Why Does Your Dog Love Your Yoga Mat So Much?

 Does this happen to you too?

Nearly every time I spread my yoga mat and prepare for my home practice, the moment I turn around to either take off my socks or put on some music, a second later my dog has already started some stretches of his own.

So why does our dog like a downward facing dog on the mat as much as we do? 

The science behind this question generally points to scent.  A dog's sense of smell is tens of thousands of times better than a humans. Proof is how dogs are used for sniffing out drugs and bombs, picking up a lost person’s scent and hunting down prey.  And studies have shown that smelling their favourite humans with that big wet nose of theirs seems to trigger something like love.  So, a lovely big mat that smells of you is a place of happiness for your pooch.

But my mat is also an invitation to all the dogs that belong to clients of mine.  The moment I turn up at a clients house the dogs will make a beeline to my mat before the actual client!

The simplest explanation I can find apart from the fact that generally dogs and I have a special connection, is that maybe dogs like yoga mats for the same reason we do: Mats are comfortable and don’t slip around.  They are soft on the joints and act as absorbent cushions.

But whatever the motive, there's no reason you shouldn’t indulge your dog's love for your yoga mat, as long as they don’t start chewing it or mistake it for a pee pad, or totally get in your way during a downward facing dog.

So, now you know!  The next time you’re standing at the top of your mat ready to start your practice and your dog is doing poses next to you it’s because they love you.