Reading up on this over the many blogs and articles out there, it seems there is huge support in favour of allowing pets to sleep with their humans in bed. Many arguments have been laid out supporting this practice.It's hard for me to argue against it myself since I have been sharing my sleep space with pets my entire life. Mrs. Big Nate has as well. At times in her house, she was allowing a monstrous, black Newfoundlander to relax on her bed! So of course, in our house Mojo, Oscar, Mr. Goo, Chloe and Burberry all crowd onto the bed with us as we slumber.
So, how about you? What is your philosophy on the subject?
Some feel allowing the dogs on your bed means you are losing status in your pack and the dog might feel they now have dominance over you and is completely in charge. Others might feel it is dirty and unhealthy.
There are some good things about having the animals sleep with us and there are bad things about it too.
Good Things
They are awesome bed warmers!
Ever heard of the group Three Dog Night? Apparently they take their name from the supposed Aboriginal practice of judging the coldness of an evening by the number of dogs required to keep them warm.
They are great cuddlers and company.
Sometimes it just nice to have these little bodies lying around you with unconditional love. There is just something so comforting about having them there. This is especially true when either Mrs. Nate or I are out of town on business, having to spend those rare nights apart. A cat’s purr is just so awesome!
Bad Things
They affect the quality of our sleep!
Oscar snores, the cat’s run around and lye on my chest and Mojo is a complete beg hog! The wake us up when they hear a noise and start barking or the cats get into into a scuffle and start hissing at each other.
They are dirty.
No matter how clean we keep our house and the animals, they still seem to make our bed messy! They drool, have dirty paws and shed all over the place.
They ruin the mood.
I'm going to leave this one to your imagination.
These are just a few of my experiences with having our animals sleep with us. There are some great arguments for either side of the issue. I personally can not imagine not having our family all cuddled up together every night. I guess it would be different if we owned two Boxers and two large Labs.
I’d love to hear some thoughts and stories from your own experiences!
Hmm. I have two border collies and they both sleep in my bed with me. They are both crate trained and will both get off the bed when I ask. So what's the harm. My partner works nights, so I feel safer with them in the room with me. There is also a dog bed in the room and frequently one or the other will jump off in the middle of the night and nap there for a while. Personally, I don't think there is an issue with it... unless your dog is incredibly unruly and tries to bite you when you want her to move. Then perhaps you should think about teaching her some manners.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Julie! It's same for us. All the animals at one time or another will leave the bed and go sleep on the pet beds lying around the bedroom. As long as the pets respect us enough to move when asked, why not?
ReplyDeleteInteresting.......BUT.....if I was to leave my pooches out at night I would be greeted in the am with a days worth of house cleaning. One was crate trained since I got her at 8 wks and I was able to train the other...despite being an old dog....to go in the crate at night. Both seem happy for the crate. I have a question...How many people have their pets on a routine?
ReplyDelete