You know the scenario, you are settled down for a good movie, you have the popcorn all made, your drink of choice is with you, and yes it is that time to settle down. The puppy jumps down off of the couch and runs over to there own bed or the covers that slipped to the floor, and they start to dig and scratch and roll around, make all kinds of funny noises.

You have to ask yourself. Is this normal? Do all dogs do this or is this just my kind of breed?

Well according to be.chewy.com, this is a very common and quite old instinct. Comes from wild animals that would settle down into there den at night and try to make as comfortable a sleeping condition as possible. Here are a few statements.

“Dogs aren't ‘denning’ animals, like groundhogs and other species that live underground, but mother dogs do create a maternal den of sorts into which they settle to give birth,” says Dr. Leslie Irvine, Ph.D., a professor of sociology and director of the Animals and Society Certificate Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. “My understanding from the research is that it's a comfort-seeking behavior, deeply ingrained from puppyhood. The digging and scratching gives them a comfortable surface to lie on.”

For wild dogs, digging in their beds can help them find any sticks, rocks or other uncomfortable objects that might’ve been pushed into their preferred sleeping spots during the day. It can also help them locate any predators like snakes or scorpions that might be hiding underneath them. Our pet dogs may, essentially, be doing the same, according to Dr. Haug.

“Many dogs do this to also make the bed more to their liking,” she says. “My dog always digs her blankets up on her dog bed, but she doesn’t do this on my bed.”

Image courtesy of: ariedana

 Here is the rest of the article

Photo By ariedana