Do you know that some traditional cultures as the Aboriginal Australians believed in the benefits of sleeping beside their dog? They used to believe that it protects them from evil spirits and it gave them warmth.
Currently, pet owners focus more on the drawbacks of such behavior.
We’re aware that your dog might have weird and crazy behaviors where:
- It can refuse to eat its own food, but once they see you eating, they remember that they’re so hungry.
- They refuse to leave your side while you’re working.
- But the most strange act that you might find so annoying is when you come back home after a hard day at work and find it enjoying your bed and sleeping on your pillow.
In this article, we shall cover the main reasons that may be behind on why does your dog sleeps on your pillow, as well as its benefits and if you really need to worry about it.
Why Is Your Private Place Their Favorite?
You need to understand that you’re your dog’s best friend and it doesn’t love anyone in the world more. It finds happiness, safety, and indescribable joy in your existence. That’s why it’s always clingy and find peace when they stay in your own place or eat from your plate.
1. Cozy Pillow
A very simple and basic reason is that they find your pillow warm and cozy. They want to enjoy the malleable feeling of your pillow just the way you enjoy it. It’s not only yours, Right?
2. Mimicking You
Another reason that’s purely out of love is that they love mimicking you and your behavior. They consider you as the pack leader and you should be proud of that.
3. Being Dominant
This reason is contradicting with the one above because they’re considering themselves as the pack leaders and they want to show some dominance.
Especially if there are children or other pets in the house, so they try to spread their scents over the house as a kind of dominance.
4. Secure Place
When you’re not home, your dog needs to feel safe and sound so they find that feeling in your smell. It’s a simple action that you can actually relate to yourself, where you can find security and love when you smell your favorite person or their possessions.
5. Protecting You
Sometimes your dog isn’t just selfish and needs to feel secure, but it’s actually doing that certain behavior to protect you.
There are dogs who are scared to death when they see their owners drowning in the sea and they jump immediately in the water just to save the person?
That happens because they’re overprotective and they need to watch over you while you’re sleeping.
6. Play Time
Your dog actually takes advantage of that to play with you, because it knows that you’ll tackle it or try to move it. That’s why they do this action as an invitation to play with you.
7. Strengthening the Bond
Dogs usually live in groups when they’re in the wild, also puppies stay together close to their mother. According to them, it gives them a bonding feeling.
So since you’re probably their own friend, it’s vital to establish with you an energetic bond.
Is It Safe to Sleep Beside Your Dog?
Some vets say that it’s safe if your dog sleeps beside you. Moreover, in certain cases, it was found that sleeping beside a dog has multiple benefits as:
- It helps the owner fight insomnia as they find calmness in their dog’s breaths.
- It increases the time spent together.
- It eases anxiety in certain cases and gives you a feeling of protection.
However, it’s not recommended to let your dog sleep with you in the following cases:
- If you suffer from allergies, because it might be aggravated.
- If you have a weak immune system because they carry dust and parasites that might pass to you.
- If you’re easily disturbed. It’s known that humans are monophasic sleepers (one cycle every 24 hours). At the same time, pets are polyphasic (three or more cycles a day), which might affect you when they wake up and move while you’re sleeping.
What Actions Should You Take If You Want to Enjoy Some Privacy?
Some dog owners don’t get annoyed by this action. They actually enjoy having their dogs beside them. On the other hand, some owners get angry when they can’t enjoy their beds after a long day at work. If you’re the second type, we will introduce you to some tips:
- Buy or make a comfy bed for your dog with a nice pillow just like yours.
- Leave any shirt that has your smell beside your dog so they feel safe and secure.
- Play with your dog in another spot and usually make it your favorite place.
Final Thoughts
In the article, we tried to cover as many aspects as we could to help you answer all the questions you are thinking about related with: why does my dog sleep on my pillow? So if you really don’t mind sleeping beside your dog, there is nothing wrong with their behavior as long as they aren’t aggressive when you move them.
Also, if you don’t suffer from allergies and you don’t get sick easily, you don’t need to worry about having them beside you. Think of that as extra time with your favorite one, especially if you’re always at work and always remember that you’re your pets’ best friend.
However, if you really want to set some boundaries, you don’t like your pet’s behavior or you’re easily getting sick, try our previous tips. We also recommend visiting a vet if your dog refuses to go away or if it shows any kind of aggression.
Resources
- Is It Safe to Sleep with Your Pet? from PETMD
- Should I Let My Dog Sleep With Me? from AKC
