Do You Let Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed?

Having your dog sleep in your bed will not make him "dominant," nor will it cause other behavior problems. It is just not true. There are dogs who guard the spots where they rest and sleep, or who respond aggressively to handling or to being wakened suddenly. This is not a dominance issue nor is it a behavior “learned” as a consequence of sleeping on your bed. However, for the sake of both safety and behavior modification, these dogs should sleep elsewhere. There are also adolescent dogs who haven't learned any manners but have learned in-your-face attention-seeking behavior. They often make pests of themselves when sharing their humans' bed, so they too should sleep separately. And, of course, if there is not room in the bed for everyone to get a comfortable night’s sleep or if you or your furry friend is either a light or restless sleeper, get your dog a cozy bed of his own. This might sound intuitive but a 2002 study conducted by Dr. John Shepard found that more than 50% of the 300 patients he studied at the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorder Center said that their sleep was disturbed by their dogs or cats in the bedroom or on the bed.