Should your dog sleep on your bed by Pat Miller

The dog who wants to sleep on your bed just wants to be close to his humans—and comfortable!

By Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

[Updated November 3, 2017]

Contrary to the strongly held opinion of some training and behavior professionals, I’m generally pretty comfortable with allowing canine family members on their humans’ beds. In our family, two of our five dogs sleep with my husband and me. Scooter, a Pomeranian, routinely sleeps with us; Dubhy, our Scottish Terrier, graces us with the privilege of his presence on our bed only from time to time.

Trainers who adamantly oppose dogs on the bed mostly fall into the old-fashioned training camp, and often, they also buy into all the dominance stuff that’s been pretty much discredited by behavioral scientists. Chances are good I would differ with them on many dog training and philosophical issues, not just this one. The dog who wants to sleep on your bed isn’t trying to take over the world. He just wants to be close to his humans -and comfortable!

More at
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...18B&medium=soc

Ben cannot get up onto our bed now but he has always slept on our bed, so did his kennel mate Tai. Both huge dogs weighing in at 45 kilos plus! I see no harm in it at all provided that they get down if told to and dont fart!! I totally agree with Pat Miller.

I don't want dog hairs in my bed so no my dogs do not sleep in my bed. Until I got the Pugs my dogs didn't even go upstairs, it had nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with my wanting areas of my home to be dog hair free. My house is large enough for my dogs to roam around the ground floor they have no need to go upstairs. There are no barriers stopping them from going up but nor have they ever been invited up. They seem happy with the arrangement as they have never attempted to venture further. They do want to be with me but don't feel the need to follow my every move, they like their own space too. So they may choose to snuggle up on the sofa with me but they are just as likely to be found sprawled on the kitchen floor. Dogs like humans ain't all the same.

Rosie sleeps where she wants to. She tends to opt for my bed more in winter, but also loves her sofa.

It should be more to do with what is comfortable for both the dog and the owner when the decision is made of where to sleep. Both need a good night's sleep

My two sleep in the room next to ours, and only come into our room to tell me that it's time I got up! All other living space is shared, but I do like my hair-free bed.

I agree with the above
I don't think there is any 'right or wrong' in this instance it is down to the individual.

My current dog Chloe has her own bed in the corner of my bedroom, we both enjoy the closeness of each other while sleeping in peace.

One of my previous dogs used to sleep on my bed on my legs and I couldn't move and often dreamt I was paralysed

Years ago in the 60's in my kennelmaid days during a bitterly cold winter my then dog Bunny slept on my bed to supplement the one thin blanket in a room devoid of carpet and heating.
A dog sleeping on the bed can be a real asset

My three little Shih Tzu x Maltese all sleep with me. Make great back warmers in the Winter and in the summer if they get too hot, they sleep wherever they want, sometimes on the cool floor.

Sometimes they will move to my warm spot if I get up during the night but know enough to move over when I get back in bed.

All very sensible peeps ... our dogs are not going to get ideas above their station if they sleep on our bed ... it is all a matter of personal choice ... both dogs and humans. I personally prefer not have a ruddy great hairy wolf sleep on my bed but it was what was required so it happened. Now he cannot jump up onto our bed any more so I have a nice hair-free bed!!

"Trainers who adamantly oppose dogs on the bed mostly fall into the old-fashioned training camp, and often, they also buy into all the dominance stuff that’s been pretty much discredited by behavioral scientists."

This statement is nonsense IMO. Where is the backing behind it? I used to let my dog sleep on my bed. But now I don't because he's too big and he's all in the way, he sheds too much and I sneeze a lot, and he dreams and twitches too much, and its all very annoying if I am trying to sleep.

I don't believe all the dominance stuff, I just have my reasons for not wanting my fluffy and fat 100+ lb dog on my bed. If he does ever forget and he jumps up, he is told to get down immediately.

I think what the author is trying to say is that many of the trainers who buy into the dominance theory advise to keep dogs off beds. I don't think that she's trying to say that all owners who keep dogs off their beds buy into the theory though