# dogs preparing for sleep

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 20, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120 "2003-12-20T04:45:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120/1 "2003-12-20T04:45:10Z")

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My son wants to know why dogs sometimes circle around before lying down.

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120/2 "2003-12-20T04:47:40Z")

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I have heard, though I’ll have to verify it but I rarely get to be the first person answering something here, that it is to flatten the tall grass in which wild dogs hide to sleep.

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120/3 "2003-12-20T04:49:27Z")

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IIRC…It’s believed it comes from earlier species of dogs trampling down grass to make a bed.

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120/4 "2003-12-20T04:54:26Z")

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Or you could check the Archives! 😃

[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdogscircle.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdogscircle.html)

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**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-preparing-for-sleep/220120/5 "2003-12-20T05:00:11Z")

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but you WERE the first!  
thanks drop.