6 Surprising Reasons Your Dog Snuggles Between Your Legs

You come home from work, and your dog leaps towards you and licks you all over because it is exciting to see you. You feel welcomed, and all your tiredness goes away because your heart melts when you see how much it loves you. Isn’t that right?

But sometimes excessive touch can be a little annoying, especially when you are sleeping after a long day but your dog attaches itself to your legs or comes between your legs. But why is it doing that? Let’s find out:

1. The Dog Is Scared or Panicking

One of the most significant reasons your dog jumps between your legs is when it gets scared of something. Look at it this way, it is night, and cold wind is blowing with silence. Suddenly thunderclaps and your dog is scared to death!

The first thing it will do is to go towards you and find refuge with your touch because it sees you as a safe place. I know it is heartwarming! When your dog is scared, it will come to you to feel safe. But why does it attach itself to your legs? Well, it is because your legs are parts of your body that are the most reachable. Plus, the temperature of the thighs is comparatively higher than the rest of your body. So, why not enjoy the heat of your legs while sleeping? That’s what your dogs think!

2. It Is A Velcro Dog

There are some dogs that do not leave your side no matter what! They will follow you to the bathroom, sit with you while you are eating, and even sleep while hugging you. These dogs are called velcro dogs. 

These breeds are specifically clingy and they will almost NEVER leave your side no matter what! You know what that means. It means that your dog will sleep with your leg no matter what. You can shift your dog to a nearby place where it can feel your presence but it will surely need a lot of training.  If your dog is a velcro dog, it is more likely it will follow you everywhere. 

However, it should not be mistaken with anxiety-driven dogs because they are not velcro dogs, and they might need help. If dogs are sick or are traumatized by something, they become anxiety-driven. It would result in them being shy around new dogs, avoiding going to parks, or any public gathering.  If your dog is not one of the breeds of the velcro dogs and is still panicking and being clingy, we would recommend taking your dog to therapy.

3. Your Dog Is Resource Guarding

Some dogs have the habit of resource guarding. Resource guarding is the natural canine instinct in which the dogs become over-possessive about a thing that they do not want to share with other dogs or any living animal. But what things do these dogs guard?

Well, these things can account from any small toy or bone to human beings and puppies. Once the dog gets attached to the thing, it will not allow any dog getting near it. Now let’s apply this to you. When your dog thinks of you as a highly thing, it will resource guard you and when any dog or human comes near you, it will come in an attacking mode. Strange, right?

In short, its Alpha-Male qualities start to dominate! It will then sleep with you and will never let anyone else sleep with you.

4.  It Sees You As A Member Of The Pack

Let me tell you a little fact. Small puppies are always found in small packs and in leaps. Why? It is because it’s their survival instinct. They will always sleep in a pack close to each other and often overlap with each other. It looks adorable and it makes them feel safe. 

If your puppy sleeps between your legs, it is because it sees you as a member of the pack, and it goes back to its natural instinct while sleeping. It will consider you its friend or family and will seek your comfort while sleeping. You can’t blame nature after all!

5.  It Is Feeling Cold At Night

As I mentioned before, legs are soft, smushy, warm, and can feel like a safe place for puppies and dogs. If your dog is cold, the best site it can find is your legs. Your body temperature keeps the dog warm. Basically, you are its personal heater!

This mostly happens when the room is too cold for the dog or if the dog’s bed is not heating quickly. The dog will feel uncomfortable and in order to sleep, it will leap on your bed as it is warm and comfy and as it gets nearer your legs, it will feel like it is in heaven! And you will soon find your dog sleeping like a baby.

6.  You Allowed It!

Most of the time, the dogs learn the things you teach. One thing is for sure, and you develop your dog’s habits. Mostly your dog will sleep between your legs because you have allowed it to. You can train it to sleep separately if you want.  

Even if you do not want to, when you don’t stop your dog from sleeping between your legs and unconsciously pet it, it will feel encouraged and find it the right thing to do. After all, it follows what you train!

How To Stop Your Dog From Sleeping Between Your Legs?

Want your dog to sleep separately and give you your private space? No problem!

There are a few things that can surely help you:

• Keep the temperature of the room optimum so that it won’t have to look for places that are warm in order to sleep.
• Try training the dog to sleep separately and strictly mentioning to the dog that it needs to sleep separately.
• Buy your dog a comfortable and squishy warm bed that makes the dog feel safe and hugged. It will help your dog get attached to the bed and sleep separately.

Lastly, don’t forget that sometimes it just needs extra love and a safe space, and YOU are it's  safe place. So embrace your dog with love whenever it is scared!