Why does my dog sleep on my clothes?

If your dog has been sleeping on your clothes, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common reasons why dogs do it and what you can do to get your dog to stop doing it.

So, why does my dog sleep on my clothes? Possible reasons why your dog sleeps on your clothes are that it makes your dog feel safer, it likes the smell, separation anxiety, inadvertently rewarding the beahvior or that it simply finds it comfortable.

Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it should become easier to get it to stop.

Why does dog sleeps on your clothes

Below are some common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It makes it feel safer

The reason why it does it might be that it makes it feel safer because your scent will be stronger in your clothes. This would be more likely to be the reason why it does it if it tends to do it when you are away and if it tends to sleep where you are when you are home.

It likes the smell

The cause might also be that it likes the smell of the clothes. This would be more likely if it tends to sleep there at random times and if it also sleeps on things with your scent on such as your bed or the area you tend to sit in.

It finds it more comfortable

The cause could also be that it simply finds the spot comfortable. This would be more likely if it tends to sleep there at random times and it does not seem to be looking for attention when it does it.

Separation anxiety

It might be a sign that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it tends to sleep there during the day and if it stops when you arrive home. It would also be more likely if it tends to show signs of anxiety when you are leaving.

Encouraging the behavior

It could also be the case that you have encouraged it to do it by giving it rewards when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it does it, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. Instead, it would help to train it to sleep elsewhere, to try to redirect its focus when it is about to sleep there and to avoid rewarding it when it does do it.

Things to consider

Below are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason why it has been doing it.

What else happened when your dog started sleeping on your clothes

If it did not always sleep there, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as learning that it gets rewards when it does it, or separation anxiety if it coincided with you being away for more hours.

What is different when your dog sleeps on your clothes

It could also help to consider the timing of when it does it since the timing could also have something to do with it. For example, if it tends to do it only when you are around, it could be the case that it does it because it knows it will get a reaction out of you.

What to do about your dog sleeping on your clothes

Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it.

Positive reinforcement training

One option would be to use positive reinforcement training to get your dog to lay somewhere else. Positive reinforcement training is where you encourage it to behave in a certain way by rewarding it when it shows signs of behaving that way.

Give it another area to sleep

It would also help to give it another place to sleep. The area should be cool, quiet and there should be space for it to lay down. Another option would be to give it a crate to sleep in so that it can go there to feel secure.

Avoid encouraging it to sleep there

As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior. Instead, it would help to reward it when it sleeps where you want it to, to try to redirect its focus when it is about to sleep on your clothes and to train it to sleep elsewhere.

Reduce its separation anxiety

Since it could be due to having some separation anxiety, it could help to take measures to reduce the possible reasons why it becomes anxious. Things to do would be to feed it, exercise it and let it pee before leaving.

Reduce its access to your clothes

It would also be an option to keep your clothes in different locations so that it is harder for it to sleep in your clothes. But, it would still help to try to consider what might be causing it to do it.