Dog in bed - yes or no?

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'm really wrestling with this one.  We just got a dog.  He is super sweet.  My 13 year old adores him and vice versa.  As soon as we went upstairs for bed he jumped in bed with DS.  If you had watched the event, you would have thought this was our routine for years.  Not so.  Last night he slept in the floor of the room and tonight he is in the bed.  He is very well behaved, short haired, and not too big (about 35 pounds).  Our last dog wasn't even allowed IN bedrooms but he was larger and had long hair.  It is sweet, but I googled it and found some scary articles about how unhealthy it is to sleep with pets.  What do ya'll think?  Is this okay or should I nip it?  

 

Thanks

[kitten18]

Our dogs (and cats) have always slept in bed with us. I cannot imagine a "health" reason that would keep them out of our bed.

 

Eta - we have 2 dogs, they each sleep with one of our kids.

[Χά�ων]

My dog sleeps in the bed with me. On my feet. She usually gets kicked in the middle of the night bit she still sleeps there. The cat sleeps on my back and falls off when I roll Over.

[mysticmomma]

Sounds normal to me. The dog is feeling like one of the pack.

[Joker]

Every dog I've ever had has slept in the bed. They've also been the sweetest things ever. I've never had any problems and would actually feel horrible and unable to sleep if our current dog wasn't allowed.

[catz]

Our cats sleep with us all the time and they sleep with the kids too.  Hooray for immune systems!  :D  I really think the panicky stuff we've been getting about germs and bacteria the last number of years is not helping us at all.  Some antibacterial soap ingredient was just banned in our state.  Obviously if you have immune system issues, that is a different situation. 

[Ellie]

Our smaller dogs used to sleep with us, and there were never any human health problems.

 

Our last three dogs--a greyhound, a French bulldog, and a miniature dachshund--have not slept with us, and we don't mind it. Neither do they. :-)

[MiMi 4under3]

Yes!  :)

 

75 lb. Hound sleeps in my bed.

9 lb. Min Pin sleeps in one of the kids' beds.

 

 

[Catwoman]

I can understand it being a problem if the family member is allergic, but otherwise, the only problem I can think of is that the dog might start hogging the covers. ;)

[duckens]

Yes, let the dog sleep with you.  They are a pack animal.  They like to sleep in a pile.  The last puppy my mom had cried at night when not in the bed and needed to be taken out to pee at 2am (in Iowa January weather).  Once we put her in the bed with us, she slept all night.

 

We don't currently have a dog, but I grew up with dogs sleeping in the bed with us.  I repeatedly tell Loverboy and the girls that if we ever got a dog, that dog would a part of the family; and the dog would sleep in the bed with us.  So far the 3 cats have outvoted the 4 of us on getting a dog.  I think they are stuffing the ballot box......

 

As long as you take your pet for regular (annual) vet check-ups and follow your vet's recommendation for care, I can't think of any major health reasons why your pet shouldn't get to sleep with your family members.

Exception: The dog gets banned from the bed...AND the house when it gets sprayed in the face by a skunk.  That has happened at least once or twice to family dogs.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Our rescue dog has slept with us for two years. It was a decision we made based on her history. Lately, we've regretted it, because it trashes our comforter. We've replaced it several times, which really irks me. I don't feel like we can afford to do that, but dh doesn't want one that has pulled threads, etc. because of the dog. He finally bought another new one and has been consistent at keeping her off.  She has been sleeping on her bed on the floor.  She doesn't seem to mind. The hardest one to train was dh to enforce his decision.  ;)

[Melissa in Australia]

I have always thought it disgusting to have an animal in the bed. :ack2:

 

 

 

 I do even let animals in the house.

[Liz CA]

Just know that if you decide he can sleep in the bed, he will take this as a decree passed down from the Almighty and you would have to move heaven and earth to change it.

Other than that, I never observed any harmful effects on ds when he shared his bed with a 120lb mastiff.

[swellmomma]

I usually have my yorkie and at least 2 of the 6 cats sleeping on my "bed" (aka couch until I buy a new bed).  Usually 1 on my pillow, 2 at my legs, plus the remaining cats either up along the back of the couch or in beds with the kids. I have not had to deal with a health issue from it but I know that whomever the pets choose to sleep with sleep very very well, much better than the nights the pets don't sleep with them.

[Rose in BC]

I'm all in favour of a dog sleeping on the bed. We once had a basset hound who began growling at my feet if I moved in the bed in a way she didn't like. That got her a one way ticket to the floor. :). Otherwise they are welcome.

[Pod's mum]

One warning. When my parents married, dad had a dog. As a pup it slept on his swag. Dog got bigger and on cold nights kept trying to creep up towards the opening (top). Dad got married.

Mum was woken on her first night of shared bed by a whack from her sleeping new husband and, "Get off!"

Took a bit of explaining.

 

Boy and pup will become man and dog.

[Pawz4me]

I know many, many middle-aged and older people who've slept with dogs (and cats) their entire lives.  And with the exception of people who have allergies or asthma, I've never heard of anyone getting sick from it.  Never.

 

For us the decision is about cleanliness (which to me is a separate but related issue from health) and the ability for all to consistently get a good night's rest.  We've never let any of our previous dogs sleep on the bed, mostly because they've all been medium/large, not easy to bathe regularly and they were all shedding dogs.  Our Shih Tzu is allowed to sleep with us because he's small and doesn't shed, gets a full bath every week to ten days and gets his face washed daily.  I'm pretty sure he's cleaner than a lot of humans. ;)  He also has very good bed manners.  He sleeps beside me until DH comes to bed, and then he moves to the foot of the bed and stays there.

 

Our dogs who weren't allowed to sleep with us (including our current medium-sized, shedding dog) have all had comfy beds of their own in the bedroom.

 

My niece sleeps with an absolutely huge Lab in a double bed.  I don't know how either of them get any rest.  Plus SIL's picture could be posted in the dictionary after the definition of "neat freak." ;)  Niece is going to college in August, and I wonder how the dog will fair.  I suspect he'll mope around and miss her, but probably enjoy having the whole bed to himself. ;)

 

 

 

We just got a dog.  He is super sweet.  My 13 year old adores him and vice versa.  As soon as we went upstairs for bed he jumped in bed with DS.  If you had watched the event, you would have thought this was our routine for years.  Not so.

 

He's an adult dog?  Do you know his history?  My guess is that it was indeed his routine in a previous life.

[marbel]

People and dogs have been sharing beds for years, centuries... milennia? 

 

What are the health problems you are worrying about?   I did a fair bit of research before we got our dog and I don't remember seeing anything about that.

 

Our dog started off sleeping on our son's bed, but the boy grew too much and took up too much room.  Now he sleeps on our daughter's bed sometimes, depending on air temp, his mood, and how late she stays up reading.  He likes an early lights-out.   He has beds all over the house. 

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I wouldn't worry about any health issues.  I just can't stand the thought of that hair and dirt in the bed though.  I like to get a good nights sleep and a huge 95 lb dog like we have is not going to sleep with me.  I think once you allow animals on the furniture it's an extremely hard thing to break.  Our German Shepherd has a very nice big bed of his own and loves it.

[Ann.without.an.e]

 

He's an adult dog? Do you know his history? My guess is that it was indeed his routine in a previous life.

 

We have no idea of his history. We got him from the local pound. I was prepared for some tough training but he has needed no training. He appears to already be house broken, he doesn't chew anything but his toys, and he is very well behaved. He's only 8-9 months old. He has been unbelievably sweet.

[VaKim]

My family would all be dead if it were a health problem. Oh, and none of us are dead, by the way.  :)

[Carrie12345]

It's a no in our house, but I never saw it as a health issue.

My dds were toddlers when we got our large dogs, so they (um, the dogs) were trained to sleep in their crates.

 

I don't sleep well with kids over 2 in my bed, so I would not like my dogs there. One of my cats sometimes join us, but he's usually smart enough to stay toward dh's side. I once tried to kick him off while I was mostly asleep and discovered I had kicked a surprised child in the head instead, so there was that.

[Flowing Brook]

I am surprised your dog gives you a choice ;)

[Chris in VA]

I don't have room in my bed for my Golden Retriever, and I don't like the thought of his hairy body there! So I'm a "no."

The one thing I'd watch for is resource guarding. It's when a dog gets aggressive around toys, food, and/or sleeping place. It's not caused by allowing a dog to share a bed, from what I've heard. The whole "dominance" thing is based on wolf behavior, and there's a lot of research now that says that theory is flawed. So I believe sleeping on a bed isn't harmful if those guarding behaviors are not present.

 

It's just not for me.

[BlsdMama]

Ohmigoodness no. I have a hard enough time with a dog in the house.... And never on carpet because all I can think about is that dogs don't wipe after they go to the bathroom and don't even talk to me about licking. Shirt hair is actually much harder,imo, to clean up than long. iIt sticks to everything. And the idea of dog hair in my bed makes me shudder.

 

On a more normal note, my sister has a breed that tends to have dominance issues and allowing him to sleep in their bed has impacted them. Well, that and the fact that he's about 65lbs, sleeps under the sheets, and in between them. They tolerated it for several years.

[elegantlion]

Yes, Labrador curled up beside me now.

[Jann in TX]

I grew up with a cat that slept next to me every night.  My mom had a small dog that slept at the foot of her bed every night and cuddled with her every morning-- the sweetest most spoiled dog...

 

DH and I have never allowed our dogs in bed or on our furniture-- but then our dogs have always been 100 pounds or more (German Shepherds).

 

We have a full size mattress in our living room that is the formal 'dog bed'-- they will occasionally share it-- but our male usually takes it over during the night--- the WHOLE THING-- as he likes to sleep stretched out. Before we put the mattress down he slept at the foot of our bed and I would litterally trip over him every night when I'd get up (his name is Trip by the way). Our female must sleep in the same as me (sometimes I prefer the guest room if DH is snoring or if my RLS is bothering me) but she has learned to stay out of the path to the bathroom!

 

 

[NotSoObvious]

Yes.

 

There was actually an interesting study I heard about on NPR a year or two ago. They tested a bunch of homes with and without pets, looking for germs- specifically feces. I forget the specifics now, but essentially they were surprised that the ONLY feces they found in either type of home was human. The dog homes were not any dirtier than the non-dog homes.

 

So, with that logic, I'd let my dog in the bed before I'd let my kid in the bed! ;)

[Butter]

Our little 10 pound Lola sleeps in my 12 year old son's bed, curled up at his feet usually.

[Ann.without.an.e]

It's a no in our house, but I never saw it as a health issue.

My dds were toddlers when we got our large dogs, so they (um, the dogs) were trained to sleep in their crates.

 

I don't sleep well with kids over 2 in my bed, so I would not like my dogs there. One of my cats sometimes join us, but he's usually smart enough to stay toward dh's side. I once tried to kick him off while I was mostly asleep and discovered I had kicked a surprised child in the head instead, so there was that.

 

I totally get this and that is why he would never be allowed in MY bed, lol. I explained to ds that it would be hard to break so he needs to be completely honest with himself about how he sleeps. If he can't sleep good then it is better to nip it after one night than ten or twenty ;). Like I told him, he can sleep in your room now but if you don't sleep good and we can't keep him out of your bed he'll have to be crated. So in your floor or on your bed but if on your bed doesn't work then the room privileged might be gone. Trying to get him to think about the long term of it! Decisions, decisions. I never considered it an option before this little guy. It was always an outright "no"

[NotSoObvious]

;)

[PeacefulChaos]

No.

 

That's just my preference.  Personally.  But if Kida (our dog) were to jump in bed with Astro, meh.  I wouldn't make a big deal about it.

 

But in my bed?  Not a chance.  I don't allow kids in my bed - I certainly won't allow a dog. ;)

[Ann.without.an.e]

I don't have room in my bed for my Golden Retriever, and I don't like the thought of his hairy body there! So I'm a "no."

The one thing I'd watch for is resource guarding. It's when a dog gets aggressive around toys, food, and/or sleeping place. It's not caused by allowing a dog to share a bed, from what I've heard. The whole "dominance" thing is based on wolf behavior, and there's a lot of research now that says that theory is flawed. So I believe sleeping on a bed isn't harmful if those guarding behaviors are not present.

 

It's just not for me.

  

Ohmigoodness no. I have a hard enough time with a dog in the house.... And never on carpet because all I can think about is that dogs don't wipe after they go to the bathroom and don't even talk to me about licking. Shirt hair is actually much harder,imo, to clean up than long. iIt sticks to everything. And the idea of dog hair in my bed makes me shudder.

On a more normal note, my sister has a breed that tends to have dominance issues and allowing him to sleep in their bed has impacted them. Well, that and the fact that he's about 65lbs, sleeps under the sheets, and in between them. They tolerated it for several years.

 

I don't know if it is too early for it to show, but he has shown zero dominance issues. We walked him three different days at the pound and DH did some tests on him to see how submissive he was and he is just a little marshmallow. Not sure how protective he'd be though, haha.

[Sisyphus]

I've slept the majority of nights for the past 40 (ahem...plus) years with a dog, cat or both in bed. It's actually hard for me to sleep without a cat, lol, I had a terrible time the first two years in the army due to that! Our lab is now 13 and can no longer get up the stairs in the last year or so, but prior to that she would sleep in our bed first- dh goes to bed early. Then when I got up she would move to youngests bed until he got up, he is the latest sleeper of us all. I have so many cute pictures of tiny boy and huge lab over the years becoming big boy and old lab! Still in the twin bed, too.

 

Health reasons? What kind, I have never heard of that! Our dogs and cats are mostly indoor in their lives, by virtue of living long stretches in big Asian cities in apartments. No one is rolling in manure daily, that is for sure. We are suburban us now, and the cat and dog go out a bit, like an hour a day in 5 minute chunks, and come right back in, unless we are outside too. Pets want to be with you, they are pack animals (well, dogs are) and the family is the pack. It's sad to keep them isolated from the family, IMO. If I had a ranch and multiple dogs I can see keeping dogs sheltered together but not imdoor, but otherwise- they are right where we are, including bed.

[Alicia64]

I'm all for dogs in bed. Very cuddly and it will bond your dog and son even faster.

 

I'd have our dog in bed, but dh says no.

 

Alley

[MomtoCandJ]

Our doxy sleeps in our bed and when we had our cat she slept with us too

[stephanier.1765]

I'm the kind of mom that would do it for the boy's sake. Just imagine the joy of the two of them together and the memories the boy will build with his dog. A boy and his dog is a precious thing.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'm the kind of mom that would do it for the boy's sake. Just imagine the joy of the two of them together and the memories the boy will build with his dog. A boy and his dog is a precious thing.

 

 

i guess I am too...that is exactly why they got away with it last night.  We just lost our beloved dog a few weeks ago and it hit said boy the hardest.  He has an inflammatory disorder and the loss caused a flare that this little pup has helped calm down better than any med on the market could ever accomplish.  

[Ann.without.an.e]

Thanks for all of the replies.  They both slept great last night.  He really is such an amazing little dog.  

 

I have set some rules for ds that he must adhere to.....

Dog must be bathed at least once a week.

DS must strip his bed once a week to wash it.

Dog must be bathed if he gets into something gross outside or inside.

 

Doggie is still not allowed on my bed or on the couch unless he is on a blanket.  Sorry, our couch is too nice to risk.

 

And, yes, my DS will be the one to do all of that bathing ;)

 

 

Part of what is coming into play here is having such an amazing dog and then losing him...when you lose something you then know how much you loved it.  Love deeply, live without regrets....if dogs teach us nothing else then they teach us that life is short.

[Amy in NH]

nm.

 

[BigMamaBird]

I don't let the dog sleep with Dh and I, but if he wanted to sleep with the kids they'd love it and I wouldn't have a problem with it.  They're too wiggly and want to cuddle him and he's not down with that so he sleeps in a basket of old pillows in our room.

[Lieutenant Stranger]

Heck to the NO.

 

We have a large-ish dog (50 pounds) but he sleeps in his cage. Honestly, he seems very happy about this- he knows to go in at night and often goes to sleep in there on his own.

 

He tried, for awhile, to sleep in beds with my kids. Honestly, he kept taking over their beds and the kids couldn't stretch out. Besides, I think it is kind of gross.

 

We also let him sleep wherever for awhile, but he spent a lot of time #1 roaming between bedrooms to constantly check on us and #2 looking for food. 

[Reefgazer]

I can't imagine a family pet *not* sleeping in bed with their favorite human!  So I am obviously biased here, LOL!  Let the dog sleep in bed with his human!

[momto10blessings]

No way. I couldn't deal with the hair, dirt, etc.

[Pod's mum]

 

I have set some rules for ds that he must adhere to.....

Dog must be bathed at least once a week.

DS must strip his bed once a week to wash it.

Dog must be bathed if he gets into something gross outside or inside.

 

 

And, yes, my DS will be the one to do all of that bathing ;)

 

 

 

These are very similar to rules I've set my kids, without the dog element,

Child must be bathed AT LEAST twice a week, prefer at least every other day,

Child should refresh bedding weekly

Child should wash if (OK-when) it gets into something gross. This clause tends to help keep child over the bare minimum two weekly washes.

 

(With these conditions I do let child share my bed on cold nights. )

[Murphy101]

Not MY bed. But they have 10 other beds to fight over. :)

[laundrycrisis]

Yes, under the covers !

[Ann.without.an.e]

These are very similar to rules I've set my kids, without the dog element,

Child must be bathed AT LEAST twice a week, prefer at least every other day,

Child should refresh bedding weekly

Child should wash if (OK-when) it gets into something gross. This clause tends to help keep child over the bare minimum two weekly washes.

 

(With these conditions I do let child share my bed on cold nights. )

 

 

:lol:  :lol:

[Cera]

I don't allow dogs on beds.  Unless you bathe him every night before bed he will track in all kinds of stuff (bugs, dirt, pesticides, allergens, bacteria from feces and such, etc).  

 

But, I also make my kids rinse off in the shower every night before bed and we don't wear shoes in the house (to minimize this kind of stuff being tracked in).  

 

(and, I wouldn't want to have to wash the comforter every time I change sheets..since why change sheets if you are going to top them with a dirty, slept on by a dog, comforter?)

 

I would consider compromising with a nice dog bed on the floor.

[AlmiraGulch]

My 60+ pound bulldog is at the foot of my bed right now! 

 

I don't let him sleep with me anymore unless my husband isn't home for some reason, but that's just because he takes up too much room and he's hot.  He likes to snuggle right up next to me and I need space.  I also only let him up here on his own blanket, which is spread out along the base of the bed, because I hate dog smell.  And dogs all smell.  All of them.  It's natural and normal, even shortly after they've been bathed, but I don't like it.

 

He does sleep with DD11, though, or on her floor.  

 

My smaller (40 lb) dog sleeps in her crate.  She would like to sleep with a human, but she's a wanderer and I'm a light sleeper.  I do not need to hear games of dog and cat chase at 2:00 in the morning.  

 

Oh, and my cat sleeps physically on top of me.  I try to kick her off but if I close the door to my room at night she just paws at it til I let her in anyway, so  I gave up.