Abstract Seed dispersal by animal vectors (endozoochory) is ubiquitous, significantly shaping plant communities. Plants that produce seeds with physical dormancy (PY), including many agriculturally and economically important species, constrain the timing of seed germination via impermeable seed coats. PY seeds consumed by animals often receive the dual benefit of dormancy-breaking during passage through the animals’ gut and dispersal outside the parent plant community. In this review we synthesized the current endozoochory literature, paying particular attention to germination ecology and seedling establishment in PY species, before suggesting future research based on critical gaps in current knowledge. To fully synthesize available data, we created a database of 139 PY seed-herbivore pairs from studies focused on dormancy-breaking during gut passage and germination success after defecation. Overall, we draw four main conclusions: (1) the type of herbivores consuming PY species determine the total number of seeds germinating following gut passage; (2) an impermeable seed coat likely protects the internal structures of seeds during chewing and gut passage, however traits previously considered important prerequisites for seed survival during gut passage, such as small seed size (