My Jack Russell terrier, Albert, loves to sleep between my legs at night, and I absolutely cherish it. Without fail, every night, he follows me upstairs and makes his way towards my pillow. From there, he nudges his nose under the duvet and crawls down. He curls up between my legs. It’s pure comfort for me, and I deeply value being close to my dog.
But it made me wonder why he does this so consistently every night. Not that I’m complaining, of course.
My dog is nearly three years old. He’s a bit anxious, but I believe he sleeps between my legs for comfort, warmth, and security—much like the burrowed undercover sleeping position.
Dogs are suckers for routines; they love to know what to expect. It’s a chance for them to communicate with us through actions as if to say, ‘We both know what comes next.
just like us humans, we all have some kind of favourite sleeping position we go through, often depending on our mood. Well, dogs are the same! Below are some other common sleeping positions that dogs may take up at night when getting some sleep.
- Sleeping on their side: a laid-back mood and standard comfort
- Using paws for pillows: This position is more of a position where the dog is not going to get too comfortable because protection may need to happen somewhere; this position allows them to react quickly.
- A tight curled-up roll: a standard sleeping position for a dog that wants to have its own space, not worry about what is going on around it, and get a good night’s sleep.
- Legs out flat, belly down: This is mainly seen in puppies who are more supple and less wary of their surroundings. They just want to sleep because they are so tired and don’t care.
- Paws up on their back: This position can be taken up by a very confident and content adult dog that is not scared of its surroundings. This position is also seen in puppies that are just so tired and innocent that they sleep like this.
- Burrowed undercover: a dog that loves the warmth and feels secure will take up this sleeping position.
Does your dog love to sleep between your legs, or perhaps they have another unusual sleeping spot? Some other dog owners say their dog sleeps above their heads on the pillow, and they even make space each night for their dogs above their heads.
