Dog Community

Digging Ritual

Posted : 9/27/2006 11:40:36 AM

Hi Everyone....

My mini schnauzer (13 weeks) does a little digging ritual right before he sleeps. When it's bed time, I put him in his bed/crate and sometimes on my bed (I put him back into his bed when he falls asleep), and he just digs & digs for about a minute or two and then stops, lays down, and sleeps. He does this every night right before he sleeps. He'll do his digging ritual on my bed, my pillow, his bed, his blankie....wherever I put him down for bedtime. And he digs so fast during that minute or so, I swear if I put some wooden sticks there, he can start a camp fire for me! It doesn't bother me that he digs before he sleeps, I think it's kind of cute. I was just wondering if this digging ritual is an individual thing or a general puppy thing. Is trying to fix his bed the way he wants it before he sleeps...is he looking for something....is he trying to leave his scent there? Has anyone expereince this with their mini schnauzer puppy?

Thanks!

Lyndal Daly

Posted : 9/28/2006 11:50:22 AM

From what i've heard and read, this seems to be in the same boat as the "turning around three times" ritual. It's an instinctive thing some dogs do before they go to sleep.

DPU

Posted : 9/28/2006 1:51:28 PM

Yeah, all my dogs do the circling and also the digging. I have heard it comes from their ancestors making a bed in the tall grass.

Corry Engelbrecht

Posted : 9/29/2006 10:53:59 PM

My dog does the circle and dig thing too...totally natural.

Rachel

Posted : 9/30/2006 9:12:40 AM

Yeah natural. My husky used to do that in the snow, dig dig dig, then sleep. Shadow does it outside in the dirt, which is really smart actually because she digs down to the cool dirt in the summer months and lays on it.