What Your Dog’s Sleeping Position Reveals About Their Personality, Health and Character
Should your dog sleep in their own bed or in your bed?
It doesnât really matter where your dog sleeps, as long as you and your dog are able to get a good nightâs rest. If you and your dog enjoy sleeping in the same bedroom, thatâs fine, as long as you and your furry friend can get enough deep sleep every night.
Some humans prefer to have the dog in their bed. Others get better rest when the dog is on the floor in a dog bed. Decide whatâs best for you and gently enforce boundaries to keep you and your dog as comfortable as possible. Discover the pros and cons of a dog sleeping in bed.
The size of your dog will definitely play a role in deciding on the floor versus your bed. Youâll want to be able to physically move your dog if they should venture to an off-limits area of your bed, such as your pillow. If your dog snores, that could be a deal breaker for joining you in the bed.
Dogs often chose to sleep at the foot of your bed, rather than at the top. This may be because there is a little more room to stretch out and get comfy. Your dog will almost always find a way to sleep with part of their body pressed against you for a feeling of safety.
Adding a set of steps can help a very small or elderly dog get into and out of your bed safely and easily.
A dog that is not yet housebroken should not be invited to sleep in your bed, for obvious reasons.
Are there other reasons why my dog may circle before laying down?
There is another evolutionary explanation for this circling behavior. Wild canids (e.g., wolves, foxes, and coyotes) travel in packs that include many family members. The entire group is protective of the members of the pack and is on constant lookout for stragglers. Turning around helps group leaders assess the pack and survey the area for members that may have fallen behind.
Turning in circles also provides an opportunity to take one last look for potential predators before bedtime. So, again, this bedtime rotation is actually a form of self-preservation and protection.
Every pack has an established hierarchy. Some members are more dominant while others are submissive. The bedtime turning routine may also be part of a ritual that identifies a wolf’s place in the pecking order of the pack.
What Your Dog’s Sleeping Position Reveals About Their Personality, Health and Character
Partner A wants dog to sleep in the bed. Wet-blanket Partner B says no can(ine) do. Kid says he needs to bunk with his buddy. Parent says his bedroom is a No Pup Zone.
Where the dog beds down for the night is a frequent source of disagreement between those who feel that there is nothing sweeter than a warm, furry pooch snuggled in the blankets and those who think there should be a limit to human-canine closeness.
In the interest of maintaining a peaceable kingdom, often a housemate will go along with one or the other policies, even if grudgingly. In fact, the majority of people surveyed by the AKC welcome the dog in their bed: 45%.
Crates are used in many situations (and crate-training is a proven housebreaking technique), and 20% of respondents crate their dog at bedtime.
At 17%, the third most popular sleeping spot in our poll is a dog bed. A small number of owners—4%—use an outdoor shelter. We would advise all dog owners to be mindful about letting your dog sleep outside, and to take in a number of factors before doing so, such as temperature and weather conditions; security of the area; risk of other animals, and more.
A broad and somewhat vague “various places indoors” was the response of 14% of the dog owners. It would be interesting to know if the dog or the owner chooses those locations, or if they are a mutually satisfactory decision. It may be the case that dog and owner are more in sync than Partners A and B or Kid and Parent.
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