Dog sleeping positions: What they mean

Our loving pets may not be able to talk, but they have many ways of showing us how they feel—or indeed, what they’re thinking. One of the strangest insights into your dog’s personality and mood is… their sleeping positions. Yes, you read that right. How your dog sleeps is a great insight into what they’re feeling, and The Pet Project is here to help you decipher those various positions. Ready? Time to do some pet-mind reading!

Lion pose

We’re all familiar with the lion pose. Your dog’s belly is on the ground, their paws are stretched out in front of them, their haunches curled, and their eyes may or may not be closed. Sometimes they will lay their adorable heads on their front paws and look up at you forlornly—we don’t blame you for melting; our hearts are melting just thinking about it!

The lion pose does not—despite its appearance—mean supreme exhaustion and world-weary sadness. Actually, your dog is in a pretty good place. They’re resting, but they’re poised to spring into action should it be needed. They may have their eyes closed, but they’re not napping—not really. They’re just resting, like all relaxed and content creatures of the world should. Should you call them, however, or should they smell a visitor or hear the sound of food hitting their dog bowl, then they’ll spring into action in a flash.

The cuddler

Oh, we have a special place in our hearts for little pups that love cuddling. Not all dogs do, but some dogs simply cannot get enough of snuggles. They climb onto your lap or settle down over your toes—sometimes they find the smallest gap in the armchair you’re sitting on and then they squeeze their bodies into the gap so that they can be pressed against your warm leg. It’s adorable. But what does it mean?

Well, it mainly means they like cuddles. But it also may be a small hangover from their puppy days. Some puppies have a bit of difficulty holding on to their body heat, so they snuggled up to anyone they could (usually their brothers and sisters) to keep warm. Now grown adults, they associate the cuddle position with love and care and comfort. It’s very similar to the fetal position in human beings. Have you ever wondered why you feel particularly safe when you pull your knees up to your chest, tuck your chin down and hold your legs so that your body forms a ball? It’s because that’s how you spent nine months in the womb, and it doesn’t get more secure that your mother’s womb.

The sprawler

One of the funniest pet sleeping positions is when your dog lies on their belly and splays their legs in all directions. They’re sleeping flat on the ground—as flat as they can get, actually—and they look a little bit like someone has pressed a dog-shaped mold into a floor. It’s hilarious, and definitely doesn’t look comfortable. It also doesn’t look half as elegant as the lion pose. If someone was to disturb your dog now, there would be a lot of inelegant scrambling, along with a lot of slipping, to get to their feet.

If you’re wondering why your dog has chosen this very awkward position to rest in, it’s because they’re hot. Your dog’s belly has the least amount of fur on it; it’s the thinnest layer of their coat. If your dog is sleeping with their belly pressed to the floor, then they’re just trying to press the most exposed area of skin to the cool floor. If you’ve lived in India in summer without an AC, then chances are you’ll be familiar with this position. There’s nothing better than cold tiles against bare skin on those hot, muggy summer nights.

The back-sleeper

Once in a while, you’ll catch your pet fast asleep on their backs, their tummies exposed and their legs curled up adorably. If you catch your dog in this position, go ahead and feel a surge of pride. Because this sleeping position means you’ve created a safe and loving home for your pet, and they trust you completely. So completely, in fact, that they’re willing to sleep with their bellies and thus vital organs exposed, and with absolute trust that nothing will happen to them. If your dogs a back-sleeper, then they’re saying to you: I love you, my human. I know you got my back.

Of course, they may just be asking for a tummy tickle… You can never rule that one out.

The ball

A lot of dogs sleep curled up, nose to tail, paws all tucked in. It mirrors, actually, the same fetal position we sleep in as human beings.

It would stand to reason that if the back sleeper has an excessive amount of trust in their pet parents, dogs who sleep in the ball position are not particularly comfortable in their environments. But that isn’t true. It’s true that shelter dogs often sleep in this position, as do rescue dogs. Like the fetal position in humans, sleeping in a ball protects your pet’s vital organs and so keeps them safer.

But most dogs sleep in a ball because it’s cozy, and who doesn’t like cozy-ness? They’ll sleep like this in the cool months or on days they just want to snuggle up with themselves. It’s a bit like a human being choosing a nice, cuddly blanket. So don’t worry—your pet still loves and trusts you if they’re sleeping in a ball.

The side sleeper

And at last, we come to the most common dog sleeping position: the side sleeper. Here, your dog looks a bit like when they’re standing up, except someone has just gently tipped them over to their side. Their legs are firm and straight, and usually stretched out. A side sleeping position means… your dog is asleep. Yup, that’s it. This is the position your dog tends to prefer when they mean business about sleeping. Here, they’re in deep sleep, they’re catching up on their rest, and please don’t disturb them, thank you very much!