Should my dog sleep on my bed?

Have you wondered “Should my dog sleep in or on my bed”? 

Or “Will I create a monster dog who doesn’t listen to me if I let my dog sleep with me”? 

Or ‘Am I spoiling my dog if I let them sleep on the bed?

You’re not alone and in my video, I explain why it could be a good or bad thing, depending on you and your dog.

There’s no one hard and fast answer. Everyone is unique. 

Click to watch my video to learn more

Why having your dog sleep on your bed may be a problem

• If you’re a light sleeper and will wake up each time your dog snores, rolls over or twitches.

• If your dog isn’t toilet trained and can’t get off the bed to go to the toilet.

• If your partner hates having the dog on the bed.

• If your dog won’t move or get off the bed when you ask them to.

There are still people who believe that if you let your dog sleep on your bed, that they’ll show dominant behaviour.

I don’t believe this, however, dogs do sometimes Resource Guard locations like the bed and can growl or bite when they’re protecting their resources (guarding the bed).

Here are the Resource Guarding body language signals to watch for

Dogs move through a progression of body language that signals they’re not happy. 

If you misread the subtle ones or ignore them, they will start to do the really obvious ones like snapping and biting. 

If they learn that biting gets the result they wanted (the person backs away), then they’re more likely to skip a few steps next time and go straight for the bite - it’s very effective.

Your dog may:

• Freeze up

• Give a hard stare (but not always directly at you, they may do a hard stare into the corner of the room or at the wall)

• Growl

• Snarl (lip curl)

• Snap - like a bite but deliberately missing 

• Bite

At any stage of the progression, try not to growl at your dog. They’re doing everything they can to signal they’re unhappy. Give them an option to get things right.

The best way to curb resource guarding is to teach your dog that there are wonderful benefits to giving up their coveted spot on the bed.

Do this by:

• Preventing them from accessing the bed except during your training times.

• Creating a comfy bed for them and teaching them the “On your Mat/Bed” command

• Teaching them the “come” command, rewarding them for coming, and then telling them to go to their bed.  

Why your dog should sleep on your bed

I personally love having pets on the bed and all my doggie house guests sleep on the bed with me and the cat.

Every night that Pickle stays with me, she tries to sleep on my side, right up by my pillow and this cracks me up every time.

I move her of course (because that’s my spot!) but only to the other side of the bed, so it’s hardly a punishment. 

We all sleep better because we’re warm, comfortable, and close to each other. It’s especially nice to wake up from a rubbish dream or a nightmare and find a fuzzy paw to hold on to.

Some of my clients also find they get to sleep in longer if their puppy sleeps on their bed.

Do you want your dog to sleep on your bed?

Whether or not your dog sleeps on your bed is entirely up to you and what you can tolerate.

Everyone is unique so if it works for you, do it, and if it doesn’t, make your dog a comfy bed of their own. They may even prefer this scenario.

I’m a big fan of sleep.

After having two human babies who kept me awake for years, I heavily value sleep and if having all the pets on my bed means I get to sleep longer and better, then I’m all for it.

Do you find that puppy parenting is proving to be more challenging than you anticipated?

Is your adorable bundle of fluff acting like a bit of a maniac at times?

Are they:

·         Refusing to sleep in?

·         Jumping up on you?

·         Destroying all your favourite things?

·         Chewing your hands, feet, and clothes?

·         Peeing and pooping all over your house?

Then check out "The Calm Puppy," a 5-part program designed to transform your energetic puppy into a well-behaved and delightful companion