My Dog Is Militant About Sleeping In My Bed!

The average bed is a soft, warm place to lie down. This is what they are designed for after all! Your dog might just agree with you. If you let your dog up on the bed even once, you may end up with a dog who really wants to sleep on the bed with you each night. This isn’t a problem with a Lhasa Apso, but what if you have a Great Dane pup?

The Problem

Dog owners tend to fall into one of two camps on this issue. They either refuse to let their dog up on the bed at all or they have no problem with it. I’m in the second group. My lab mutt has been sleeping on the bed for years and is mighty used to it.

Crowding

Dogs are interesting sleepers. They seem to be the reincarnation of various yoga masters through history. They start stretching out their legs and twisting around in all directions. Before you know it, you have a quarter of the bed and they have the rest. Don’t allow this to happen!

So, what can you do? I use the towel approach. Roll up a towel and place it across the bottom corner of the bed. Leave plenty of room for your dog to lie down in the corner area. Now get them up on the bed and put them in this area. If they refuse, make them get of the bed. Continue the process until they figure out what you are after. Once they do, the rolled up towel tends to act as a barrier they will not cross.

Dangers

There seems to be a constant “state of fear” in modern society that often over hypes potential problems and dangers. This is certainly the case with letting dogs sleep on your bed. However, there are instances where you need to be careful. Dogs can carry illnesses. Our bodies can usually fight them off with ease, but this may not be the case for elderly people. Someone who is infirm should probably be careful as well.

Another concern can be letting dogs sleep with small children. I mean really small. There is a chance the pup could roll over and smother the child. Yes, it is a remote chance, but keep it in mind. Once your child gets a bit bigger, there should be no problems in this area.

The Militant Dog

In the floor versus bed debate, the bed wins out hands down. After all, which would you rather sleep on?

Your dog isn’t an idiot. It knows the bed is the place to be. If you have problems getting it to stay off, then you need to discipline it. Follow your established discipline protocol. Then back this up by establishing a new routine. When it is time to sleep, make sure to direct your dog to their bed or crate. Do this during the day when your pup wants to nap as well. This will familiarize them with the routine and solve the bed issues.

Your Bed

Let me close by saying something simple. The bed is yours. You paid for it. You probably even still have the receipt somewhere. Take command of it. Letting your dog sleep with you is okay, but don’t let it take over this valuable real estate.

Annie Klacks
@Animaroo