Giving your dog lots of playtime and attention is crucial to their health and happiness. However, you can go one step further as an owner and caretaker by paying attention to how your pet sleeps. Just like humans, animals have a variety of sleeping positions. Each position conveys how they feel and what you can do to help.
From sleeping on you to sprawled out to curled up, each position has important body language — this is one way pets communicate with you, considering they can’t talk. Large cues like sleeping belly up or right next to your head make it pretty obvious that your pet feels a deep trust and connection with you.
However, more subtle cues such as sleeping in hidden places or with tucked paws can mean your pet feels tense, stressed or bothered. For example, you may find that your cat is nowhere to be found (because they’re hiding in your closet) when you have company over. Remember that too much attention can be a bad thing, even animals need their alone time.
If you’re interested in learning more about what your pet is feeling, the infographic below from Sleep Advisor provides some excellent insights and details for dog and cat owners.
