Welcome back bouys and gurls! You know.. there are few bloggers who my Mommy absolutely adore and respect. Today, I have requested one of them to grace this space. He is none other than Dr. Roshan Radhakrishnan who blogs at Godyears. I don’t like doctors because whenever I visit one, I get an injection. But Mommy tells me that he is a hooman doctor and that he wouldn’t hurt me. So, I like him. Today he is going to talk about one of the favorite things I do – Sleep and my Bedtime Sleeping Position.
Over to him.
Dog’s Bedtime Sleeping Position
A normal dog sleeps around 14 hours a day and up to 18 as a pup. Yes, it indeed is a dog’s life. A large part of this has to do with the REM cycle during sleep – that is the deep phase of sleep where we all dream. Since dogs spend less time in that REM phase, they tend to need more time for adequate rest.
Now, if you were to ask dog owners about how their pets look when they are asleep, you are likely to get assaulted with hundreds of pictures of dogs sleeping in all sorts of silly and adorable positions.
Here’s the thing they may not know, though. Each of those unique positions the dog sleeps in represents something. Without further adieu, let’s check out what these poses mean, eh? (purely a coincidence that it gives me a chance to assault you with a bunch of pictures of my dog Snoopy sleeping in weird positions.)
1. Side sleeper
- Allowing their belly to be exposed is a sign that they trust their surroundings.
2. Curled up
- This – the commonest position – is a form of conserving body heat.
- Limbs, belly, and face are wrapped inside as a form of self-protection.
3. Superdog
- Sleeping on the belly with all four limbs outstretched and head level as though flying like Superman is a ‘ready for action instantly’ pose. They are more likely to get up quickly when called.
4. Upside Down
- Dogs allow themselves to be in this position – leaving their belly exposed – when they are extremely trusting of their surroundings. Associated with pets that have an independent and laid-back nature about them.
- You need to consider the converse of the curled up position – that they may be expending heat in this position.
5. Touchy Feely
- Well, they just love you and want to feel your presence around them even when they are asleep. Duh!
Fun fact:
That tendency they have to walk in a circle before laying down to sleep or digging and scratching your blanket/floor/carpet stems from their ancestral lineage where they had to flatten the woods and leaves around them or dig a hole to stay warm (in winter) or cool (in summer).
Hope you learned something new about your pooch today. Now go check out his/her sleeping position and pet him on the head to let ém know you finally understand.
Authors note:
Anaesthesiologist Dr. Roshan Radhakrishnan believes in the healing power of love and laughter but practices medicine just to be on the safe side. A winner of Write India (India’s largest crowd-sourced literary competition) Season One as well as Two, he also has a trophy for ‘Best Blog in India for Creative Writing’ awarded to his blog, Godyears.net at the Country’s First Live Blogging Conference and Awards Ceremony. Over 20 of his short stories have found their way into anthologies over the years.
Like what you read? You may want to pin it.
And oh.. here are my sleeping positions 🙂
That’s all for now! Don’t forget to drop in tomorrow because…
This April I am taking over Mamma’s blog to share my pawsome puppy tales with you. You can expect helpful information, fun and interesting articles topped with a dollop of adorable pictures and videos of mine. I will also be calling some friends over. I hope you’ll join me on this journey for I promise to shower you with unconditional love and deliver a positive dose of dog everyday, this April.
Meanwhile, I also hang out on Instagram. Do follow me there.
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This post reminded me of how Chikoo would sleep…how he would bark in his sleep, wag his tail, drink water, get excited…everything! How much they dream….whoa! And, they look super cute when they do all of that in their sleep.
Just watching Snoopy and Muffy sleeping wanted me to run and grab them and run away! 😛
Cutie pies, all! Muuuaaahhhhhh!!!
No no.. no run away 😛
Aww these are so cute! My sister’s dog sleeps in all these possible ways. He’s just so cute. His sleeping patterns have evolved with him over the years. Nice compilation.
Thanks, Pratikshya 🙂
Muffy has a companion today. These little adorables look like little babies, cuddles up and snug in their baskets… BLiss ful . Wasnt aware that these little ones, tend to scratch and dig, like their ancestors
Yes!! Snoopy is super cute 🙂
I went all “ochi koochi aww puchi” reading this post..they look so cute and adorable in those positions..I almost entered my screen to cuddle them. BTW my pooch is a side sleeper just like me.
woof woof Muffy. Please thank Dr. R for explaining why you sleep so much and what your secret sleeping language means…… It’s been so long since I’ve had a furry friend that I almost forgot what doggies did…..Thanks for sharing these tips.
Thank you, Bellybytes. Yes, Dr.R helped Momma make sense of my sleeping patterns and positions 🙂
Oh my gosh! how adorable. I feel enlightened today, as I’ve lived with a man’s best friend all my life, but I learnt some interesting facts through Docs posts.
Snoopy and Muffy are such adorable darlings. wish I could give them a tight cuddle right away.
Thank you Doc and Shalzz for these lovely tails ;-))
Natasha
natashamusing
April Anecdotes
Burden or Unburden
Woohoo! Thanks, Natz 🙂
Interesting Sleeping facts about pet dogs. Nicely written, Roshan. We too had many pet dogs at our house earlier.
Thannks, Vasantha.
Wow. Had no idea that do much could be written on such a different topic. I’m amazed.
You should definitely drop in to read more. The challenge has only begun 😀
Such a cute and interesting post. Please thank you favourite vet for his input!
Sure, Shirley. Thanks very much 🙂
Wow, this was so interesting, I never thought that sleeping positions meant anything. Roshan’s Snoopy is too cute and I think dog’s tend to imitate their master’s nature or is it the other way around?!
Haha! That’s true, Kala 😛
Very interesting post! We have four dogs so it was fascinating to know what each of the positions means. Right now, two of our dogs are laying on their sides – with one of them touching my legs. The other two (short-haired dogs) are in curled up positions. Will look forward to reading more posts this month on Muffy Tails through the Blogging from A to Z Challenge!
Wow! Four dogs! That must be fun! Thanks for dropping by, Ann 🙂
All the pictures are so cute. Good to know about the sleeping positions of the dogs. I had no idea about it.
Thank you, Deepa. I also didn;t know about it 🙂
One of my husband’s cousins has a do and I have seen her sleeping in almost all the positions mentioned above during my various visits. I know the details now.
I louveeeeeeeeeeeeee this post! Snoopy and Muffy in one frame, what more can one ask for ❤