Why sleeping with your dog could be beneficial?
Many dog owners consider their pet as part of the family and, as such, find it completely normal to share their bedroom, or even their bed, with their four-legged friend. .
And, the fact is that several studies prove them right.
Some of them have demonstrated that co-sleeping with a pet could have many benefits for the physical and mental he alth of their owners.
Having your dog near you at night would give them a feeling of comfort and security and could also help reduce stress and anxiety by acting on cortisol levels (" the stress hormone" ) , heart rate and blood pressure.
And what about the dog side? Would sleeping alongside his master(s) also be beneficial for him? Some mourners strongly advise against sleeping with your dog on the grounds that sharing your bed with your pet could make it "dominant" or at least cause separation anxiety among other behavioral problems.
In reality, we do not know if it is the co-sleeping that is causing the problem or if it is the problem that causes the co-sleeping. For example, a dog who shares his master's bed may suffer from separation anxiety issues.However, was it the co-sleeping that created the excessive attachment or was it the excessive attachment of the dog that pushed his master to let him sleep in his bed?
In fact, it is very likely that sharing your bed with your dog only underlines or reinforces a pre-existing behavioral problem in the latter, without being the cause! So if your dog already suffers from a tendency to separation anxiety or if he tends to be aggressive when you ask him to get off your bed, sleeping with him will not be a good idea! On the other hand, if your dog is comfortable in his paws, sleeping with him will probably not be a problem!
When sharing your bed with your dog is a bad idea?
There are several "contraindications" to letting your dog sleep in his bed:
- If your spouse doesn't agree! This practice should never be imposed on someone who does not wish to practice “co-sleeping” with a dog.
- If your dog is in an approximate state of hygiene, if he is not yet clean or if he is infested with external parasites (fleas, ticks, lice, etc.).
- If you treat your dog with pipettes or pest control collars.
- If your dog suffers from a disease potentially transmissible to humans (leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, echinococcosis, ringworm, scabies) and especially if the people who share the bed are children, the elderly or immunocompromised,
- If you can't get your dog out of your bed when you want or if your dog starts growling as soon as you ask him to get down or when your spouse settles in the lit.
- If your dog has a tendency to separation anxiety.
- If your dog has physical problems and jumping up and down the bed will only make his pain worse over time.
- If your dog disturbs your sleep because he moves too much during the night, snores too loudly or takes up too much space in the bed.
- If you suffer from asthma or respiratory allergies which may be aggravated by the presence of a dog in a bedroom.
Similarly, a dog should never be left to sleep alone in a child's bed. Indeed, even if your dog is the nicest in the world, you are never safe from an accident! In general, for the night or for any other time of the day, the golden rule to respect is never to leave a child alone with a dog, however nice it may be!
Some recommendations for sleeping well with your dog
If after weighing the pros and cons, you decide to share your bed with your dog, here are some tips to make the co-sleeping go as well as possible:
- Teach your dog to wait for your permission to get on the bed. Your dog must understand that your bed is above all YOUR space. Don't let your dog call this space his own. Your bed is either forbidden or a sharing zone! Under no circumstances should your bed become your dog's bed! You must therefore always initiate the invitation! It should not be a reflex for your dog to get on your bed as soon as you go to your room. Do not hesitate to place a basket in your room to tell him to go to his place when you have decided.
- You also need to make sure your dog can accept the fact of not sleeping with you from time to time and that, without experiencing it badly. So don't hesitate to sleep without your dog from time to time so that he doesn't pick up bad habits and takes the space in your bedroom or bed for granted! Set up a cozy basket for him in another room of your house and invite him to spend the night there from time to time.
- Only let your dog sleep in your bed if he is up to date with his vaccinations and deworming. It should also be treated against external parasites by a systemic method.
- If you share your bed with your dog, be sure to wash your dog and/or take him to the groomer regularly for obvious reasons of hygiene. In addition, brush it regularly and change your bed linen regularly!