If dogs behave restlessly and constantly change places, this can indicate excess energy, stomach aches and temperatures that are too high or too low. In older dogs, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and anxiety are also possible.
In young puppies, however, this restless behavior is usually completely normal. Because they first have to learn that they can sleep through the night – just like babies.
Then let's go through the 10 most common causes together.
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#1 Excess energy
Constantly changing where you sleep can be a sign of boredom. Especially if your dog is only sleeping out of boredom but is actually not tired at all.
In breeds that tend to be more active, it can also be a sign of a lack of physical and mental activity. This is most common with hunting dogs and sheepdogs.
While some lap dogs are content with just 15 minutes of exercise, other breeds need up to 1.5 hours of exercise every day. And a tired dog is a calm dog.
The nighttime restlessness can also be caused by unsuitable living conditions such as an apartment that is too small. [1]
In all of these cases, the following measures can help:
- Walk your dog longer
- Set up throwing games to exercise your dog
- Encourage your dog with intelligence toys
- Get lots of chew toys
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If dogs behave restlessly and change their place of rest very often, then boredom and excess energy may be behind it. In this case, more physical and mental activity should be ensured.
#2 Heat & Cold
The constant rolling back and forth can also be caused by temperatures that are too high or too low. The length of the fur is usually crucial for this:
If heat is behind the restless behavior, it usually manifests itself in the following behaviors:
- Change of sleeping place from the basket to the cold tiled floor
- Heavy panting or drooling
- Sleeping position on your back
- Increased pulse [2]
In this case, a self-cooling dog mat from Amazon can help. This means your dog won't get too warm, even in midsummer.
If temperatures that are too cold are the cause of the constant change of berth, you can usually recognize this from the following symptoms:
- Dog seeks physical contact
- Very curled up sleeping position
- Noticeable tremors
A cozy dog bed, a blanket and a dog sweater will help here. Dogs who are cold also enjoy a warm cuddle session even more.
Frequently changing the berth can be a sign that temperatures are too warm or too cold. Nighttime restlessness can be solved relatively easily using cooling or warming aids.
#3 Gastrointestinal complaints
For evolutionary reasons, dogs try to hide pain as best they can. Because a wolf with a mournful look would be the perfect prey for other predators.
In addition, weak and sick wolves are often rejected by their pack. Because a pack is only as strong as the weakest link.
For these reasons, dogs still try to behave completely normally when they are in pain. Even if you have severe stomach pain.
Other typical symptoms include:
- Flatulence
- Restless walking around
- Retracted tail
- Frequently changing sleeping places
- Diarrhea [3]
According to statistics, one in 167 dogs also experiences a so-called “stomach twist”. The dog's maggot rotates around the longitudinal axis. [4]
At the first signs of stomach upset, you should immediately contact the emergency veterinary service:
If left untreated, gastric torsion causes severe pain and is usually fatal. The sooner you act, the better the chances of treatment.
Alternatively, such a free food check can also help to get individual food recommendations and free food samples.
Abdominal pain or a twisted stomach can be so painful in dogs that they cannot sit still and constantly change where they lie down. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
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#4 Stress & Anxiety
Restless behavior can also indicate severe stress or even anxiety disorders. Typical causes here are:
In dogs, the hearing pain threshold is already reached at 85 decibels. That's about as loud as a violin. [6]
Dogs also hear ultrasound up to a frequency of 45 kHz. They therefore also perceive noise that is inaudible to us humans. [7]
Due to a brain disorder, affected dogs produce too much cortisol – stress hormones. Strong inner unrest is inevitable here. [8]
An uncomfortable or too small bed can result in dogs never finding a comfortable sleeping position. In addition, some materials also cause itching.
A strong sex drive, sudden bowel movements, lack of attention or hunger can also be responsible for constantly changing sleeping places. [9]
Dogs smell up to 100,000 times better than humans and can smell up to 20 kilometers away. The constant smell of the neighbor's dog can therefore lead to chronic stress. [10]
Other symptoms of stress include heavy panting, nervousness, trembling and unusually severe hair loss. [11]
In all of these cases, the following measures can achieve improvement:
- More attention
- Noise reduction
- More suitable dog bed
- Long walks
It also helps in some cases if you place the basket where your dog likes to sleep during the day. This makes the night feel more secret.
Constantly changing sleeping positions can be a sign of anxiety disorders or chronic stress. In many cases it also manifests itself in other symptoms. Attention is the best remedy for this kind of inner unrest.
#5 Nightmare
When sleeping, dogs go through the same sleep phases as humans:
- 1) Waking phase
- 2) REM phase
- 3) Light sleep phase
- 4) Deep sleep phase
And yes, dogs have dreams too. More specifically, they mostly dream about what they experienced during the day. So mainly breed-specific behavior:
- Hunt for a cat
- Barking for a bird
- Fight with the neighbor's dog
- Digging for a mouse [12]
Restless behavior and constantly changing where you lie down can also indicate nightmares.
Muscle twitching, moving eyelids and soft barking are also completely normal. However, waking up is not necessary here.
On the contrary: dreams, whether good or bad, help to process past situations. In addition, many dogs suddenly react aggressively when woken up.
Normal dreams as well as nightmares can cause the dog to become very restless while sleeping and to change sleeping places regularly. Since this is a natural process, no specific measures are required.
#6 Guarding & herding instinct
Some sheepdogs and guard dogs were bred specifically to guard both the farm and the herd animals. And that during the day and at night.
In concrete terms, this means that they simply could not afford to sleep consistently. They therefore have above-average alertness and alertness even when they sleep.
Even today, when life is much safer, this instinct to watch and guard is noticeable. So what looks like inner unrest to us is actually protective.
In addition, dogs can hear four times further into the distance and can smell several kilometers further away. They therefore perceive significantly more of their environment.
Constantly changing where you lie down can be a sign that your dog has picked up something in the distance.
This is most commonly seen in sniffer dog breeds. They have up to 60 times more olfactory receptors than humans and can therefore smell even the smallest insects. [13]
Some dog breeds naturally have a strong guarding and herding instinct, which prevents them from deep sleep. This breed-specific behavior is noticeable, among other things, in the fact that dogs often change their sleeping place.
#7 Loneliness
Dogs are originally descended from wolves and are therefore pack animals. Every dog therefore has an instinctive urge to obey their “alpha” – i.e. their master.
This also explains why dogs always go to sleep when their owners do. This is particularly the case with very empathetic four-legged friends.
- The problem? If the dog is not allowed to sleep in the same room as the owner, then he doesn't know whether he should sleep or not.
- The result? Your dog walks around restlessly and constantly changes where he lies.
- The solution? Either let your dog sleep in the same room or gradually get them used to sleeping separately.
A close bond is important, especially as a puppy. You should therefore initially sleep in your master's bedroom. Otherwise, unrest is inevitable. [14]
After 4-6 months you can gradually start to increase the distance between the sleeping place. Specifically, it could look like this:
- 5th month: Dog sleeps on the bedroom floor
- 6th month: Dog sleeps inside the bedroom in front of the door
- 7th month: Dog sleeps outside the bedroom in front of the door
- 8th month: Dog sleeps further away from the bedroom on the same floor
- 9th month: Dog sleeps on another floor
The result? Getting used to it gradually prevents separation anxiety from developing. The dog then no longer feels lonely, even at a great distance.
Loneliness and separation anxiety are common causes of nighttime restlessness and constant changing of sleeping places. Young dogs in particular are affected. The solution here is to gradually get the dog used to the distance.
#8 Alzheimer's
Ready for some sobering facts? According to studies, one in four dogs over the age of 11 and two out of three dogs over the age of 15 are said to suffer from dementia. [15]
In this case, the restless behavior is just a symptom of the accompanying confusion and disorientation. Other signs of this include:
Demented dogs often forget that they are at home. And let's be honest: How would you react if you suddenly woke up at night in a strange room?
Leaving the berth and wandering around the room…