Not every unusual dog behavior has an explanation. Some dogs love to dig on tile floors, while others chase their tails, or go yapping after moths, bugs and butterflies. However, some canine behaviors can be explained by environment, breeding and innate survival skills. Burrowing is one such habit that has not only a logical explanation, but usually has genetic reasons why some dogs may do so and others may not.
“Burrowing” occurs when a dog buries his head under pillows or blankets, and wiggles his body underneath until almost completely covered from sight. Some dogs sniff or shuffle around a surface first, in search of a prime burrowing place. Then nose-first, they dive into the covers, scuttling out of sight. Many dog owners insist that a makeshift burrow becomes their pup’s favorite hide-out or “secret” place to take a nap.
Since the original digging dog breeds were accustomed to tunneling through dirt and burrowing underground, the closest experience they often have available in a human home, is a pile of blankets on a bed. While many burrowers dig down under the covers because it is their nature, others do it because they are afraid or anxious. Loud noises such as thunder, shouting, or sudden groups of visitors can send a pup running for the covers. Small dogs especially feel safe when snuggled deep into the folds of a soft blanket or between throw pillows. Such dogs find comfort and security by creating dens out of blankets.
While the behavior of burrowing might bear a close resemblance to a canine’s inclination to dig, the two behaviors have some specific distinctions. When a dog digs, he may be looking to uncover or hide something (such as a bone or toy), while burrowing is more of a comfort and self-safety measure, instinctive to certain breeds.
Burrowing Breeds
Canines burrow largely because they were intentionally bred to do so. Of these the most common burrowers are Dachshunds and Terrier breeds, whose primary purpose was to help pursue prey down tunnels. In fact, the word terrier actually comes from the French word for “burrow.”
However, this activity is not only apparently in smaller dogs; even some larger breeds (in the “spitz” family, for example) are accustomed to burrowing out of instinctive and necessity. Colder regions would force food sources underground, causing norther-dwelling breeds like the Husky to burrow deep into snow in search of small animals to survive on, or as a way to retain body heat when the winter temperatures would drop. These kinds of dogs are most likely to burrow:
- Dachshunds
- Chihuahuas
- Terriers
- Hounds
- Huskies
Proud Dog Mom 4 years ago
Do you have bumps in your bed?
I do.
Two of them, to be exact.
They seem to disappear during the day, but every night when I jump into my bed they’re there again. That’s because my two dogs — Diego and Gigi — like to burrow underneath the covers for a comfy nights sleep, creating two little bumps in my bed!
Does your dog sleep under the covers?
When we catch our dogs slumbering under blankets like any other human member of the family, it often leaves us wondering “Why?”
The Theories
Many experts say dogs burrowing under the blankets or bed comforter is yet another instinctual behavior that derives from their wild ancestors. You see, sleeping under the covers provides your dog a warm, safe, and secure environment, much like a den would in the wild.
It’s also said the pressure from the sheets helps your pooch to feel surrounded and even swaddled.
Plus, you may have heard that dogs are pack animals. If you think about how our dogs’ wild ancestors slept huddled together in a pack, you can understand why snoozing under the tight covers firmly pressed against you (their domestic pack leader) would provide an extra dose of security.
It’s Not Just A Small Dog Thing
While small dogs, like Terriers, Hounds, and Chihuahuas, are more prone to the behavior, large dogs are known to burrow as well. Just look at Huskies, for example! Huskies, who were bred to live and work in frigid temperatures, learned to burrow under the snow as a way to keep warm. Today, many Huskies still burrow — trading in the snow for a cozy blanket.
Can My Dog Suffocate Under The Blankets?
Some people worry that their dog will suffocate under the blankets, but you can breathe a sign of relief. Experts say it’s highly unlikely! Of course, you should always make sure the covers are not really tight around them and they have a way to get out.
Recently, I found a thick throw rug at a thrift store. I thought it looked like a warm bit of bedding that my dog could use for her nesting. I draped it over her two other blankets and carefully tucked it to conform to the shape of her bed. Next time I went to visit her, she’d removed the new cover, dragged it halfway across the room, and left it there. I found her curled up, sleeping on her older quilts.
I don’t know about you, but I have any number of pre-sleep rituals. Many of them have become so habitual that they now border on instinct. For instance, no matter the temperature, I have sheets and blankets that have to be in a certain layer order. If I happen to be away from home, I always wake up earlier than I do when I’m in my own bed. Comfort makes a difference to my sleeping ability and quality. Do our dogs observe similar bedtime rituals? Let’s answer some questions about dog nesting behavior, including:
- Why do dogs circle before lying down?
- Why do dogs scratch the floor?
- Why do dogs dig in bed?
Why do dogs walk in circles before lying down?
Sometimes, her turning radius is as tight as her 3-by 2-foot dog bed in winter, and others, as broad as a spot against the fence outside in the summertime. Regardless what time of year, it never ceases to fascinate me when I watch my dog circumnavigate her chosen sleeping spot. What motivates her to spin about before coming to rest? Like my own idiosyncratic pre-sleep rituals, walking in circles establishes a dog’s comfort in a few different ways.
Long before dogs could nestle in our beds or had proper dog beds of their own, circling was a means of establishing both safety and comfort. In nature, circling a chosen spot is one method dogs employ to ensure the exclusivity of their sleeping place. Trampling about on high grasses or leaves creates sufficient disturbance to drive out any creatures that may be hiding there, such as the odd snake, rodent, or insect.
Circling is also a security measure. A dog’s paw pads have a couple of little-known or heralded features. They are one of the few surface areas on a dog’s body that have sweat glands. More germane to the matter at hand, dog paws also feature scent glands. Taking a few turns around a favored sleeping area — be it a spot of earth or a proper bed — effectively marks it with a dog’s scent. If you’ve ever seen an old Western film where a group of pioneers “circles the wagons,” dog circling may perform a similar defensive function. Doing so allows a dog to survey his spot before settling in.
Why do dogs scratch the floor?
This question has a number of variants; one of the most popular and confounding to owners of indoor dogs is, “Why do dogs scratch the carpet?” It’s a question that’s perplexed humans forever. The dog is inside, after all! The surface she is scratching at, whether it’s carpet, tile, or hardwood, is not a malleable material. We get frustrated because the carpet gets torn or mangled and those other surfaces may need polishing or buffing, or worse yet, retain claw marks.
Cat owners buy their pets cat trees and scratching posts, but few such provisions exist for our puppies and dogs. Some breeds or types of dogs, terriers and hounds among them, are accustomed to digging and burrowing, whether for prey, security, or scent discovery. If your dog is the burrowing sort, but spends the vast majority of her time alone and indoors, she is being denied part of her fundamental identity. Giving her more outdoor time, in the yard or at the dog park, may help her fulfill a basic need.
Dogs who scratch at carpet may do so as part of sleep preparation. Dogs do not care about the aesthetic integrity of your home furnishings. As with turning or circling, scratching serves a number of practical purposes, at least one of which is sleep related. It may be part of the instinctive bedtime ritual, associated with her favored resting spot. Circling several times imbues a place with the dog’s scent. Scratching may serve a similar function, physically marking and claiming a spot. Dogs are just as much creatures of habit as we are. I’ve seen my own dogs rehearse the entire pattern: scratch, circle, and rest.
Why do dogs dig at their beds?
Digging, like scratching, is another pre-sleep habit that dog owners notice. This is another habit or behavior that cat owners are accustomed to, even if they’re just as clueless as to the rationale behind it. The feline equivalent of digging in bed is kneading. Just as dogs scratch and dig to establish a comfort zone, heedless of the effect it will have on your couch, bed, or carpet, cats knead at their resting spots, even if it means puncturing your leg in the process.
As much as the amateur horticulturists among us tut and cluck about it, a dog digging up the garden is understandable. After all, the earth is pliable, and a dog can dig until she’s satisfied. Surely, dogs can differentiate between the ground outside and your favorite comforter, your bed, or the floor of her own crate. The material makeup of the dog’s bed is of less consequence than the action.
Where sleep is concerned, digging into bed can be habitual and instinctive, or related to temperature. In nature, digging at beds serves as a method of extreme temperature control. Because dogs have limited sweat glands, when it is very hot outside, dogs may dig nests, exposing a greater surface area of their bodies to cool earth. In cold weather, curling up in a self-fashioned pit helps to concentrate available body heat.
Does your dog circle, scratch or dig on his bed or near his bed?
After doing the research for this essay, I realized why my own dog ditched her new blanket in favor of her ratty and well-worn nesting materials. It’s precisely because the old ones are ratty and well-worn. I’ve seen her circle over them and trample them underfoot countless times. I’ve seen her scratch at them with her claws and dig into them repeatedly.
Effectively, she’s marked these things enough to have established them as her bedding. My disappointment at my dog dragging the new, warm blanket is not her problem. It is a foreign element that intruded itself upon her comfort zone. Only after she’s rent that new one with her mouth, torn at it with her claws, and endowed it with her own peculiar smells will it be fit for use.
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