Last updated: 18/01/25

Key Takeaways

• There are both positives and negatives to letting your dog sleep in your bed

• A dog who has mastered basic training makes a much better bed partner than one who has not.
• If you sleep with a partner, they may disagree with your decision
• Hyenine needs to be considered before letting your dog sleep in your bed 

Should I let my dog sleep in my bed?

I recently upgraded my bed from a Queen to a King size to ensure, my wife and I and our dog have enough room. As a trainer with over ten years of experience, I let my dog sleep in our bed. However, it is not a solution that suits us all.

In this article, we will examine the pros and cons of allowing your dog to sleep in your bed. I hope that by the end, you will be able to make an informed choice. 

What are the benefits of letting your dog sleep in your bed?

To start we will examine the pros of letting your dog share your bed.

Stress relief

The presence of your dog at night can help ease concerns and worries you may have before you drift off to sleep.

Bonding

Cuddling overnight with your dog releases oxytocin, the hormone, responsible for increased feelings of affection.

Improved sleep quality

A Mayo Clinic study recently found that women in particular sleep better with a dog than with a cat or partner. Overall study findings showed many pet parents of both genders did not report their dog disrupted their sleep.

What are the negatives?

There are of course also cons to having your dog sleep in your sleeping environment. These include:

Your partner may disagree with dog in bed

If you also share your bed with a human partner, you both need to be on board with the decision made. For all those who reported their sleep was not disturbed (above) there will be some who find they do not want to sleep with a dog in their space.

If you do need to change the sleeping set up,  I recommend you do so slowly and consult a qualified dog trainer if you feel the transition is becoming difficult.

Resource guarding

For some dogs feelings of ownership over the bed (or a particular spot on the bed) may develop. If your dog growls when you attempt to move it or approach it could be showing signs of resource guarding. Head over to our dedicated resource guarding blog for our tips to resolve.

Things to consider 

Training

A dog who has mastered basic training makes a much better bed partner than one who has not. To brush up on or begin your dogs’ training, check out our training blog.

Hygiene

If you decide to let your dog sleep in your bed ensure you keep up with regular flea treatments and grooming. When it comes to your bedding, I recommend Pet Lab (product)

Sweet Dreams

Danie, Focus On Dog Training

For more help book an In-home or On-site training session, tailored to the needs of your dog and your family.

Focus On Dog Training offers expert, private training services near you. In-home training is available in a range of suburbs including Werribee, Tarneit

To train at our facility, we welcome dogs and puppies from across Melbourne.