puppytales

I think it is an interesting question to ask of doggie moms and dads…where does your “Fido” sleep? According to some statistics I read on the Internet, forty two percent of dog owners share their bed with their pooch. In our home, the answer is no, our dogs do not sleep on our bed. But that’s because we have no more room on our bed,  with our little ones (of the child variety)  always sneaking into our bed at night.

But I know many friends that do allow their dogs to sleep with them on their beds, and I say if it works for you and your “Fido”, why not? Everyone wants some comfort and companionship, especially at night time…even our four legged babies!

Many, but certainly not all, dog “whisperers” and trainers may shake their heads no at this thought, and disagree with me. Supposedly, bed privileges destroy the owner’s standing as pack leader. Allowing a dog in the bed, I’ve heard, is a critical dog-rearing error. Well, that is an opinion not a stone cold fact, right?

I think the decision of letting “Fido” sleep in bed is really dependent on the nature and personality of each individual “Fido” . Obviously co-sleeping with pets will naturally work out fine in some families, while in other homes it will be more of a problem.

Common sense is a great thing, and clearly, if you have a new puppy, or an older dog, that is not housebroken or is prone to those night time “accidents”, sharing your bed is probably not such a good idea. In fact, with a new puppy, you may want to visit the idea of crate training for your puppy.

And what about the “Fido” who chases more cats in his sleep than he would even dream of chasing in broad daylight hours? If you are losing sleep with “Fido” in bed next to you doing aerobic moves all night,then this is probably not such a good sleeping arrangement and it may be wise for the sake of your health and mind, to get Fido his own bed.

Then there are the “Fidos” who will, unfortunately, take advantage of the situation. If you have a dog that growls at you in your response to your command of “move over”, or “get down”, this would be a sure sign that “Fido” believes he is in control, and immediate sleeping arrangements should be made. And no, by this I do not mean that you or your spouse leave “Fido” on the bed while you sleep on the couch. I’ve actually heard of a story where a dog would growl at the husband when he attempted to move “Fido” so as he could crawl into bed next to his wife, and as a result, the husband would leave and go sleep on the sofa. Um..not so good to share the bed with “Fido” in cases like this, I’d say.

But if all is well with your dog—no growling, no accidents, no nocturnal cat -chasing– then why not share some snoring time together with your dog ? Most dogs, like their owners, just like being cozy and having a soft place to sleep. Generally speaking,  pets are not going to get any uppity ideas just because you’re all snoring together. In my humble opinion, I don’t believe that there’s any reason a well-behaved dog shouldn’t share a bed with with his owner.

So if sharing a bed with your dog works for you and your  family, then why not?  Just make sure “Fido” shares the blankets!

If you like this article, you might want to read: Doggie Dreams–What Could They Mean?

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