Is it OK to Let My Dog Sleep on My Bed?
Whatever the answer is, one thing is fact: dogs that sleep on their owners’ beds keep me in business. I see it contribute to unwanted behaviours such as guarding, separation anxiety and peeing in the house, to name a few. But it can also offer comfort and reassurance and be a great bonding experience.
I would never recommend a dog to sleep on your bed, but I also wouldn’t deter it, if that’s the owner’s preference. Plenty of dogs who sleep on their owner’s beds show no unwanted behaviours. But let me give you some facts and you can decide for yourself.
The behavioural stuff
There is a theory that in the wild, the leader of a pack of dogs sleeps in the best spot. The rest of the pack sleep together en masse. It would follow therefore that if you allow your dog to sleep with you, you are communicating that you are just another member of the pack, and not the leader. This will in turn make the dog less inclined to do as you say. You are just another pupil, after all, not the teacher.
I like to set clear rules and boundaries. If the dog is allowed onto furniture and into every room, there is a lack of boundaries, and the dog can begin to feel like everything belongs to him. If a dog thinks the bed belongs to him, he may begin to develop some bossiness around the bedroom. I have seen plenty of dogs guard the bed and not let their owner onto it. Or they let one owner on the bed, but not the other. Or they sleep between the two owners and don’t allow any physical contact. If they do allow physical contact, but they want to be included, making the owner’s love life rather tricky.
A dog without rules and boundaries may take to peeing around the house. He is putting his smell onto your smell and effectively saying “I own this”, and this can stretch to include your bed as well.
It is a natural and instinctive thing for a dog to sleep with its pack. However, when we take dogs into our homes, we expect them to go for long periods on their own when we go out. Out shopping, out to work, out to dinner etc. Ultimately this is a good time for the dog to have a sleep, whilst we are out. But if the dog hasn’t practised sleeping on its own, he may struggle. He may become anxious at being alone. This is how separation anxiety can develop. Suddenly you may find yourself unable to leave the house without your dog, just to keep him calm.
Who’s need is it to have the dog on the bed? Its usually the human’s and doesn’t help the dog cope with life at all.
The practical stuff
Muddy dog paws stain sheets.
Dogs are wrigglers and light sleepers. They may wake frequently to bark at noises outside. They snore. They wake early and will try and wake you too. Your sleep quality may suffer.
Its not very hygenic.
You have read this far and STILL want your dog on your bed?
No problem. AS LONG AS you set clear rules from the start. Teach the ‘off’ command. If the dog won’t get off the bed when you ask, the bed should become out of bounds as you have a problem brewing. Be a leader figure in all aspects of your dog’s life. Not just in the bedroom.
Make sure your dog knows how to be on its own for short periods in the day, to limit the likelihood of separation anxiety developing.
And if it all goes wrong, you know who to call!
Need any help?