Dog People.

[Fran]

Miss Lizzie, likes to paw the rug to create a nest at bedtime. Obvioulsy, I redirect her so she doesn't ruin the carpeting. She will lay down and paw the air before she settles down. I have given her a sheet to lay on so she can rake the sheet or blanket to create a nest but she never uses it. She only does it on the rug. It's pretty funny to see her raking the air in front of her because she isn't allowed to rake the rug.

Do any of your puppies do this? Our last female did this but not to this degree.

 

[Hound dog]

All of mine do it. Molly will use a sheet/blanket and make herself a nest. Betsy's not very good at it, but she does do the pawing. lol

I've never corrected them for doing it to the carpet. I keep their nails short and filed and they don't seem to do any damage. (and both are biggish dogs) I will correct them if they attempt to do it on the sofa's or such though, and protect them with sheets just in case I'm not around when they happen to do it.

 

[flutterby]

Mine does it. She has ruined a couple sets of sheets doing it on my bed. And her dog beds are always moved all over the room during the night from her digging around.

She's never pawed the air because I've never been able to redirect her that way. When I catch her doing it on my bed, she just stops as soon as she sees me.

 

[donna723]

Mine do it in their crates - they're always rearranging their bedding. Katy will hide a toy down in her bedding and then dig it up again. Ragan likes to take her crate blanket and arrange it in a circle around her like a little nest.

I always keep on old blanket on the end of the sofa for the dogs. Bostons are 'burrowers" and like to crawl under. It can be 99 degrees outside and Ragan will still be under that blanket! She will stick her head under it and turn around and around until she is completely wrapped up in it with just her eyes looking out ... or just her nose showing. I've got an old thermal blanket on there now and she likes it because she can put it over her head and still be able to see out the holes.

 

[KTMom91]

Bud will paw the blankets to his satisfaction, turn around three times, burrow under the blanket, and go to sleep. He's rearranged the cover on the couch, his pillow under the table, pretty much whatever he wants to curl up on.

 

[witzend]

My two adult dogs do it. As Bubba has gotten older he just looks at his bed, then gives us a mournful look, and we go fluff up his bed for him. What? Doesn't everyone do that?

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Spot does it. But I've never seen him do it to the carpet. He carries his bed around with him everywhere! Whenever he's ready to settle for awhile, he "nests" his bed.

Sharon

 

[BusynMember]

Two of my three dogs do that to their beds, but not the rug. One even rolls around on his back...it's so cute...to try to get the bed to his satisfaction.

 

[candiecotton]

Paco has 2 beds & a blanket, he has a bed upstairs & downstairs as well as a blanket downstairs . he rearranges the blanket all the time & he has a nice little nest under my bed its funny to see a little tail sticking out from under the bed . whenever hes in the mood he will sleep in his bed or if its cold. his bed downstairs has been taken over by the 2 cats they sleep in it more than he does .

 

[Fran]

Guess it's common. These guys use the beds when it's colder weather. As it is, they are pretty hot. Lizzie will roll on her back and sleep with her 4 paws up so her belly is cooled off. She has the heaviest coat do she rolls on her back more. Wish I could get her to do that when I'm trying to brush her out.
At this time of year, they are ok but during the night when she feels warm, she gravitates to the cold stone floor of the bathroom. I have put sheets in there hoping it would be softer but she seems to like the hard stuff more.
Anyhow, if I don't stop her from pawing too much, I'll have to replace the bedroom carpet within a year. She paws pretty intensely. Even when laying down, she paws that air with vigor.
Every dog seems to have it's own idiosycracies doesn't it?

 

[Jody]

My dog humps and chews up every pillow I give him. He just sleeps on the floor of his crate. I want him to sleep with me, but he just won't do it. Maybe my snoring bothers him. LOL.

 

[Shari]

Just like people - all have their quirks. lol

Could you put a heavier blanket down where she likes to paw? Our JRT makes his nest, but only when there's something with substance. My little mutt will nest in the laundry basket....but JRT has to have a heavy old blanket, or the quilt on the bed, or a sleeping bag, etc. Just thinking.

Pawing the air sounds cute, tho. JUST....GOTTA....PAW....SOMETHING.....

 

[DammitJanet]

My little Havanese paws like he is digging for China especially on the bed. Drives us crazy. He also does it on couches and one particular place on the carpet under a desk. Doesnt do it in his kennel. We stop him when we catch him. He doesnt do all 4 paws, just the two front ones as if digging.

 

[witzend]

Fran, how about asking a carpet store for a remnant to put on the closet floor? That way you could save the carpet, and take it up when there's someone around and you don't want them to see the off color carpet.

 

[flutterby]

Great idea, Witz.

Jewel has a place outside underneath the shrubbery where she digs and digs until her heart's content. She has a smile on her face when she does it. I don't mind it because it's not doing any damage where it is and you can't see it. Maybe that's why she doesn't do it quite so much in the house.

 

[GoingNorth]

My CAT does something like this. He'll pull all the bedding into a heap in the middle of the bed, paw around until it's arranged to his satisfaction and then curl up and go to sleep. It's kind of cute, just this pile of bedding with a set of ears sticking out of the middle. He also sleeps on the lino behind the toilet when it's hot in the house.

My dog does the turn around several times thing before laying down but does not really paw at his bedding. He has a nice, tough bed that he almost never sleeps in. I wish he would; he's got arthritis something fierce in his spine and one hip. It can't be that comfortable to sleep on the hard floor, but he insists.

 

[Suz]

I've read that the digging blankets/pillows is considered "nesting" and that their paws also emit some kind of oily scent to mark the area as theirs.

Rufus does the circle routine...Chloe does the digging and the circling. She's my current pup who sleeps on her back with paws outstretched...usually at a slight lean...against me. lol

Suz

 

[Lothlorien]

I was going to suggest a blanket too. Witz's idea about a carpet remnant is good too.