Adoption of the dogtrot layout in the South grew because it offered another key benefit that Northern climates couldn’t fully appreciate: passive cooling. The covered dogtrot space, located in the center of the plan, offered not only a shady spot in which to relax (and for the namesake dog to trot), but the cooler pool of air could be drawn into the warmer nearby interior spaces by opening the doors and windows facing it. This passive cooling effect — stirring up breezes — was the real reason the housing type gained such popularity in the hot, humid climate of the southern U.S.
