Do You Share Your Bed with your Dog(s)?

For years my husband adamantly refused to allow the dogs into our bed.  Then we adopted 3-month-old Maggie.  After listening to her cry in her crate for less than an hour, Hubby said not one word, got up and brought her to bed with us.  There she has slept every night for five years.  LOL!

Our dalmation, Doc Holliday, prefers to stretch out on the living room couch, so at least we don't have to battle for bed space.  

What sleeping arrangements do your dogs have?

Return to Poll

61%

 (37) 

In bed with the people

6%

 (4) 

Sleeps in a crate

30%

 (18) 

Anywhere in the house

1%

 (1) 

Not allowed inside

60 Members voted

[have 2 kids]

She doesn't sleep on our bed but does sleep on the kids beds.

[AHP84]

Most of the time, I only allow my dogs to sleep in the kitchen. After a couple of months allowing them to sleep anywhere in the house, I dealt with vomit on the carpet, trash cans overturned, pee on the carpet (even though house-broken), and near sleepless nights due to constant scratching/chewing/collar-jingling from mange.
It's not their fault, really (except for the trash can raids)...after all, both the pups were sick with kennel cough and demodex after I brought Bryce home. They've just recently overcome the worst of the problems. Thank goodness.
But I have cleaned up so many messes on the carpet and lost so much sleep during the two months I let them sleep anywhere in the house (and most of the time they chose to sleep by my bed) that I'm not quite ready to allow that again.
Fortunately, both of them are quite happy to sleep in the kitchen, so long as they have a soft, warm place to sleep.

[peekawho]

In bed.  All of them.

[suzi-q]

My dog is now gone...but she always shared the bed with us!  It was up to her if she wanted to sleep on the floor or in bed...sometimes she would scratch to come up, and sure enough, she was always allowed in!

[Jaybay]

LOL peek!  How many is it now - four?  :-D

[Heather5]

Our two dogs are too big to sleep in bed with us...but they do have their own doggie beds...although only one uses them. Our other dog prefers the carpet in the hallway :-) The cats, on the other hand, tend to cozy up on the comforter...plus I usually have one on the pillow behind my head at some point during the night!

[Happy2girls]

Scruffy is king, he sleeps where he wants.  Sometimes he will sleep in bed with us but mostly he prefers his doggie bed which is next to my side of the bed.  Every night he will come up next me and snuggle for awhile and then he usually retreats to his bed.  

[dominosarah]

The beagle likes to burrow under the covers and snooze away.  She has to be nestled right up to me.  Nothing like waking up with a beagle snoring in your face!!!!

[Jaybay]

LOL!  Same with Maggie.  She starts out at the foot of the bed, and once we're both snoring, she melts in between us with her head on Hubby's shoulder.  I end up using her bum as a pillow.  At least she's got a super soft coat and no tendencies toward flatulence.  :-D

[ginger899]

She always goes upstairs towards her bed, as if not expecting anything. But I call her into my room, and let her sleep with me! Under the DUVET! She loves it, we cuddle up, she keeps me warm. She's clean, no fleas, no worms, and I always clean her well after walks. I'd rather sleep with my dog than anyone human!

[Jaybay]

You are among friends with that statement - LOL!  It has to get seriously cold here in Houston before Maggie attempts to get under the covers with us, but it's not unheard of.  Cracks me up when we wake up and there's Maggie with her head on the pillows right between us all covered up just like a human.  How she does that without us being any the wiser I still don't know.  :-)

Heather5 - I had a cat many years ago who was the terror of my apartment complex.  He was neutered but he would literally destroy my apartment if I didn't let him out for an hour once I came home from work.  Talk about embarrassing - too many neighbors to count would knock on my door begging me to take Spike in because he wouldn't let them get to their doors.  :-O  Sure enough, I'd go to the neighbor's porch and there was Spike all puffed up and growling.  Soon as he saw me he'd come right to me purring like nothing at all happened.  In warm weather, he'd sleep on my rear end.  In cold weather, he'd curl himself around my head.  Not a bad head-warmer not that I look back on it!  :-)

[ginger899]

I heard that for every 10 degrees below freezing, you have to have 1 dog in your bed (dunno where that is...maybe Alaska or Greenland or something. Does anyone know...?) So if it's 20 below, it's known as a '2-dog night': if it's 30 below, it's a '3-dog night'....and so on.
But they do make great hot water bottles. Their normal body temperature, I think, is 101.5

[Dakotawinks]

I have never in my life been w/out a dog and I've always had two at a time, and throughout my life they have all slept in bed with me. I have kicked husbands out of bed but never my four legged babies.........lol
Dakota

[ginger899]

In a dog-pack, apparently, it's the done thing to sleep together. (Don't know if that includes sleeping with Pack Leader...?) But in a wolf-pack, wolves are more likely to sleep alone.

[hrt3105]

Otto has the full run of the house at night sometimes he sleeps in the bed sometime he gets clothes out of the hamper an sleeps on them , I used to have a bulldog that would actually pout until u put her in bed if it got past 10pm she was so used to her schedule it  was funny eat sleep poop that was life

[bet643]

My dog sleeps anywhere in the house, just as long as it's not on my couch or in any of the beds. My dog has two doggie beds in the house. One in the living room in a quiet corner, the other in the family room, quiet with a fireplace to keep warm. He loves his bed and never tried to get into mine. He also has a ;pillow and a blanket on his bed which he loves. I think he's just happy having a home since he was a rescue. This pooch has it made.  He also  lets you know when it's lights out for him because he wants it quiet and the volume on the t.v. must be turned down.

[ne55]

we did have our beagle sleep with us in the bed , but due to knee injury we have resorted to having her sleep on her doggy bed  next  to our bed.
I miss having her sleep there I had gotten so used to her snoring against my legs.
My shitzu hates it and prefers to sleep anywhere but on the bed with us..

ne55

[dominosarah]

The beagle is always welcome in my bed.  As for the other 2 legged ones??  Only if it isnt going to bother the beagle!!!!!!  

[recrdpxi]

My husband and I share a bed with a 2 year old Mastiff and a 7 month old Ridgeback. Or should I say they share the bed with us!

[Nana434]

My westy has been in my bed since day 1 now i need 3 pillows he sleeps right above my head. My hubby has never said a word , i know he loves it .

[Fourpaws]

Okay if I had the choice, all 3 of my dogs would sleep with me!!! But, Titus, chooses to sleep in his crate and Tangie & Oscar sleep on the couch together!!! I love to cuddle with my ogre dogs!!! Deep down, I know its better that they don't sleep in my bed.....It's hard enough for me to be alpha let alone, them sleeping with me would ruin all my hard work!!!

[becky808]

We did for a very short time.
As our boxer grew he would inch up in the bed until he was laying on our pillow. He'd put his paws on our backs and PUUUUSH us right out of bed. Crazy guy.
He had his own bed next to our bed.

[Sunes]

My boxer would gladly sleep in our bed so would my puppy but since they are a pack animals I chose to let them sleep on the recliner together away from my bedroom.What a funny situation....usualy late evening I will transfer  puppy (no bigger than size 4 shoe)  to her bed right beside the recliner so boxer have more room to stretch. And they sleep soundly all night.

[AndiJ78]

When my dh gets up and goes to work in the morning, he gets up into bed and sleeps with me until I get up. Until then, he sleeps right next to my side of the bed, on the floor.

[ea_poe]

In bed, unless I'm sleeping on the couch and then she's on the couch. Wherever I sleep, she sleeps.

[nyssa739]

I have two siberian huskies and two chihuahuas. The huskies sleep together on the living room couch. We tried the bed thing but they were all over the place so we switched them to the sofa. My chihuahuas both sleep with me . One on top of my legs under the blanket and the other usually in the crook of my arm or across my neck. Since he is so small I tend to spoil him rotten. He had a bad fall a few weeks ago , suffering a skull fracture but luckily he is doing alot better than he was. Not quite back to his old self but as the days go by he is inching closer. He had resumed sleeping across my neck and I happily let him because he is my baby. As for the big snorers , they can stick to the sofa.

[kp9er]

when i go to bed my 100lb yellow lab is at my side somtime during the night he will crawl out of bed and lay in the doorway he does not get to far from me at night and when the alarm goes off in the morning it time to get up and he knows that because he is on top of me untill i get up and let him out i work 12 hr swing shifts and all the time i have had him in the house i have only come home to a mess maybe 3 times other than that he goes to the basement and does his business beside the floor drain clean up made simple and easy

[jenntanis]

Our dog Maggie sleeps at night in the crate, right next to our bed.  But as soon as she's been let out in the morning, you can find her sleeping anywhere in the house, sofa, our bed, or the guest bed.  Sometimes, she just sleeps on the floor in my office.  She's a lazy dog, can you tell?!?  It's funny when she is snoring louder that my husband.

[suzy_is4dogs]

I have 4 dogs, 3 miniature poodles and 1 Pomeranian. They do let me sleep with them in a small side of the bed, that bed could not be mine at all . One day I fell from bed because Joe one of my poodles decided to take my spot and there is not way to move him when he is sleeping, my pom  Rocky sleeps couple of hours on his bed but during the night he starts barking to ask me to pick him up and get on bed with me. Not matter how stiff I get up many times, I could not sleep without their little and soft bodies by me.

[shauna28]

I beleive in pack mantality in dealing with your dogs. I love my dog and am kind and gentle with her. However I think dogs are naturally pack animals, by allowing your dog to sleep on your bed with you, eat while you are eating and invade your space to list just a few of the many things, you are teaching your dog that they are your equal. If you want GREAT behavior from your dog, you need them to know that YOU are the pack leader in your home and they are at the bottom of the totem pole. At minimum give them a bed on the floor in your room

[Jaybay]

I actually agree with your reasoning.  I think much depends on how a person deals with the rest of the dog's pack life.  A dog can still recognize a person as a pack leader while sharing a bed - most of the time.  All of our dogs know they do not "own" the bed.  They cannot join us unless they are invited, and they must vacate when told to do so.  They actually do as they're asked, so I'm not at all worried about my place at the top of the pack.

It's also true that some very dominant dogs will see things as you do, so the owner has to evaluate the individual dog's personality.  Not all of them can be, or should be, bed buddies with their people.  

[Me967]

Well I sleep like a board with my Rottie mix on one side, my Dane on the other side of me then my husband on the other side of the bed.  Our Border Collie prefers sleeping on the floor though most of the time on one of the beds on the floor.

They are great to let you out of bed to make a midnight trip to the bath.  Then tag you back into the bed to nestle up.  Great heating pads for pain.  LOL  Though watch out for those doggy dreams.  I hate the running dreams mainly with our Dane.  Ouch.

I find it very hard to sleep without them when away.  It's like going to sleep without pillows and blankets.  They are our snuggle bunny kids.

[Jaybay]

Hubby has an overnight business trip tonight, so Doc the Dalmation will be joining me and Maggie on the bed.  One each, dog sandwich coming right up!

[kande1966]

I used to sleep with two yellow labs, but recently I removed some sutures from my males ear- he got spoked and bit me-on the neck, i had to go to the ER.  My vet rec. re-training for me as the alfa dog and the first order was to get the dogs off the bed-not to let them be at the same level.  Its been hard because they are my babies!!  The girl does still jump up but does not spend the night there.

[PlateletGal]

One of my dogs sleeps in bed with us. The other dog is too big and too hairy !  = )  

[Burrpatch]

Ha Ha !! Its more like, she "LETS" me sleep in "HER" bed !! Typical female !! lol
Now, now....eaaasy...(dodging thrown shoes, plates, frying pans,etc, etc.) lol !!  She wait's politely for me to bed down, then pounces on me and tries to "Get me" under the covers. After her fun, she''ll snuggle her big nose under the pillows and snooze away. Funny how they have to have their little routines.