Dog in bed: pros and cons
Whether a dog is allowed to sleep in a bed or not has always led to great discussions among animal lovers. Some are against it and find it unhygienic or even hazardous to health. The others see it as a matter of course and do not want to do without the nightly cuddles.
Whether it is okay for your dog to sleep in your bed is your own private decision. From a scientific point of view, there are no reasons why he should not be allowed to do so. However, another question is whether it’s a good idea that you’ll be happy in the long run. Here are a few arguments for and against having a dog in bed that may help you decide.
Possible reasons against a dog in bed
A frequently mentioned argument against having a dog in bed is hygiene: bacteria, ticks, worms, and other parasites can get into the bed via the dog’s fur, which can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease to humans. What will spread in any case in the bed if you sleep in animal company: dog hair. And it’s everywhere. Some people have only a very slight allergy. Living with a dog can be reasonably possible in this case, but having the animal hair on your face for up to eight hours continuously during the night can sometimes have more severe effects. In addition, odor nuisance can not always be avoided, for example, bad breath or flatulence in the dog.
If you are a very light sleeper, a dog – no matter how big or small – is probably not the best idea because four-legged friends do not lie still at night. There’s snoring, scratching, twisting, kicking, and panting. Not to mention that your woof usually makes himself comfortable right where you would like to have your legs stretched out. For this very reason, there is indeed one place where dogs have no business being: in the crib. The risk of injury is too significant for both of them.
It becomes problematic when your dog no longer allows other people into the bed. If, for example, a single person always sleeps in bed with his dog and the new partner is later not allowed to slip under the sheets with him, stress is pre-programmed.
Pro dog in bed: coziness, bonding, and co.
If you let your dog sleep in bed, you will undoubtedly enjoy the cozy warmth of the bundle of fur next to you. Again, dog lovers report that the human-dog friendship would be strengthened by sleeping together. Particularly with depressive moods, the presence of the loved quadruped can work small miracles. Experts at the Mayo Sleep Clinic in Arizona were also able to prove in an experiment that sleeping together with pets can increase individual well-being.
Everything half as bad – tips for sleeping with a dog
Most of the arguments against having a dog in your bed at home can be put into perspective very quickly: If you vaccinate, deworm, and regularly check your darling for ticks, the cold snout drags nothing into bed, which could not also bring people. In addition, bacteria is quite the same whether you sit with Bello on the couch or lie in bed. Hygienically it makes no difference.
You can significantly reduce excessive hair if you brush your dog regularly. Some breeds also inherently shed very little. Just change the bedding more often, and everything will be fine. You can also get your pet his blanket and teach him to sleep on it at the foot of the bed. It’s all a matter of education. As far as disturbing the peace and odor – neither of these necessarily have to be any different for human bed partners.
As always in dog training, when deciding the question, “Can the dog go to bed with you?” Consistency is required. If Bello is allowed in bed with you once, he always may. If you don’t want him under the covers, you can’t make exceptions either. Your pet needs clear guidelines. Anything else will lead to conflicts. By the way, it is doubtful that dogs develop disturbed dominance behavior due to sharing sleeping quarters. If dogs do not follow the rules or listen to commands, this is not so much due to a disturbed hierarchy between humans and animals. The reason is that the dog has not understood the rules and orders. And this is a consequence of unclear, inconsistent education.
