How do dogs decide who to sleep with?
Your Dog is Guided by Scent
If your dog loves to snuggle up and sleep with you, you’re not alone. Many dogs choose a sleeping spot based on the fact that it smells like their owner, aka the pack leader. If this is your bed with you, great! If not, they’ll choose a spot with your scent for the next best thing.
The Top Reasons Dogs Bring You Toys
When your good boy comes bounding at you with a squeaky toy in his mouth, he may be trying to give you a message. While their adorable doggy brain may not know exactly what they’re trying to say, their excitement says it all.
Experts on dog behavior have speculated and the results are clear: when a dog shows off his toys, he’s trying to tell you something.
So WHAT could your dog be trying to tell you when they bring you toys?
Why do dogs bring you toys? The most common reason for being greeted with a dog toy is pure, uncontained joy. Your pooch may have been waiting excitedly for you to come home, or maybe seeing a squirrel out the window gave them a sudden burst of energy.
No matter what kind of dog you have, retrievers, pugs, and pit bulls will all need to channel that energy somewhere. What better way than running through the house to gather and deliver every dog toy in sight?
Why Does My Dog Bring His Toys To Bed?
There are a few different theories about why dogs like to sleep with their toys. Each of these theories has its own merits, and it’s likely that each dog engages in this behavior for a different reason. For example, a dog who brings his toy to bed may try to communicate with his owner that he wants playtime.
Another dog might do this simply because he finds it comforting to have something soft and familiar nearby while he sleeps. And yet another dog might carry his toy around.
There are a few different theories about why dogs like to sleep with their pile of toys. Theories about why dogs bring their toys to bed can be broken down into three categories: communication, comfort, and control. Here are some behavior traits:
Sleeping in bed at night with toys helps dogs feel more secure. This makes sense when you think about it; after all, dogs are den animals by nature and have a natural instinct for when they are safe and when they aren’t.
In the wild and leaner times, they would sleep in underground dens with their pack mates for warmth and protection. Nowadays, most domestic dogs don’t have to worry about predators or the elements – but some still like to curl up with a toy as a reminder that they’re not completely alone.
Another possibility is that your dog simply enjoys your company at night time. Dogs are social creatures, and they often form strong bonds with their human companions. When your dog brings his toys to bed, he may try to tell you he enjoys your company and wants to spend more time with you.
It’s also possible your dog is seeking attention.
Dog Takes Favorite Toys To Bed Every Night | The Dodo
Many dogs bring their toys to bed or on the couch and dog owners may scratch their heads wondering why dogs do that. What gives? There are several possible theories as to why dogs do this and some of them may trace back to a dogs past history, way back before dogs were even welcomed into homes and had the luxury of sharing the bed or th couch.
When dogs bring their toys to bed or on the couch, dog owners often start wondering what triggers this curious behaviors.
With free run of the house, and lots of square footage to enjoy, it comes natural wondering why its almost a guarantee that Rover will found chomping on his favorite toy on the bed or on the couch.
While the behavior may be cute, perhaps the most annoying part may be coming home from work and plopping oneself on the couch, only to sit on a slimy ball or being awakened by a squeaky toy when turning at night in bed.
So whats up with these dogs? Why do dogs bring their toys to bed or on the couch? Following are some theories.
Dogs seem to enjoy playing with their toys quite roughly when on the floor. Indeed, youll likely see them toss their toys in the air, chase after them and then dogs shake their toys side-to-side as if they must effectively subdue some type of enemy.
However, when dogs start getting a bit tired and just wish to unwind, whats better than bringing a favorite toy along on bed or on the couch and just play with it there?
The dynamics appear quite similar to what dogs do when they are playing with a playmate. Youll see the two parties chasing each other, pouncing and running amok from room-to-room, and then, once they get grow tired, youll see them lying side-by-side playing with their mouths making funny vocalizations. This lazier form of play is, by the way, called “jaw sparring” if you wondering.
Back to playing with toys, once on the couch, your tired pooch may therefore enjoy entertaining himself with his favorite toy by gently mouthing at it.
This relaxed form of play may continue for quite some time until your dog gets tired and falls asleep or the toy happens to fall to the ground, at which point, your dog will likely jump down to grab it and start playing with it again with renewed interest.
Many dogs find chewing a toy a very relaxing activity. And when dogs want to relax, they have their favorite spots to do so just like us. The bed or the couch offer the ideal setting to unwind after a busy day.
According to Victoria Stillwells website: “Chewing is a potent stress reliever and releases pleasurable endorphins into the body .” Its indeed a classic sight you may see in many paintings: a dog is relaxing by the fireplace while chewing on a bone. Just visualizing this scene is enough to even make us humans relax!
Its not surprising, therefore, if after chewing on the toy for some time, many puppies and dogs end up falling soundly asleep. For some dogs, chewing and relaxing is almost a routine, a precursor to their bedtime . These dogs know the drill: they will reach into the toy box, grab a toy, jump onto the bed, gnaw on it and then theyre snoring in no time.
Savvy dog owners will take advantage of this natural inclination by purposely placing their dogs into their sleeping areas (crate, x-pen, mat) along with a toy so to help their hyperactive companions unwind and finally catch some zs.
Another possible theory is that dogs are taking their toys to the couch or bed to “finish them up
Another possible theory is that dogs are taking their toys to the couch or bed to “finish them up. ” As grotesque as it may sound, toys to dogs, more often than not, represent prey.
Watch your dog carefully next time he plays with ball or a squeaky toy. Youll likely notice the whole predatory hunting sequence or at least parts of it. The predatory sequence is simply a patterned series of behaviors that are reminiscent of the ancient times when a dogs ancestors were hunting.
A whole predatory sequence includes eye, orient, stalk, chase, grab/bite, kill/bite, dissect and consume. While dogs may no longer hunt the way their ancestors did, they still retain these instincts.
Yes, dogs can have love handles, just as in humans, but they are called quite differently. Discover where your dogs love handles are located and what you should do if your dog has them.
The presence of cat feet in dogs may sound like some type of joke, but they really do exist and they even offer several advantages. Discover cat feet in dogs, which dog breeds have them and some interesting facts about these unique types of paws.
Back to playing with a ball or other type of toy, its therefore not unusual for dogs to find it, chase it and then go on to doing the “kill/bite shaking” with side-to-side head movements. This shaking is reminiscent of the times when dogs were hunters and relying on animals for food. Small critters were often killed by shaking them for the purpose of breaking their necks.
After having “killed the toy” dogs may then decide to “finish it up.” They may, therefore, find a comfy place to lie down (like their mat, couch or bed) and decide to dissect the toy (the expensive part of dog ownership!) and in some cases, if allowed to, even consume parts of it. Side note: if your dog is prone to this, consider the risks for digestive upset and even blockages if large enough pieces are swallowed.
On top of being comfy, the couch may offer an ideal platform that provides support so that your dog can more effectively chew or dissect the toy. By placing the toy against the couch, he may obtain better leverage so that he can chew the toy at certain angles.
If you own multiple dogs, there may be chances your dog cherishes playing and chewing on his favorite toys on the bed or couch because he perceives these pieces of furniture as perks.
A taller sleeping spot offers the advantage of being less accessible to other dogs and dogs laying on top of them may feel as if they have a privileged advantage. In some sort of way, being on top of the couch or bed may feel to some dogs as a small executive sitting on a very large chair.
Your dog may therefore take advantage of being on an elevated surface to tell other dogs to get off or not come close when he has a prized possession to guard from other dogs.
Dogs may therefore choose to go on the couch or bed to chew on valuable toys or bones where they want to be left alone, and sometimes that includes being left alone even by their owners. If your dog has ever showed signs of aggression when chewing on toys or other valuables, consult with a behavior professional.
Please note: if you have an intact female dog (non spayed) who is carrying a toy and whining, sleeping with it in bed, and possibly even guarding it (as if it was a puppy), this may be a sign of what is known as pseudopregnancy.
Also known as false pregnancy or phantom pregnancy, pseudopregnancy in dogs is commonly seen following a heat cycle and the symptoms can be similar to a real pregnancy.
The good news is that within one or two weeks most false pregnancies will regress on their own and affected dogs should then leave her toys alone and return to normal.
Finally, some dogs may enjoy chewing toys on the bed or couch for the simply fact that after chewing on them, they can hide the toys in between the cushioned seats of the couch or under the pillows or blankets in beds.
This, once again is a natural instinct. In the wild, many animals have a natural instinct to hide leftovers to prevent any predators from gaining access to them.
This feast or famine instinct is known as “caching” and its primary goal is to store surplus foods when food is plentiful for those times when food is scarce.
After playing and chewing on th toy for some time, these dogs may therefore decide to dig on the bed or couch and hide their prized possessions there.
Some dog owners wonder if there is a way to stop dogs from bringing toys on the couch or on the bed. Instinctive behaviors though may be challenging to tackle because they are so ingrained. To reduce this behavior, you may have to therefore find ways to “outsmart him.”
One option is to use toys that grab your dogs immediate attention and that require a more interactive interaction rather than passively chewing. A food dispensing toy such as a Kong Wobbler may keep your dog occupied, and since its quite heavy and difficult to transport, will likely remain on the floor.
Another option is to provide your dog with his own comfy place to call his “den.” For example, you can invest in a comfy memory foam dog bed or use a playpen and make it extra appealing. Praise and reward your dog for using these areas.
If your dog happens to show his intent to go on the couch, you can always redirect by training your dog to “go to his mat.” As a temporary measure, when you cannot actively supervise, you can try putting obstacles in the way to prevent him from jumping up on the couch or bed.