Nothing is cozier than that familiar feeling of your floof snuggling as much as your feet and keeping your toes warm. It’s an on a regular basis “aw” moment that robotically makes you smile and take a look at your pet with renewed surges of closeness and joy.
But why do they like to sleep by your feet anyway? Human feet don’t have the most effective repute for cleanliness or smell, so why would Fido decide to cuddle up there as a substitute of sleeping next to your head, for instance?
Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at why your dog sleeps at your feet and whether it is best to do anything about it.
Image by Valeriia Miller from Unsplash
Why Does My Dog Sleep at My Feet? 7 Reasons
There are more reasons than you’d take into consideration why your dog would select your toes to be their favorite resting spot.
1. Pack Instinct
Even when your own home is a single-dog household, there’s no denying the strong pack instinct pulsing through your doggo’s veins. They’ll still need to behave as if they’re a part of a pack, and without other dogs around, they’ll substitute you in.
To your dog, you’re greater than likely their alpha or pack leader, and as such, they’ll need to stay near you in a subordinate position during times of rest. But this certainly not implies we must always assert dominance to implement their subordination, based on recent studies.
The loving relationship between a pup and their owner is something magical that doesn’t require a show of dominance to achieve, as some outdated beliefs ascertain.
Image by Ryan Stone from Unsplash
2. They’re In search of Warmth
Yes, it might be that easy! Your pupper might just be feeling a bit of chilly, and by snuggling as much as you to get near your body heat, they’re attempting to warm themselves up a bit. Your feet won’t provide as much surface area as your stomach, but hey, any port in a storm so far as your dog is anxious.
Likelihood is that that is the explanation for those foot snuggles in the event that they really attempt to get as close as possible and curl up in a good ball. They’ll probably be a bit of restless and move about while trying to search out the utmost skin contact they will get.
That is more common with smaller dog breeds, who are inclined to have a tougher time with regards to maintaining their body heat within the cold. When you notice your doggo is struggling to remain warm, it is perhaps idea to speculate in a warm shirt or a heating pad on a low setting they will lie on.
3. They Simply Love You
As any dog owner will know, your puppers and floofs like to let you realize how they feel about you. They’ll nuzzle, lick, and puppy-kiss their way into your heart with wagging tails to point out their deep affection for you.
Image by Chewy from Unsplash
But when these options aren’t currently available, they could accept sleeping at your feet for some intimate contact as a way of showing how close they need to be to you. In the event that they are in a loving mood, don’t be surprised if these adoring sleeping sessions are accompanied by licks on the feet or legs and a blissful tail wag or contented sigh.
4. They’re Marking Territory
Not all marking comes with the dreaded lifting of the leg. You see your dog as something that belongs to you, and chances are high your dog feels the identical way about you. You’re theirs, and so they might want other dogs and animals to comprehend it.
If you may have multiple dog in the home, you may notice that when one jumps in your lap, your other dog suddenly appears and a small competition for prime lap position begins. Even in the event you only have one dog, they could determine to sleep by your feet when people come to go to or your better half gets close.
It’s standard territorial behavior, but it may well get uncontrolled and result in aggressive possession of you along with your doggo growling and even snapping at those that enterprise too close. That’s why puppy socialization is so essential, to forestall things like this from becoming a difficulty of their adult lives.
Image by Los Muertos Crew from Pexels
5. They’re In search of Protection
You’re their pet parent, in spite of everything, and so it’s natural that your doggo would turn to you for defense from something they consider scary. This might be thunder, plastic bags, or other people.
Hunkering by your feet could also be their way of asking for the safety of your closeness and strength. Once they determine to sleep at your feet, they’ll feel secure and secure knowing you’re there to guard them from the large scary things of their lives. This unspoken pact of protection goes each ways, though.
In the event that they feel you’re the one in need of some protecting, they’ll also rush to your side, or your feet on this case, and stand guard to ward off whatever they deem a threat. They’ll probably stick around and even decide to sleep there too, just in order that they’re in the best place in the event you need them.
6. They’re Sensing Your Feelings
It’d sound a bit of Hallmark Channel cheesy, but dogs are very sensitive creatures and may pick up our feelings through the tone of our voice, body language, and even our smell.
Whether you’re affected by chronic depression or simply having a nasty day, your floof knows about it and so they’ll likely attempt to alleviate your mood. They’ll lay muzzles gently in your knees, cuddle close to supply support, or be extra generous with licks to make us feel higher.
They could even snuggle down by your feet and stay there in an try to make you happier.
Image by Pixabay from Pexels
7. They Wish to Keep Track of You
The canine-human bond is famously close. So close, actually, that studies have now revealed that our precious pups display a “secure base effect” with us. What’s that, you may wonder? It signifies that very just like a human child-parent relationship, your dog sees you as a secure base for interacting with the world around them.
So you may have a clingy dog that feels safer after they know exactly where you’re, and what higher position to be in for that than right at your feet? The moment you choose to depart the room, they’ll be the primary to learn about it and give you the chance to maintain track of you.
More often than not this doesn’t cause an issue, but some dogs can get very distressed in the event that they can’t find where you’re. Even in the event you’re still in the home and just in an unknown or unreachable location, it might induce separation anxiety, which may result in some unwanted barking behavior.
Should I Let My Dog Sleep at My Feet?
Usually, letting your dog sleep at your feet isn’t going to be a difficulty and is definitely the achievement of a natural and healthy instinct. Most pet parents adore it when their pooch snuggles as much as them, in order that they encourage it with affectionate pets and words. In lots of instances, it only serves to deepen your bond and supply a pleasurable experience for each dog and human.
Image by Alice Castro from Pexels
That is one thing if you’re settled down on the couch watching Netflix or reading the most recent Jodi Picoult, though. It’s a unique matter if you’re within the kitchen attempting to cook and your dog is consistently getting under your feet, tripping you up, thereby presenting potentially dangerous situations.
It might just be that your pupper is uber-clingy. But when it is a sudden change in behavior, it’s possible that something has upset or scared them and now they consistently search out the security of your presence. If that’s the case, you’re going to want to do a bit of investigating to find out what is perhaps causing their distress and check out to resolve it.
One other instance where letting your dog sleep by your feet won’t be idea is in the event that they begin to point out any signs of aggression towards anyone approaching you while they’re there. Growling, barking, and snapping are big indicators of this.
Once established as a behavior, aggression could be tricky to maintain, so the earlier you get a pet behaviorist to enable you cope with the problem, the higher.
The way to Stop My Dog from Sleeping at My Feet
If this act of affection has develop into problematic for any of the explanations mentioned above, it’s possible you’ll need to dissuade your furry friend from hanging around your heels. How exactly do you go about this, though?
There are several ways, depending on the problem. The very first thing you’ll need to do is start withholding any affection when your doggo involves sleep at your feet. Don’t pat, don’t speak to them in that special dog-baby language we’re all guilty of indulging in.
Image by LauraHalsel from Pixabay
Step one to stopping an unwanted behavior is to point out your dog they won’t get a response from you for it, which provides them less incentive to do it in any respect.
The following step is to encourage them to maneuver to a more appropriate location that you simply’ve picked out for them. You possibly can entice them there by putting a snug bed where you wish them to sleep.
Give them some slack and begin by putting the bed somewhere near where you wish to calm down. This implies they’ll still be near you and may still see and smell you, so it’ll be a better transition for them. When you go ahead and put the bed in one other room completely, they’ll feel the separation from you as a punishment for what’s technically natural behavior.
So, once you choose out the proper spot for the bed, use positive reinforcement methods corresponding to giving treats every time they go to the bed to encourage them to make use of it.
It’s best to also reward them with high-quality snacks every time they decide to slightly go to the bed than lay at your feet. This develops a positive association with being within the bed, and the more often you reinforce it with rewards, the more likely they’re to slightly select the bed.
Image by Kojirou Sasaki from Unsplash
Go ahead and make an enormous fuss and let the treats rain all the way down to allow them to know they’re doing the best thing, and so they’ll catch on quickly that that is what you like. In case your dog may be very clingy, you may need to begin by simply getting them used to picking the bed, even when it’s right next to you, after which slowly moving it further away.
Final Thoughts | Why Your Dog Sleeps at Your Feet
Whether or not they’re a scaredy-cat, a loving lump, or trying to supply some comfort, there are a lot of explanation why your favorite floof is searching for out your feet as their pillow of selection.
Irrespective of what the explanation, it’s most frequently a benign act of affection that almost all owners cherish. Should it ever develop into an issue, though, contact a behaviorist if it doesn’t resolve by itself.
I covered the entire costs related to writing this post on why does my dog sleep at my feet. Nonetheless, it does contain affiliate links. Which means in the event you click through on a number of the links in this text and find yourself making a purchase order I’ll receive a small commission. It won’t affect the value that you simply pay. Just desired to let you realize.
Is your dog shaking while they sleep? Read this text to search out out why.
