Should Your Dog Sleep in Your Bed? Pros, Cons & Dog Trainer Advice (2026)

Last updated: 18/01/25

Key Takeaways

✅ Sleeping with your dog is not automatically bad

⚠️ Some dogs develop over-dependence or boundary issues

🛏️ Calm, well-trained dogs usually cope best

🏡 Training and structure matter more than the sleeping location itself

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.

At Focus On Dog Training, we help dog owners across Melbourne’s Western Suburbs build calm behaviour and healthy boundaries inside the home through personalised in-home dog training.

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.

Signs Sleeping in Your Bed May Be Causing Behaviour Issues

• Growling near the bed
• Seperation anxiety
• Over-attachment
• Difficulty settling alone
• Resource guarding

These behaviours are often signs your dog needs clearer structure and boundaries — not punishment.

A Dog Trainer’s Perspective

In many cases, dogs can sleep on the bed without issue — provided they already have calm behaviour, structure and clear boundaries elsewhere in the home. Confidence and independence in a dog are the key pillars of training and more important than the sleeping location of a dog. 

As a dog trainer, I have helped  many Western suburb families reach different sleeping arrangement outcomes  which work best for them and their dog.

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.