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Why Does My Dog Sleep in the Bathroom? (4 Common Reasons)

Why Does My Dog Sleep in the Bathroom? (4 Common Reasons)

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The purpose of this blog is to share general information and is written to the author's best knowledge. It is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. For health concerns, please seek proper veterinary care. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Having a pet dog can be a lot of fun, but you might notice your dog doing stuff that you don’t understand sometimes. The behavior of dogs isn’t always easy to figure out when you’re new to taking care of them.

If you’ve noticed that your dog isn’t sleeping on its dog bed like you want it to, then you might be wondering what’s up with that. Why would a dog forego sleeping on a comfortable bed so that it can sleep on the floor somewhere?

Some people notice that their dogs like to go into the bathroom and lay down there. Have you found your dog napping in the bathroom near the toilet recently?

Why would a dog want to sleep in the bathroom anyway? Keep reading to learn more about why some dogs might find bathrooms to be perfect spots for sleeping.

1 – The Bathroom Is Cooler Than Other Sleeping Spots

The most common reason why dogs will choose to lay down in the bathroom has to do with the temperature. Some dogs get hot really easily due to having thick coats of fur, and this might make it so that they will want to find a reprieve from the heat.

Laying down on the bathroom floor might feel a lot cooler and more soothing to your dog. When you compare laying down on the bathroom floor to laying down on a bed that is made out of fabric, it’s easy to see why the bathroom floor would be cooler.

People often have bathroom floors that stay very cool because of the type of flooring that they use. You might have tile flooring, vinyl flooring, or some type of hardwood flooring in your bathroom.

A dog might prefer laying down on the floor in the bathroom because it isn’t carpeted in there. It simply allows the dog to cool down nicely so that it can relax and feel better.

2 – Peace and Quiet

A Dog Sleeping Next to a Toilet

It isn’t unusual for dogs to try to escape to rooms that they find to be more peaceful. If the bedroom where the dogs usually sleep is kind of noisy, then maybe your dog just doesn’t like that.

If the bathroom is quiet and calm, then that’s going to be appealing to certain dogs. Try to think about whether things are too noisy for your dog in your bedroom or other rooms of the house.

Have you ever noticed your dog reacting negatively to loud noises? If your dog doesn’t like loud noises, then this could be a reason why it is deciding to lay down in the bathroom.

Your dog might think of the bathroom as a quiet and safe place where it can sleep. You might be able to make some changes so that your dog will feel more comfortable sleeping in other rooms in the house.

3 – Escaping From Other Pets

Another thing to look into is whether your dog is going in the bathroom to sleep to try to escape other pets. Sometimes pets won’t get along all that well with each other, and this could cause one of the pets to want to hide.

If your dog doesn’t like another dog that you recently took in, then it might choose to sleep in the bathroom to stay away from the new dog. Dogs could also want to stay away from cats if you have a cat that your dog just can’t get along with.

The dog might not feel comfortable sleeping around the other pets. If the other pets usually sleep in your bedroom, then the dog might find it more comfortable to go sleep in the bathroom where it can be alone.

This might seem like unusual behavior at first, but it’s actually fairly logical. Your dog could be afraid of another pet or it could just be annoyed by another pet.

4 – Your Scent Is in the Bathroom

Close Up of Shower Head

Have you considered that your dog could be sleeping in the bathroom because your scent is in the bathroom? Your dog probably likes you and misses you when you have to leave to go to work.

If you come home and find that your dog is sleeping in the bathroom, then it could have chosen that spot because it reminded it of you. Dogs will often choose to lay down on things that smell like their owners.

Do you notice your dog following you into the bathroom sometimes when you have to use it? This might mean that it’s more likely that your dog will sleep in the bathroom when you’re away.

Of course, this reason might make more sense if your dog is only sleeping in the bathroom when you’re not around. If it’s very attached to you, then it might still choose to sleep near you whenever you’re home.

Don’t Encourage the Dog to Sleep in the Bathroom

Try to get your dog to sleep in better spots than the bathroom. Generally, it isn’t going to be harmful for your dog to sleep there, but you probably want your dog to sleep in a more normal spot.

Don’t encourage your dog to sleep in the bathroom and instead try to take some steps to make it sleep in other rooms. If you think that the dog is too hot, then maybe you can try to keep things cooler for the dog so that it can be comfortable.

It might even be good to take the dog to a groomer so that it can have less fur and stay cooler. You can try to solve any issues that are going on between your pets in the house as well so that things will go smoother.

Just be observant so that you can figure out what the best course of action is. If you can figure out why your dog is choosing to sleep in the bathroom, then you can try to fix the problem so that your dog will want to sleep elsewhere.

Hopefully, you feel much more informed about why some dogs choose to do this now. There are quite a few reasons why dogs sleep in bathrooms, but it won’t be hard to figure out what’s going on with your dog so long as you pay attention to it.

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