Aggression in bed

Hi All!!

I have been having an issue with my 3 year old lab mix for some time now and I am starting to get very fustrated with her. She has always been semi aggressive. Never with me but with my 2 year old pit mix, she is the dominant one. I've taken her to a trainer that has help me a ton and have made things better for us but she never had any advise with my current issue. Both of my dogs sleep in bed with me and my boyfriend. Typically there is not an issue because both of them LOVE to sleep. Jade likes to pay in between your legs or at the top of the pillows. Some times in the middle of the night if I go to move my leg or arm while she is there she will growl and nip instantly. I yell at her and show her its just me and shes fine and goes back to sleep. Her reaction to any movement it so fast I dont have time to prevent it if I move in my sleep. As this has been happening its getting worse. She got my boyfriend in the shoulder leaving a scatch and got me pretty good in the toe last night, I don't have any marks. I want to nip this problem with her before it becomes something more serious. Not that its happening any time soon but she will still be in my life when I have children and I do not want be afraid of them being around her. Shes an all around great dog besides this. I've thought about having the dogs sleep in their crates but I would hate to do that because they are in their crates while I am at work for 7 hours a day. I dont want to keep them in there any more than I have to. Please anyone with any idea on how to stop this would be great!

Thanks!

Stop them sleeping on the bed, whether you chose to crate them or not is up to you but allowing them on the bed is a big no no for me and elevates their status.

Spot on Trouble - whereas I do not have a problem with dogs sleeping on the bed per se, if and when then start to take the p*** then that is absolutely the time to boot them off the bed toute suite! Ben doesn't sleep on our bed, but he does like to come up - about a year ago he glared at me in a very hostile fashion when I went to remove him from the bed prior to bringing our then 2 year old grandson in for a cuddle. That was it, he was off and off for good. He has been allowed back up a year later, and he is absolutely fine but the moment he reverts to previous behaviour, if he does, then off he will go. A bed, being raised above the floor, does indeed raise their status in a dog's eyes and being allowed onto their human's bed should only be allowed IF the dog is totally respectful in every way. Best of all, I quite agree, is to NEVER to allow a dog onto the bed in the first place, but after several years of Hal's pleading eyes, I did eventually succumb!

I only get as far as the bit in bold, the solution is simple, stop the dogs sleeping on your bed, if you want them in your room, put beds/crates down on the floor, and let them sleep there,

I don`t buy into the "elevated status" belief , but I do agree that if a dog starts to get possessive (resource guarding) them it is not allowed to access what ever that is, i.e bed/sofa/toys.

I don`t think allowing a dog on the bed is giving him ideas above his station promoting him above you, BUT as long as a dog is compliant with your wishes, and gets off when you tell him, then as long as you are happy to have a hairy dirty dog on your bed, so be it.

Personally in my house, dogs sleep in their beds downstairs, I see how dirty their bedding gets and I do no want it on my own bed.

Neither do I! If I did then my Pei must have a very low esteem of herself. She's slept on a mattress next to my bed from 9 weeks old and has never shown any interest on climbing up onto my bed, even though she would be allowed to if she wanted.

My other dog will either sleep in the living room, or on his mattress in my bedroom ... his choice entirely! Occasionally on a very cold night he'll snuggle up next to me for a while before going back to sleep in his own bed.

Elevating their status as in letting them believe they have the right to do as they please rather than do as you say.

true !

Personally, I believe it is a physical awareness as well as mental. By relegating a dog to floor level, you are demonstrating to him that YOU are in control both literally and psychologically.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I know I am going to have to keep her off the bed. My only issue is that I don't feel like it is her being territorial or elevating her status. I tell her to get off the bed ALL the time and she listens right away. When I go to push her off the bed she does not ever growl at me or anything. Recently I have made the change not to allow the dogs on the couch. They understand and listen to the word "Off". The ONLY time she shows aggression on the bed is when she is asleep and is woken up by something.