For example, the forested habitat and dense vegetation of the study sites make visual piloting unreliable and, in many cases, not possible.”

After this initial compass run, dogs worked their way back relying on two particular forms of navigation.