The Effect of High-Voltage Power Lines on Magnetic Orientation of Domestic Dogs

Domestic dogs can sense the geomagnetic field (GMF), spontaneously aligning their bodies along its axis, altering the alignment's pattern during geomagnetic disturbances. Whether anthropogenic magnetic fields (MF) from high-voltage power lines (PL) influence this behavior remains unclear. We investigated the effects of alternating MF generated by PL on spontaneous magnetic alignment in 36 dogs. Behavior was recorded under north-south (NS) and east-west (EW) oriented PL and compared with control conditions lacking anthropogenic MF. Each dog's mean alignment angle relative to magnetic north was calculated from >50 measurements per condition, and Grand Means (GMs) were derived. Under control geomagnetically calm conditions, alignment was bimodal (GM = 23°/203°), while geomagnetic storms caused significant shifts and increased angular dispersion. Under NS-oriented PL, alignment remained bimodal (GM = 5°/185°), but under EW-oriented PL it became trimodal (Likelihood ratio test for multimodality: nodes = 3, <i>p</i> = 0.042; GM = 103°/283°). These differences were statistically significant (LME for linearized angles: <i>p</i> < 0.001 for control vs. NS PL and control vs. EW PL). Our results demonstrate that dogs maintain directional alignment under PL exposure, with orientation patterns corresponding to the direction of both MF and PL, which suggests a potentially complex impact involving non-magnetic cues.