Why does my dog sleep between my legs?
A dog sleeping between your legs, or between your thighs may always seem awkward—for you, not for the dog. If the habit persists, the dog will always try to settle between everyone’s thighs for a nap and many people will it unbecoming of the dog.
How about we look at it from the dog’s point of view; why would your dog find so much comfort between your thighs? The answer is almost obvious, or so I guess. It must be the warmth. Our thighs are almost always warm and comfortable and when the dog squeezes its way between your legs and settles, he feels nice, warm and protected.
I wouldn’t blame my pooch too much if she invents the haven between my legs and creates a habit of making the most out of it for comfort.
This behavior is most common among dogs who love to burrow and a great solution would be to buy the dog a donut dog bed so that it squeezes itself through the donut-shaped design into the bed for the warmth.
So why else would my dog sleep between my legs?
- For companionship
We all love companionship, that’s why we spend time with our friends and loved ones. Better still, that’s one of the reasons people get married. Dogs, man’s best friend, appreciate some companionship too. If they don’t have other dogs to build that companionship with, then you are all they have. dog sleeping between your legs is a dog that wants to be part of your life—to feel warmth and love. So the next time the dog wants to curdle and your legs is as high as it can reach you, don’t be too harsh on it.
- It comes naturally
Some dogs are naturally burrowers so they would do anything that feels like burrowing. This can be squeezing themselves through anything that feels warm; blankets, mattresses, or your legs just to name a few. So sometimes it’s more of biology not a habit. To solve this, get your dogs some toys to help it quench the desire to burrow, or a burrow dog bed.
- The warmth
As I’d hinted, any dog would make use of a warm environment and our legs are usually warm. No wonder the habit is common during winter.
However, not all dogs love to squeeze their way through your legs. Some will be just fine with some attention, others will appreciate some play time while others just love to curdle for a few minutes. Since prevention is better than cure, if you don’t have a dog yet and wouldn’t like dog sleeping between your legs for comfort, go for large breeds; they naturally aren’t too needy.
Conclusion
Puppies and small dog breeds love cuddling and snuggling with the people they love and always feel safe doing that. Therefore, if yours is a pup you will experience this behavior more often compared to grown dogs. Large dogs will usually just come sleep next to you without getting too personal—they probably wouldn’t even fit between your legs.
The good thing with your dog sleeping between your legs is that he is showing you how he loves you and that he feels comfortable around you. For me that’s a good thing but if it gets too much, get a burrow dog bed.