The position that your dog sleeps in can you tell a lot about its personality.
A dog that sleeps on his back with his belly exposed is often a dog that is comfortable and in a deep sleep.
Recently I have been taking a lot of pictures of the dogs sleeping.
I don’t know what it is. They are just so darn adorable when they sleep and I am amazed at how many different sleeping positions that they have.
Here are a few positions that I can find Leroy sleeping in throughout the day:
Back.
All private parts fully exposed and airing out?
Stomach.
I have no idea how a 150-pound dog can make themselves look flat as a pancake
Curled up in a ball.
Cute and cozy, but how do they bend that way?
This got me thinking:
Do these different dog sleeping positions mean anything?
Yes, they most certainly do.
There are 4 different types of dog sleeping positions.
- Side sleeper
- Belly sleeper
- Back sleeper
- Curled in a ball sleeper
Side Sleeper & Belly
Flat as a pancake!
How does he do that?
Most of the time when the dog is sleeping on his side or sleeping on his belly with all four paws out, he is simply dozing – although, sometimes he can go into a deep sleep on his side.
Back sleeper – Four paws in the air
Leroy can be found in this position at night, in his dog crate. How this is comfortable I have no idea. I actually stared at him for 10 minutes the other night trying to figure it out.
This is the position where they go into a deep sleep. Certainly one of the funniest of all sleep positions, your dog is on his back with all his legs up in the air.
There are two main reasons why this tends to be where the dog gets his most relaxed dream sleep.
One, his stomach is exposed to the air so he is able to keep cool.
Two, by not being all curled up in a ball, none of his muscles are tense, and so he is able to be completely relaxed. I never knew that!
Curled up in a ball sleeper
Leroy can be found sleeping like this on the couch all the time. I think his bones are made out of bendy straws.
At first, one would think that this would be the deep sleep position, but according to Wendy Ness at Love to Know, this is actually a common napping position. A dog can wake up very quickly from this position.
Versus at night in bed when they are all spread out, you can move up and down, and they don’t open an eye.
Laying back to back, or next to.
O.k., they’re not laying back to back but close enough.
This is not a common sight in our house, but a welcome site now that I know what it means.
Leroy’s like the annoying little brother that just won’t go away but Sherman is getting used to it.
When a dog sleeps back to back with its owner or next to another dog, they are bonding; they feel safe protecting each other and it’s a way of showing affection.
When there is a pack of dogs they tend to sleep all together, although sometimes the alpha dog will sleep apart or in a higher position.
Huh! Very interesting!
So tell me about your dogs sleeping positions? What position can they be most found sleeping in?
Tamara Bateson
Friday 6th of January 2017
My dog is almost 10 years old is always slept next to the wall occasionally he would sleep with me then I got my baby girl, she stayed with me for a year and my daughter could take care of her so I took her in she sleeps on my hip has to touch me. I sometimes wonder if he knows that I've had all girls in my life. But he is the best dog I've ever had I don't even have to take him on a leash.
Jerry
Tuesday 12th of July 2016
Our lab curls into the back side of my slightly bent legs...always
Amber
Sunday 8th of May 2016
I have a one year old Terrier Chihuahua mix, Fozzy(looks like fozzy bear from Muppets lol) and he has slept on his back since he was born and he will not sleep any other way!! It's the funniest thing I've ever seen and he will actually sleep this way on my back if he can't squeeze between the hubby and I. Love this dog!
Olivia
Tuesday 25th of November 2014
My Dog ( a ten month old Weimaraner) loves sleeping pressed up against me. When we go her I sat in the back of the car with her for three hours on the way back from the breeders so she considers me her mother. I guess you could say we are very close
Laurel
Sunday 22nd of June 2014
When ever I lay on my side with my legs bent, my dog curls up behind my knees!