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Sleeping habit



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 20th 12, 09:49 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
bassman2
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Posts: 9
Default Sleeping habit

Why does a dog go from a nice confortable dog house to dragging the
blanket he sleeps on out onto the grass, and sleep under the open sky?
Temperature is around 15C, so not exactly hot...He alternates between
the dog house and the grass, is this a bad thing? Do they have a
natural instinct to find a place to sleep which may not always be the
same spot?

Thanks for reading!
  #2  
Old November 20th 12, 11:18 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Sleeping habit

Had to Laugh.... But I THINK that some dogs find dog houses too
confining.....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #3  
Old November 20th 12, 11:34 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Sleeping habit

Added..... I think some dogs do look for alternate sleeping places at
some times. One thing we know is that many bitches, living as
housedogs, will attempt to find a burrow-like place for whelping a
litter. Such a place is often one of the big drainage pipes in roadside
culverts, supporting driveways and side roads.... the bitch not
realizing the risks of that.... from water drainage during rain, and
easy access by other dogs, foxes, coyotes, etc.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #4  
Old November 21st 12, 12:08 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
bassman2
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Default Sleeping habit

On Nov 21, 9:45*am, (Jo Wolf) wrote:
Added..... I think some dogs do look for alternate sleeping places at
some times. *One thing we know is that many bitches, living as
housedogs, will attempt to find a burrow-like place for whelping a
litter. *Such a place is often one of the big drainage pipes in roadside
culverts, supporting driveways and side roads.... the bitch not
realizing the risks of that.... from water drainage during rain, and
easy access by other dogs, foxes, coyotes, etc.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA


Uhm, thanks, I don't feel so bad now!
  #5  
Old November 21st 12, 02:00 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Glenn Lyford
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Posts: 79
Default Sleeping habit

On Tuesday, November 20, 2012 3:49:22 PM UTC-5, bassman2 wrote:
Why does a dog go from a nice confortable dog house to dragging the blanket
he sleeps on out onto the grass, and sleep under the open sky? Temperature is
around 15C, so not exactly hot...He alternates between the dog house and the
grass, is this a bad thing? Do they have a natural instinct to find a place
to sleep which may not always be the same spot? Thanks for reading!


I think in part, they just like to be able to see what is going on around them. Or smell, depending on wind direction. A dog's den can be something as simple as a shallow hole just big enough to curl up in, so they can conserve body heat and feel sheltered yet still see what is going on around them by peeking over the edge.

One of my dogs' favorite places is under the deck, which has just over a foot of space to stand under it. When I've been under it for repairs, I've noticed it actually has quite a commanding view of the yard, without all the patio furniture and deck rails and such in the way of the view. Also, that space is full of shallow holes now, too, just big enough to curl up in. Being under the door, they can also hear when a human comes to the door in time to come bounding up and ask to be let in, should they choose.

As to the temperature, my relatively short-haired lab is quite comfy at 0C and lower. I had a long-coat Akita who was happier and more energetic the colder it got. At -25C with a foot of snow on the ground, you would have a hard time trying to get her in the house...until she got lonely. She would also hog the output of an airconditioner. 15C (about 60F) should be more than comfy enough without added shelter, even with wind. If they have the sense they might appreciate a place to get in out of the rain, though. Ours prefer the really BIG doghouse all the humans live in. Which oddly enough, has been pretty darn close to 15C of late.

If the dog isn't always manageable in the house, there's always crate training, which then becomes a nice little den they can curl up in, while still seeing what is going on around them. Also, the corner of the couch next to the arm...or the lap of a human. The lab and Aussie both think they are lapdogs, though the lab is better at it, the Aussie for all that he likes the affection is usually too restless. Sometimes the lap just isn't close enough for the lab, though, and she becomes a chest-dog.

Another way to get a dog to be calm enough to live peacably in the house is go outside for a walk or some playtime with the dog, they won't exercise themselves very effectively without a reason to interact, and your presence is often the best reason. My two will be napping in the yard until I come outside, then bound all over the place while it looks like they are ignoring me but chasing and wrestling each other. Sometimes I can barely get them to chase a frisbee or tug a stick with me before they're off again harassing each other instead. Yet if I go back inside and look out, they're back to napping again.

And lastly, my Aussie thinks anything like a pad or blanket is a great toy, something to be chewed and shredded while lying on a bare floor, patio, crate, or in the grass. The blanket in his crate always gets bunched up at the far end, regardless of how often my wife straightens it out.

So to me, it sounds to me like your dog is completely normal.

Enjoy your time with your dog,
--Glenn Lyford
  #6  
Old November 22nd 12, 12:16 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Sleeping habit

Yeh, Glen, sounds a lot like my house.... and a friend has been having
fits and spasms getting her Akita bitch back indoors during our recent
cooler weather.... doesn't get very cold here for long in November.....
by Akita standards.

In summer, my guys dig cool-holes under my deck, which is 4 to 6 feet
(slope) above ground..... often back against the foundation of the
house. To help keep them coolest, I fill them with water every couple
of days. It soaks in and the soil is cooler.... ON the deck, they use
the furniture for extra shade areas, and quick shelter from light rain
if I don't get to the door promptly.

One of my dogs bunches his bedding up in the crate, too..... and after
eating, scrubs one front corner of the floor pan. Ah, well.... he
doesn't have many other strange quirks and foibles. The other,
larger.... maybe 23 lbs, with Loooong legs, thinks she should have a bed
platform atop the back of the living room sofa., since she keeps sliding
off. Not gonna happen.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

 




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