As the weather got colder, I was worried that Sunny might get chilled, so I wanted to thicken the little old nest under its bed. I laid everything neatly and even made the space a bit bigger. I thought, “Okay, this time it should finally sleep comfortably!”But who knew—Sunny paused at the entrance for a moment, probably thinking the place felt a bit unfamiliar. I even urged it, “Go on, get in quickly, the floor is cold.”Then as soon as it went in, it started digging at the bedding, messing up the neatly laid blanket into a big crumpled ball. After that, it spun around several times before finally plopping down onto the wrinkled blanket!I was speechless—“Ayya… how can you sleep like that?”I pulled both the dog and its entire nest back out, smoothed the blanket again, and pushed everything back into place!What is wrong with this dog?I set everything up nicely, but it refuses to sleep on it unless it turns the blanket into a wrinkled little mountain first!
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Believe it or not, this is a “bedtime ritual” for most dogs — a survival skill passed down from their ancestors
In the wild, dogs didn’t have cozy beds. Their “homes” were nothing more than rough shelters made in grass or dirt.Spinning and digging helped clear away rocks, sticks, and debris from the ground to prevent discomfort or injuries. By trampling and scratching the earth, they could pat down the surface and create a relatively flat “sleeping pad.”This behavior also allowed them to check the surrounding environment — if there were loose soil, hidden animals, or anything potentially dangerous, digging would reveal it. This greatly reduced risks during sleep.So the sequence of digging → circling → lying down became a fixed pattern, a natural instinct preserved through evolution.
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Even a new bed from the pet parent still needs to be “renovated”
For familiar old beds, dogs may skip the digging part and simply circle → lie down.But a new bed is different. It carries unfamiliar smells, and dogs are naturally cautious around anything new.Even if they know this brand-new cozy bed is lovingly prepared by their favorite human, they’ll still want to “renovate” it with their own paws to make the place smell like home.A dog’s paw pads contain special scent glands. When dogs dig or scratch, they release these scents to mark their territory.In unfamiliar environments, dogs tend to dig even more frequently in addition to urine-marking.
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Respecting their instincts is the mark of a truly good dog parent
Research shows that most dogs have a complete set of bedtime rituals before sleeping.If a dog can finish its full routine without interruption, it will fall asleep faster and wake up far less during the night.But if this ritual is forcibly interrupted, the dog takes longer to fall asleep and wakes more often.This is likely because the “environmental safety check program” wasn’t completed, leaving the dog with lingering anxiety that prevents deep sleep.If a dog has a consistent bedtime routine but suddenly changes it one day, this may signal a health issue—
for example:Mobility problems making it harder to spin or circle.Senior dogs experiencing memory decline, leading to a disrupted ritual sequence.
Today’s Topic:Does your dog also have a bedtime ritual of spinning and digging before sleep?
