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In many pet homes, the family dog is the king or queen of the castle. Some owners spoil their furry friend to no end — and that can include letting pets sleep in the same bed as them. From a strictly medical standpoint, however, is this really a good idea?
I looked all over for the pros and cons of letting your dog sleep in bed with you. Unfortunately for many dog owners, the cons win – the pros aren’t even close. I could not find a single veterinarian who was in favor of letting dogs on the bed. Simply put, the risks outweigh the questionable benefits. So, let’s look at them — both the good and the bad:
The pros
These are the claims that some people make about why it’s good for you to sleep with your dog:
- It creates a comforting routine, preventing your dog from feeling scared and lonely. The same can apply to you.
- Being a pet parent has many physical and mental health benefits, so sleeping with your dog increases the amount of time you spend together, potentially increasing associated health benefits.
- It provides a calm, soothing presence at bedtime.
- It develops their loyalty to you and increases your bond to them.
- When sleeping, both of you are more vulnerable. Being together increases trust and confidence in each other.
- Having your dog sleeping with you is like having an alarm system in your bedroom – your dog will alert you to danger.
- Your dog could get into trouble roaming freely around the house at night.
- You and your dog will sleep deeper and longer when you know the other one is asleep. Your dog will develop your sleep pattern.
- It brings your dog joy and happiness to be with you as much as possible.
- Your dog can warm up your bed for you, and you can keep your dog warm.
These claims are not supported by data collected specifically while sleeping in bed with their owner. The health benefits are real, but data was collected relevant to pet ownership in its entirety. It was speculation that spending more time with your dog while sleeping with them means the health benefits will be greater. These “pros” give one side of the issue. Their inclusion here is not an endorsement nor a statement of their validity.
There is one study which shows that having one pet in your bedroom does not disrupt sleep, but the pet in the bed is disruptive.
The cons
There are numerous reasons why your dog should not sleep in your bed:
- According to Vetinfo, dogs who already display signs of disobedience and dominance should be required to sleep in a kennel or dog bed. Sleeping with you can make behavior problems worse. It may start to cause behavioral problems where there were none. Your dog needs your leadership. Establish your dominance by keeping your dog out of your bed.
- Some pet parents opt out of co-sleeping due to personal preferences. If a dog rolls over a lot, kicks, scratches a lot, or snores loudly, it can disturb a light-sleeper.
- Infectious diseases are a hazard. Dogs often step in or eat feces. There is a possibility of your pet transmitting bacteria or parasites like salmonella or
heartworms to you. You can assume that your dog carries some kind of bacteria picked up by stepping in it. - If you have asthma or other allergies, having your dog’s fur in your bed may make these issues worse.
- Your dog is very young or very old.
- Your dog is not potty-trained.
- Your dog is not vaccinated.
Doctor’s prescription: Keep your dog out of your bed
For dog owners who still want to share a bedroom with their best friend, there are safe steps you can take to make this happen. First, purchase a comfortable bed. Place it right next to your bed, to lessen the shock of change. Make the change slowly to ensure a smooth transition.
- Train your dog to stay off the bed by using a leash and the word “off.” The dog will learn through repetition to stay off the bed. Take your dog into the bedroom on a leash. When they jump on the bed, gently pull them off and say “off.” When they’re off, tell them to sit. Praise your dog after they jump off the bed and sits. Your encouragement will help them learn.
- After you praise your dog, lead them to their new bed, have them lie down, and praise them again. Use a dog treat as a reward. Do this just occasionally, because excessive treat feeding can cause weight gain and encourage whining and begging.
In most cases, your pet will begin sleeping on their own bed regularly after a few weeks. Eventually, you will be able to move the bed to another area of
the bedroom or the house with ease. If your dog does not respond to this training method, consider hiring a professional dog trainer.
Were do you get this crap I’ve many dogs and you are totally wrong my dog sleeps fine with me or not kennels creates kennel cough vets always warn people not to put there dogs in kennel parasites I don’t think so unless you have bed bugs maybe you do now if you have allergies ok then take your allergy meds or don’t have cat’s or dogs so you’re findings are B’s I’ve not once had any vet say what crap your come up with
The pros outweigh the cons and half the cons are bs. While my dogs were pups they were crate trained and had puppy training. They have been sleeping with me since they were potty trained, could sleep all night and quit chewing things that were not their toys. Not all dogs have behavioral issues. It is up to the human to make the decision what is best for them and their pet. It is no one’s business unless there is a behavioral issue and the human is asking for advice from a trainer.
Seriously ????My Beyonce can and always sleep in my bed with her Mommy ???? she has her own bed and everything else but ITS WHAT WE BOTH LOVE AND SHE WILL ALWAYS SLEEP WITH ME IN OUR KING SIZE BED????
I read your article and it was conflicting one reason not to let your pet sleep with you was it could make behavioral problems worse or start behavioral problems. I’m a therapist and I work with a lot of women who have been sexually abused and a pet is very therapeutic for them and makes them feel safe at night in their bed. I also work with a lot of males that have been sexually abused and they learn to give and receive love with a pet dog SO everyone is entitled to their opinions
Like everything else in the world, things seem to be out of control as to what’s normal, what’s not! Dogs in hotel rooms, grocery stores,restaurants, it’s too much & in my opinion, not good! Dogs in grocery baskets where people put their food, waking around open produce items, it needs to stop! In the bed, on couches, so nasty! People STOP!
This article is so untrue and crazy. Heartworm……lol! That is the funniest thing. The author tried but missed the mark. At least say you could get a flea vite or something that could really happen! Maybe get bit by the dog! Lol!
Susie, please read the room.
Susie, please keep comments related to the topic. The only association you made here is the word dogs. Find the right room to raise your personally, uneducated opinions. Fact is, since you brought it up, is that there is many more disgusting people than there are dogs in the world today and you should be more concerned with that.
Yeah well humans touching stuff is disgusting if not more so and if you’re that disturbed use a sanitizing wipe. Look at kids… gross poopy diaper butt in carts, booger fingers touching doors, food. I could go on. Dogs everywhere is far from wrong.
Yeah well humans are far more disgusting than dogs. And children, don’t get me started on how nasty and gross they can be touching everything.
Not to mention in airplanes, sat next to one owner with her dog out the cage, have to move to another seat
My dog is my emotional support animal and my family. She sleeps with me because I want her to she would rather sleep on the couch most nights. I have had dogs my whole life and have NEVER had adverse reactions medically or otherwise from having them sleep with me. I don’t kennel my dogs. They have never been trained automatons. We are comfort for each other. I think it is personal preference but people who kennel their dogs at night should consider how they would feel being caged, anytime. I know people say it’s the dog’s safe place but really, don’t you think a dog should feel safe with their person and in their home?
This article is poorly written and poorly reasearched.
It lust a goid deal of pros, all with actual studies and real benefits. Then it lists very few cons, all with outlying conditions and maybes and ifs. If you are allergic, if the dog is misbehaved, if it steps in poop.
This is an opinion piece where the author did not perform any research and should not be published here, especially under the false title of ‘study finds..’
I suppose we all need attention of sorts. I don’t agree with any of this and really this writing is to scare or put concerns on dog lovers that are not REAL! I am a senior have had countless dogs and still now they all have slept on our bed
????????
My 85lb GSD female sleeps on my bed. She has been doing so since she was 3mos old. I have had ZERO issues with my health or sleep under these conditions for 9 years!!! My Shepherd is trained with German and Dutch commands. This article is questionable at the very least. There is WAY TOO MUCH SPECULATIVE SO-CALLED SCIENCE BEING POSTED BY SO-CALLED EXPERTS. Regardless, I encourage trained expert and responsible dog owners to stop allowing “influencers” to affect your life. LET ME CONTINUE TO BE THE EXCEPTION TO WHATEVER THEY CAN DREAM UP!!!!
Professional dog trainer here- please don’t perpetuate dominance theory- it’s based on bunk science that’s been completely retracted. Create a mutually loving and trusting relationship with your dog and respect them as feeling individuals. Force or ‘dominance’ will only result in a stressful home and dog, leading to behavioral problems. Them sleeping with you in bed or not is completely preferential and should not affect your dog’s respect for you, unless you’re cruel to them.
Doesn’t matter to us, our Yorkie has been sleeping with us since we got him @ age 2, he is now 8, & will continue to sleep with us, even if he IS a bed & blanket hog.
I don’t care what anyone says, my dog is still going to sleep in the bed with me. He can get off the bed if he needs to go use his potty pad during the night. Sometimes, he just wants to get up and play or snoop around my stuff when he thinks I’m sleeping. When my baby is ready to come back to bed, he comes up to my side and scratches & whines until I pick him up and put him back on the bed. He snuggles up under the covers or right next to me. I couldn’t imagine sleeping without my baby boy!
My dogs have slept with me for years!! Sometimes I have 4 dogs in my bed if I’m pet sitting. I totally disagree with thos article. Jill schroader
The 90’s called, they want their dominance theory back. Sadly, many vets still believe in it.
Seriously, I’m a vet and the cons in this article are nonsense except maybe the asthma one. My dog sleeps with me.
Contracting heartworms from sleeping with your dog? LOL no,
Seriously?
There’s no replacement for being awakened at sunrise by a beagle pouncing on your chest, waiting for you to get up and take him to the dog park.
Or a weinerdog bouncing on your bladder because the need to go outside.
We have had an abused 55-pound Boxador who later spent four months at the city dogpound living with us for about seven years now. She has slept with my wife and I for virtually all of that time. Once, for maybe six months, my wife banished our dog from our King-sized bed entirely. Both the dog and I were very sad and upset about that. Eventually, Luna rejoined us, again creating a really happy mood for all three of us. I’m old (and disabled), our dog is now old with perhaps two to four more years left, and I don’t give a Fahrfegneuten about what experts think about it. I actually spend about 23 hours a day with Luna. She’s my best doggie friend and that’s OK.
I agree David and me too. My OneWon is a rescue who spent most of her life in a shelter and before that was a bait dog for dogfighting. We are each other’s emotional support. I wish you well.
Spend as much time as you can with her!
The cons are stupid. My dogs Don’t walk in their own poop, they are maltipoos so they’re hypoallergenic, on top of that one of them has Grandmal seizures in the middle of the night about once a month And I have to put liquid Valium in his butt to stop the seizures. If he wasn’t in the bed you wouldn’t know he was having seizures and he could die.
A single scientific or medical research study proves absolutely nothing. Remember the study which said non celiac disease related gluten intolerance is common or the study which said sugar, artificial flavorings, dyes and preservatives cause hyperactivity disorder and the study which said said saccharine is highly carcinogenic.
I don’t give a damn what ANYBODY says my dogs sleep with me. Always have Always will.
Heartworm is not transmitted by dogs to humans. As others have commented. Other bacteria picked up by dogs may be transmitted however far less likely if you consistently bathe and properly care for your dog.
yeah until you get a parasite from them like i did. cheyletiella aka walking dandruff. it’s very hard to get rid of and nothing online really explains what it is. it is like having body lice. the mites are visible and they come out of your skin. it doesn’t go away until it goes away in the dogs because you get reinfected. i can see small mites crawling out of my skin. my vet diagnosed the dogs. my dermatologist is treating me with ivermectin, permethrin and corticosteroids. it’s been almost one year and finally it’s just about gone. i LOVED sleeping with my dogs. i love them so much. they are my little ones. now they aren’t even allowed upstairs. they are on bravecto chewable, revolution topical and metronidazole cream for the skin. one of my dogs lost all of his hair to this horrible parasite. there are 3 kinds of mange- demodectic (not contagious to humans), sarcoptic (scabies-contagious to humans- which is called zoonotic), and the worst one cheylettiella also known as walking dandruff- which is zoonotic. don’t sleep with your dogs. it’s not worth the risk. i am up at 3:03am covered in selsun blue shampoo ready to shampoo my carpets. the mites can’t reproduce on a human so they time out and die within 45 days max or until you use things on your skin they don’t like making them come out. i’m an expert with this now, ugh. no dogs in the bed ever. thank me later. you’re welcome
I agree 100%with you every fur baby I ever owed dog or cat has always slept with me they have and always will
I read your article so I ask my vet and he read the article and at the end just said that he thought the article was bull crap. He has been a vet for 40 years. So I asked a few other vets I know. I’m a trainer retired after 35 years. So I started to call some of the other vets I know and worked with 9 of them only one agreed with you. So I don’t know the vets you talked with but in the real world your article doesn’t hold up. I trained dogs for the military service for most of that time. My conclusion is like my vets bull crap.
Vet visit for new puppy a few months ago..she asked what our situation was. Told her the 5 year old has always slept with us like all the others before him. Told her the puppy is right there too now. She didnt comment but smiled and nodded her head.
Seriously, has the writer ever owned a dog? I truly hope not, because they seem to really dislike dogs. Lots of misinformation.
I totally agree with this comment.
She has not. That is obvious.
I Agree, I had a Yorkie for 13 before my roommate poisoned her and she died in my arms at the animal hospital, she slept in my bed every night she ment the world to me.
Right on. I am sick of these don/do it articles that sound like you are an expert! It is between you and your dog and your vet! And my vet sleeps with his fur babies too! If you care for your dog..and wash their feet brush them..wash them and groom them as well as feed them properly..they are healthy. Probably more than your kid who picks their nose and share lunch at school.
1000% agree. My dogs will sleep with me forever.
All good points, all good points. The only thing I’d point out is, humans cannot get heartworm disease via pets. Pets cannot even transmit heartworm disease from pet to pet. It is spread by mosquitoes. However, this article was informative and interesting nonetheless.
In addition to what Lydia said, heartworm disease in humans is incredibly rare and typical immune response will take care of it, unlike in dogs. I hope you’ll consider correcting the article so that people do not believe this to be true and begin to fear their possibly heartworm positive dog.
If you protect your dog from heartworm like good owners do. This would not be a problem. Also, l have had a dog in my bed for 10 years no issues! I don’t find this arrival is true at all.
You can catch other parasites-ecto parasites such as cheylettiella aka walking dandruff and sarcoptic mange. I know this first hand because i caught cheyletiella from my dogs who used to sleep in bed with us. now they can only sleep downstairs. it’s been a nightmare and it’s almost over. it is hard to get rid of in the home. we had to treat outside, our home, our pets and ourselves. do yourself a favor. do not sleep with your dogs ever anymore. i no longer do so.
Sorry for your experience.
Must be a new one, I have been in the dog business for 50 years and never heard of it.
Really, 50 years and you’ve never heard of sarcoptic mange?
These are not at all good points. The last three cons are just quick bullet points that don’t even describe a problem. I will agree with the unruly dog needing to be trained, but that is really an entirely different subject vs. why dogs shouldn’t be in bed.
The intention was clear from the beginning yet still poorly executed.