Besides being cracking companions and sorely precious , dogscan be a little quirky . Between their funny expressions andodd behaviors — likerolling in grassandtilting their heads — each of our furry friends has eccentricities that make us bang them even more . But some of the endearingly weird affair they do are actually an innate part of being a canine , which might come up as a surprisal to somepet parents .
Take , for example , when blackguard loop up in a nut beforefalling asleep . To the median pet owner , this belike just seems like a agency to get comfortable before dozing off . And while that could be part of it , Dr. Margaret Gruen , an adjunct professor of behavioural medicinal drug at NC State University ’s College of Veterinary Medicine , say that thebehavioris also evolutionary .
“ When wiener kip in the wild , especially where it ’s cold , they ’ll grasp a nest and curl up into it , ” Gruentold Vetstreet.comin 2012 . “ This gives them warmth — tucking into a chunk conserves body heat . It also protect their most vulnerable organs in the abdominal cavity from would - be marauder . ”
Yes , she ’s saying yourdoggets into this position so no one descend for their organs . It sound silly for your beloved pooch , but it ’s a reasonable tactics for their wild ancestors .
The next reason cause more sense : Your dog is make their own nest when they wave up in an effort to detain good from extraneous menace . Even if your frank is at home , they often return to introductory instincts when getting ready for sleep , as it ’s a vulnerable state .
It turns out that there ’s a whole server of reasonable explanations for your detent ’s other odd behaviors;here arejust a few of them .
This article originally run in 2018 ; it has been updated for 2023 .
