It's 2 in the morning.
Your dog has a perfectly good bed of their own, somewhere in the house, and yet, here they are, circling your mattress, settling against your leg, taking up exactly 80% of the space, and leaving you the rest.
Most people assume it's about warmth, maybe habit.
Maybe they're just a little clingy, but behavioral neuroscience tells a completely different story.
What your dog is doing right now, every single night, is one of the most complex expressions of trust, attachment, and evolutionary biology that exists between 2 species on this planet.
And most owners have no idea.
Let's start with the warmth theory, because it sounds reasonable.
Dogs get cold, you're warm, simple, but here's the problem.
Your dog has access to sunny spots, radiators, a couch, and probably a pile of your laundry on the floor.
If warmth was all they wanted, they have options.
