Behavior – Page 3 – The Better Dog Life

Through the years, and many dogs, I have wondered "should my dog sleep on my bed?" I honestly have been all over the place in what I have done in the past. In retrospect, I believe I made mistakes in where and how I allowed my dogs to sleep. Some of my dogs slept on my bed every night and some of my dogs did not. Our previous dog Dunkin, slept on our bed until he was too big (he was a Great Pyrenees mix). Now of course, Dunkin didn’t think he was too big and it ended up being a very annoying habit to break. Every night my wife and I, and our huge dog, would all jockey for sleeping positions in a queen size bed. I think the only one to get quality sleep was Dunkin. Just look at the picture below (yes, that is a queen size bed). (Dunkin and our cat, Tux, hogging all the space on the bed) We recently got our puppy, Juno, a little over a month ago and this became an important topic for us. We’ve thought about allowing Juno to sleep on the bed when she is older because it is nice and snugly. Especially since she is an Australian Shepard and nowhere near the size of Dunkin. Or should we insist she stay off the bed and stay on the floor? I will take you through some of the information I gathered and the decision we came to. In this article I will cover the following: Reasons to let your dog sleep on your bed with youReasons why your dog should stay off the bedWhere should your dog sleep if not on your bed?What my opinion is on the matter Reasons to let your dog sleep on the bed with you It may lower your anxiety This makes sense to me. You feel just a little bit safer when you have your dog right there. You know if anything suspicious may start to occur, your light sleeping pooch with the keen senses will alert you. Just being near a dog increases our oxytocin levels (pronounced “oxy-toe-sin”). Oxytocin is a hormone that is released when humans bond socially. It is the same hormone that makes being hugged feel so darn good. Also, dogs have a normal body temperature of 100-102F degrees, which make them excellent bed warmers in the winter. It can improve sleep quality - not hinder it According to an article on Petmd.com research from the Mayo Clinic found no negative effect on sleep when dog owners curled up with their canines. There is a lot of information regarding the actual sleep efficiency and data - if you are interested in all of that. The bottom line is that there is no data showing a negative effect. The results seem to go against some advice or opinions of pet experts who state that it is harmful to your sleep. Our ancestors did it! Let’s face it, humans have probably been co-sleeping with dogs since we first domesticated them 15,000 years ago. We domesticated dogs for protection, hunting, and other jobs that were too hard for us or we were too lazy to do. The earliest record of someone being buried with their dog is 14,200 years ago. So, this tells us humans and dogs formed their bond rather quickly. Additionally, there are several breeds that came about simply to protect their owners or keep them warm. So even though there are some good reasons and evidence that co-sleeping with your dog is perfectly fine, there are plenty of people that disagree. Let’s look at that next. Reasons why your dog should stay off the bed May disturb your sleep In a survey, 53% of dog owner’s stated that their dogs tend to wake them in the night. Naturally, if you have a dog that is a restless sleeper and feels the need to move around or change position a lot, it will wake you. Some dogs also bark very easily, so if a trash can blows over or a neighbor shuts a car door, the midnight bark alarm may go off. Your allergies may flare up If you have allergies, the concentration of pet dander or fur on your bed may wreck havoc on your allergies. Additionally, dogs could hold dust or pollen in their fur. So, if your dog sleeping with you will result in the same effect as being hit with tear gas, it would be wise to avoid it. I can attest to this fact, but in regard to our cat. I have incredibly mild seasonal allergies. However, if our cat explores the far corners of our unfinished basement and then comes and sits on my lap, or lays on my chest, my eyes start itching and I’m sneezing. Your dog could share an infection or disease There is some evidence that nearly half of all animal to human disease transfer comes from domestic animals. There are cases where different bacterial infections or disease have been passed to pet owner’s from their pets. When you are sharing a bed with your dog you are in close contact for a prolonged amount of time. Let’s face it, you probably don’t spend 6-8 hours sitting with your dog on the floor at one time. This is incredibly rare, like super duper rare, but it is still a possibility. Parasites Dog’s pick up fleas, ticks, and other parasites like hookworms, etc. It is just the name of the game. That’s why we treat our dogs to prevent them from picking up those pests. However, if you are not treating your dog this could be a real issue. Additionally, if your dog is outside a lot, they could still transport those guys inside - even if they are being actively treated for parasites. Personally, I have been through a minor flea infestation before. It is not fun! Luckily, mine was short lived and not in my bed. I can’t even imagine going through that. Accidents This is another very real possibility. If your dog is not properly house trained, or is still a puppy, this may be a recipe for a really bad midnight or morning surprise. Even if they don’t have an outright accident there can still be some gross cross contamination from them going to the bathroom. Yes, I am talking about little pee dribbles or straight up poop skid marks on your comforter or pillow. Nope...just nope! Behavior or aggression problems If your dog suffers from aggression issues or jealousy issues, this could make things worse. If this is the case, stop letting them on the bed and seek a dog trainer's help to correct those behaviors. If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, it may not be wise to allow them to sleep in bed with you. Our human instinct is to comfort them because we don’t want them to be upset and we WANT to cuddle with them. However, this is most likely doing more harm than good. It is important for a dog to establish their ability to self soothe. Snuggling on the bed reinforces their dependence on you for comfort, hindering their ability to calm on their own. Where should your dog sleep if not on your bed? So you decided that co-sleeping isn’t for you, but you still love your dog and want them to be comfortable. That is totally fine, you are not a monster that hates your dog. There are actually a ton of awesome bedding options for your dog to sleep in outside of your bed. Below are some options you have out there: Simple dog beds with just a little bit of cushioning. Straightforward, nothing fancy. Orthopedic dog beds with all kinds of comfort stuff like memory foam, gel foam, and all of that. Elevated beds - provides a firm - even support system. These beds also allow dogs to better stay cool while sleeping. Also, these beds are easy to clean and harder to destroy. Crates - There are soft crates or hard crates. Either is a nice space to keep your dog secured at night and also can be comforting to their den instincts. One benefit of a soft crate (Yes, we own one) is that it is collapsible and easily portable. All of these options are great choices and dogs are pretty good at sleeping anywhere. That same study from the Mayo Clinic, mentioned earlier, showed almost no sleep quality difference for the dogs. They slept the same, whether on the bed or off the bed. So do your research and pick a bed that you think your dog would be comfortable in. Chances are, they will be. My opinion on the matter Honesty, after considering all of the information above, I think it comes down to owner preference and the behavior of the dog. Some people may not want to take the chance of picking up any dirt, debris, or parasite. Likewise, the small risk of passing disease or bacteria may also be unappealing. I know that I personally would not want to let my dog on the bed if there were behavior issues or if they could not settle down at all. No one says you have to share your bed with your dog. While owning a dog is awesome, you need to make sure you are taking care of yourself as well. If you don’t want to have your dog sleep in bed with you, then don’t. There is nothing wrong with that. Set them up with a cozy spot and keep on loving them! They are still going to love you, even if they aren’t able to share your bed. If you do find it more soothing to have your dog sleep on your bed, it is an excellent way to bond with your dog. My only caution is to make sure you’re setting boundaries. This is YOUR bed, not theirs. Your snuggle buddy is being allowed to be on the bed, it is not expected. It is a privilege, not a right. Make sure your dog waits to be invited on the bed and respects you when you give the command “off”. After reviewing all the facts and thoughts, my wife and I will probably allow Juno to sleep on our bed when she is older. That is if she is well-behaved and we have set proper boundaries. I will update this article later on as to what happened and if we have changed our minds.