Sleeping Positions

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

It's always interesting to me how there seems to be as many different preferred sleeping routines as there are dogs.  I have had dogs that prefer sleeping on the floor, down by the foot of the bed and in the kitchen.  My beagle liked to sleep with her head on the pillow, like a little person.  Humans, on the other hand, all seem to have more or less the same preference.  Yes, some sleep on their sides, others on their backs, etc. - but almost all prefer the best bed they can find and in the same general position relative to whomever else is in it.

Here's what Lola does:

I will usually watch TV for a while before I fall asleep at night.  She will jump in bed and watch with me for awhile.  When she can't keep her eyes open any longer, she goes down on the floor and falls asleep on her dog bed.

Then sometime in the early morning she comes back.  Typically I will wake up to find her snuggling her back against me, with her head down by my feet and her rear sticking up towards my face.  My hypotheses for this are: (1) she is being submissive/deferential/respectful, (2) my feet smell particularly good to her, (3) that way she can keep an eye on the door, so as not to neglect her "watch dog" duties (4) there is no reason whatsoever - it's just the way she does it.

Does anyone else's doodle do this?  I would be interested to know, and I thought that at the very least it would be an interesting conversation topic.

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

My understanding is that dogs used to not be able to see it but now they can bc of big HDTVs. In fact I subscribe to DogTV and we love it. If you don't believe me that dogs can watch TV go to my videos and look for the one called Lola Watching the Ostrich Channel. Also she loves basketball (I think because of all the squeaking). She gets bored if its just a show about people talking about anything with animals or colors or noises she likes. Also she likes the movies Best I'm Show and Avatar. She definitely responds to the emotions of it too

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Ps. Using my iPhone and I think I responded to the wrong comment. Sorry about that.

[F, Calla & Luca]

My two go through all sorts of permutations in the evening. But by morning Luca is always positioned with his head next to mine.  Calla often spends much of the night on her bed, or somewhere on the floor. By mornign she frequently has my legs pinned under the covers in some way. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna gets a little "cuddle time" on the bed before we go to sleep... then we tell her "Go to bed" and she jumps down and goes to the futon in another bedroom.  Sometime during the night when we're sound asleep she comes and joins us on her doggie bed in our room (she's not allowed to sleep on the bed with us).

I think she spends the first part of the night in another room because she doesn't want to be kept up by us tossing and turning as we try to fall asleep :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I say, 'does anyone need to go out to do a wee wee?' and the boys  run to the back door and go outside. When they come in they both head straight for our bedroom. Riley jumps onto the our bed and settles at the bottom and Boris lies on his futon on the floor. Sometime in the night Riley stretches out on his back (my feet are dead at this stage) and Boris is lying between us with his head on my pillow. If I wake in the night to go to the bathroom then it all gets complicated... both dogs follow me to the bathroom and then head back to bed but I have to get in first otherwise I end up with no cover or space. It's a race for the space lol.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Just hearing the name of that movie makes me laugh out loud! I love that you have been educated in such important things as a result of multiple viewings!!! ;o)

Owen watches TV. Kona doesn't. The other day I was watching HGTV and Owen sat right in front of the TV for at least 10 minutes. Crazy doodle. 

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Yes, DogTV is wonderful when you gone, or if you are home and need to keep them occupied for a bit.  I get it on Roku, but you can also watch it on your computer.  I believe they will be coming out with a cable TV channel soon.

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Is it me, or does that guy have two left feet???

Funny you mention Philadelphia.  Is that where Laurie went?  I wonder how many kimonos she took???

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Our beagle, Baxter has always tucked in behind my knees with his head towards my feet.  Harlow sleeps on the tile floor in the bathroom in the warmer months but in the winter likes to sleep on the pillows above DH's and my head. :)

Lacey has just recently started crawling up in bed in the wee hours (good thing we have a king).  She will slip in between DH and I and lay her head on my hand.

[Bonnie and Kona]

How sweet!

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

Flash is a BED HOG!  My DH usually goes to bed before me and the doodles, but if I happen to see Flash headed to our bedroom, I high tail in that direction.  The last thing I want is for him to be sprawled out on my side before I can get there.  Having him in the middle or at the foot is one thing, but if he's already snoozing in my place, I'm doomed.  He's has no problem with me on the edge or barely on at all!  Thank goodness that Knox prefers the floor! 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Quincy starts off at our feet where we have a pillow for him, with his head over the rail.  He usually heads in for the tile floor in the bathroom at some point but often returns to our bed, nestling in between us.  If one of us gets up for the bathroom, he moves himself onto that pillow...until we say "excuse me, it that your pillow?" then he sheepishly goes back down to the foot.  My husband has the reading light on and off all night so that probably influences Quincy's moves, too.  My all time favorite is when Quince stretches his feet straight up into the air and yet he is sound asleep. My all time not favorite is when he does that up against my back!