Did you ever wonder why your dog likes to lay on your clean or dirty piles of clothes?
You may have noticed that your little companion likes to nap on some dirty clothes left on your bed. Or you may find him rolling in between some clean laundry fresh from the dryer. They seem to have a thing with our clothes but what actually is it?
In this article, we are going to explore some of the common reasons why our canine friends like to be near our clothes and mention some of the unexpected reasons for it.
Your Clothes are Comfortable and Warm
Your pooch has been standing and sitting over cold tiles or uncomfortable spots for many hours. Then they see a pile of clothing on the ground. It would definitely look inviting for snuggling. If there are fleece pants or a nice sweater lying around, your dog might just think that it is the most comfortable bedding available right now to sleep.
Clothes are usually soft and provide a good cushion, which is probably what your dog is after.
Your Clothes Have Your Scent
Smelling is the strongest sense of dogs, so they are attracted to everything that smells like you. I know, how cute, right? It doesn’t matter if it’s a dirty pile or clean clothes fresh out of the dryer; your clothes have your scent on them.
If you don’t want your dog to sleep on your clothes, you may leave out other things like pillows or blankets around to encourage sleeping on them instead of the clothing piles.
You may find this behavior more often when you are not home, and this could mean:
Your Dog May Be Suffering from Separation Anxiety
Your dog might be just missing you. He wants to cover himself with your scent for comfort and protection. He may even carry some clothes to another place to lay over there with him.
In more extreme cases, your dog might be suffering from separation anxiety and feeling really bad when you are not around. These situations are trickier to figure out and might require crate or general training to stop the behavior. Small routine changes might also work to lessen the anxiety.
His Bed Is Uncomfortable
This can be puzzling for most dog parents.
You spent a lot of time choosing the bed for your pooch, as there are many options. Finally, you just went on with your guts and picked something. But even after some weeks passed, there was no trace of fur on the new bedding! He still crashes over your laundry, or you see him lying on the floor.
What could be the reason for this?
Well, you may be surprised to learn that dogs are really choosy about where they sleep. It could be too soft or too firm for his liking. Or he may just have did not like the smell of it.
Another thing is the location of his bedding. Where is it located? If it is too far from where you sleep or usually hang out, that might be it. Most dogs want to stay close to their owner.
They Are Asking for Attention
It also might be a much simpler reason. He just wants to be noticed by you. If he figures out you are going to do the laundry, he may run off and crash down in the basket before you even get there.
If you act annoyed, get up and go near him to get him up every time he lays down on your clothes, that’s what he might be trying to trigger. You getting up and coming near him!
Or they might have seen you preparing clothes for work, you put them in your bed and leave for a minute. When you come back, you find your pooch resting on it. He is demanding attention and also hoping that you don’t leave.
It is also possible that he is just bored and playful.
Scent Marking
Aside from sleeping, you might have also noticed that your dog is rolling on your clothes. If so, he may not just be playing.
He may be trying to spread his scent over your clothing. But why?
It could be a way of resource guarding; your dog is telling others that those are his property. Same as us putting name tags or markings on stuff we own. But they use their body, urine, and poop.
And yes, in their eyes, we are a vital resource as we give them everything they need.
How to Handle Your Dog Sleeping on Your Clothes
Even if it is not that harmful to let them sleep on your clothes or clean laundry, it may be best if they just sleep on the couch or their bed. You might be tired of cleaning dog fur out of your clothes, and here are some ways to handle the situation.
Train Them to Sleep on Their Bed
Before you start teaching him to go to his bed, make sure that it is a place he would like to sleep in. Your dog deserves a cozy place to lay down.
Dogs sleep around 8 to 10 hours per day. It is longer than we need to. It is an important daily activity for them.
To figure out a place where your dog will love to sleep in might be confusing but now we are going to simplify it by narrowing it down to four factors: location, form, height, and material.
Where to put it?
Since they usually don’t want to be too far away from you, in the mornings you can place it somewhere in the living room. A warm and quiet place away from windows and doors but still close and visible to the place you hang out is the best. And at the night, you can take it back near to your own bed. You can also check where they usually like to sleep and put his bed over there if it’s suitable.
What shape?
If the laundry basket is your dog’s favorite, you may want to provide him with similarly shaped bedding. One with raised and cushioned sides.
How about the height?
Although it is not advisable for old dogs with aching joints or small pups with developing ones, some dogs like their bed raised from the ground. You can experiment with different heights and see which one he likes.
What material should I choose for my dog’s bedding?
You can check what other material he likes to sleep on besides your clothes and decide according to that. You can also throw an old shirt on his bed, he may just love your scent so much, and that could do it for him.
Teach Him the “Go to Your Bed!” Command
If you have chosen the details of your dog’s bedding, you can start to train him to sleep there. After commanding “go to your bed!”, make him go to his bed, and lure him in with treats. When he comes to his bed, give him a reward. Pat him on the head and give him some treats. Try to make the bed a fun place for him.
To prevent him from going back to his old ways, take some precautions. Don’t leave clothes lying around for a while and keep your laundry basket out of his reach.
If it seems that he is playing with your clothes just to get your attention, give him what he needs once in a while. A 5 to 10-minute playing session is more than enough for most of the time. Play games with him and teach him tricks every day for a couple of short sessions.
Work on His Anxiety
If your dog finds it really difficult to be separated from you, even for a little bit, you may need to distance yourself for a while to get him used to it.
When you are going to leave for work, stop playing with him 15 minutes beforehand. This may make it harder for him to cope with your absence.
Give him treats if he calms down and if he is playing by himself. Make space for him to hang out on his own with his favorite toys, bed, and treats. He must build confidence to be alone. So, you are going to leave him alone for longer times progressively. Do not overdo it, though, or your dog will be sad.
You may put these ignoring sessions just before going for a walk with him or playing so he will relieve his anxiety not too long after.
Conclusion
Our dogs love us, most of the time they want to spend time near us and of course, they like comfortable places to sleep in. By observing them carefully, we can find out their needs and make a place suitable for them.
Watch why they do the things they do and re-create a better option for both you and for him so you are both happy!
