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.

[BG and Gavin]

Gavin starts out on his bed on the floor on DH's side, then he move over to my side and lays his head on the floor vent, then he moves to the floor space at the end of the bed.  He somehow manages to pull the covers down and underneath him.  By the time I wake up in the morning my legs are folded up and my head is a third of the way down towards the end of the bed as I chased the blankets to keep my shoulders warm.

[DJ & Chance]

Chance usually starts at the foot of the bed, but he sometimes heads straight for my pillow!  He likes to snuggled into the small of my back, but he often leaves the bed after I am asleep.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My two have very different sleeping styles. Murphy has always slept in our bed, at the foot and doesn't come up to the head of the bed unless one of us get up, then he Bee lines for that persons pillow. I usually just stand by my side of the bed when I need to get back in, and look at him and he gets up and goes back to the foot. He stays in bed with us all night and hardly moves.
Bella is a floor or dog bed sleeper and she may start out on our bed but never stays long and rarely comes back during the night. But again, if one of us leave, she gets right up there in the morning. She goes from tile floor to dog bed to tile floor to dog bed all night.
Murphy sleeps like the dead and we have moved and carried him and he's barely opened one eye. Bella is always on the alert and I think sleeps all night with one eye open. If I even roll over, I can see her little head pop up and watch me. The cutest though is when she sleeps on her back with her front paws up and her hind legs spread wide open. She looks very comfortable..

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Monty Moose also jumps in bed with us until the tv goes off, then he is moves between the cooler bathroom floor and his dog bed for most of the night.  But at least two times during the night he will jump back up on our bed and cuddle right between us.  However, there are some mornings I have found myself sharing my pillow with him!  Someone should tell him about HIS morning breath!  :)  He is a big cuddler and I love it!

[Chelsie]

I am a side sleeper and my little Chorkie, Eli, snuggles right up against my stomach under the covers. If I role over he moves with me and snuggles up. Sam, the big Goldendoodle, is allowed up in bed for "Loves" before we fall asleep and the he hits the floor or his bed. He moves all through the night from room to room. This winter when it was cooler I found him snuggled up on the bed in the guest bedroom. He then wakes me every morning between 6:30 and 7! There have been a few times Sam goes to bed before me and steals my side. So I understand high tailing it to the bed if I see him headed that way!

[Hailey and Oliver]

when it's time to go to bed i usually let bert outside.  ( Bert is Oliver's nickname)  then he comes inside and wants to play with his kong.  then when i finally get him to come to bed he jumps up on the bed, usually a little slow now :(.  and gets in the exact position that you talked about!!!!!  Great doodle minds think alike!

[Allen and Pamela Kerstetter]

My Duke does the same, he lays facing downward although I ask him to face upward.  lol He does not like his head above mine, which is a svn of respect.  Love it when he lays at my feet when I sit in a chair because he is my soft foot warmer.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Cubbie will lay on the bed until I turn off the light and then he jumps down and curls up in his own bed.  Ollie will stay on the bed most of the night if I let him.  Sometimes I'll hear him jump down in the middle of the night but sometimes he'll stay up there the whole time.  Ollie likes to sleep on the other side of the bed and is not a snuggler.  On the weekends I'll get up and take them out at 5 and then feed them breakfast and then we go back to bed for a few hours.  At this point Cubbie will whine and whine until I hold up the covers and then he'll hop up and curl up next to me in a little ball. He tries to lay down by my legs but I can't sleep if I feel like I can't move my legs so I usually pick him up and put him back near the top of the bed.  He is so warm and cozy. 

[Christine & Shelby]

Shelby starts off on the bed... Watching me while get ready for bed.... Then will typically stay there or transition to under the bed for a while.... Move to the tile floor, her dg bed, back on my bed... It's a different routine every night. Depending on her sleep position... It is amazing how much room my 40 pound doodle can take up on a queen bed.

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav somehow manages to take up most of the space on a king size bed.  He generally starts sprawled in the middle, which anchors the covers so it's impossible to actually get all the way under them.   He has learned that turning over takes just a bit more effort on these astronaut-foam mattresses, so when he wants to change position he thrusts violently with his hind legs, which actually jolts the whole bed.  He's become more cuddly or maybe just more heat-seeking since his last grooming, so by morning I'm usually balanced on the edge of the bed with Trav tucked up beside me.