Why Do Dogs Sit At The Foot Of The Bed

As you climb into bed at night, you cozy up with your blankets and begin to drift off into a deep sleep. For a moment, you decide to move your leg for better comfortability. When your leg begins to slide across your mattress, something of a heavy origin stops your foot. Pulled out of your sleep, you sit up to see what is in the way of your leg. It is your dog and she is sitting at the foot of your bed. Sometimes, dogs love to relax with us and understanding why they sit at the end of our bed can help us better understand their canine nature. 

Dogs are of the canine origin. Throughout their life, they are going to play out their dog-like nature in everything that they do, which includes their daily patterns. Your dog considers you to be the owner, the pack leader, and the golden one. From the time they are a puppy, they begin to understand this concept and will look to you for all their needs and desires. As you may have noticed, your dog honors, loves, and cares for you in that way. When you go to relax in your bed, your dog is going to play out this belief system with you. Due to your role as the leader, your dog knows that you get to have the best area for comfortability that there is. Yet, they love you and still want to be around you, so they will linger around your comfort area. It is why your dog may sleep at the end of your bed by your feet instead of right directly next to you. Secondly, your dog absolutely adores you and can be quite protective of you. If this is the case, you may notice that your dog hovers around your sleeping area to be your protector. If anything were to happen to you, your dog would be the first to know because she is at the end of the bed where there is a front row seat to the surrounding areas in the room. Although having your dog only sit at the end of the bed might seem harsh, it is important and your dog actually loves the idea of you as the alpha leader. It is a way that you are being generous to your dog. Most importantly, your dog wants to be with you. If you allow your dog to sit at the end of your bed, they will be more than happy with it and your relationship with your dog may grow deeper. 

Depending on the personality of your dog, you will begin to notice where they like to relax and what their habits are. If you notice that your dog loves to sit on your bed by your feet, then that is perfectly alright. In fact, it should be something to encourage in your dog if you decide to allow them on your furniture. You want to make sure that your dog remains in the correct habits of knowing that you are their alpha leader. Sometimes, if you allow your dog on your bed, they can stretch out and go beyond their designated area of the end of the bed. It is important to emphasize the boundary with your dog when allowing them to relax on your bed. If you do not want them to sit at the end of your bed, you can bring their bed into your room and keep it near you. Your dog will then know that you still want them around while you are in your room but would like to keep their sleeping area and your sleeping area separate. Remember, your dog knows that you are the alpha and deserve the better sleeping area over them so they will be happy if youjust  let them relax in the same area as you, whether it is on the end of your bed or the floor. 

Sometimes, your dog may be wanting to be at the end of your bed for more than the normal reasons of wanting to be near you, wanting to protect you, and wanting to sleep on your bed. If you notice that your dog likes to be elevated on furniture, you can create a bed for your dog that is a higher up. This way, your dog will know you get to be on your bed and they must not be on it, but they can have their own bed that is the same height as yours. From this structure, they will feel just as close to you, but remain aware that you are their leader.

Dogs love their owners more than anything in their world. If they have the chance to snuggle up in your bed, they will gladly take that opportunity. Yet, make sure your dog remains obedient, sticks with the boundaries, and knows you are their alpha leader. You do not want things getting too out of control.