According to a recent survey by the leading company the American Pet Products Association, more than 42 percent of dog owners welcome Fido to join them for a good night’s rest in the comfort of their own beds. Given the choice between your ultra luxurious Simmons Beautyrest Austin mattress and the finest dog bed your pet store offers, chances are pretty good that Fido’s going to climb in right beside you to catch some zzzz’s. Yet whether or not you share your bed with your pooch is a personal decision. Some dog owners love the comfort of having their best canine pal nearby. Yet others still find they don’t get their best rest if they have to wrestle with Fido to get into the most comfortable sleeping position or to end up with the lion’s share of the blankets. While there is no right or wrong answer to this question, there are lots of variables to consider when trying to decide if your dog should share your bed with you.
Why Share Your Bed With Your Dog
Regardless of whether you are a Serta man or a Simmons kind of guy, there is no doubt that your mattress is always going to be preferable to even the most elite dog bed when it comes to your fave furry friend. And who can blame him? Who wouldn’t want to snuggle up to their favorite person on a mattress as soft as a down-filled pillow and under the silky warmth of Egyptian cotton sheets and heavy wool blankets? Just thinking about it is enough to make you consider crawling back in bed yourself! While a large percentage of American families choose to invite Fido to join them as they wander off to the land of Nod, it isn’t the right choice for every family. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to allow your pooch to join you for a snooze, here are some important factors to consider:
Sharing your bed with your dog promotes relaxation.
Research shows that the simple act of petting a beloved pet significantly reduces stress and increases feelings of contentedness and relaxation. Having your dog near to you at night will help you to feel more at ease, encouraging your body to release the tensions of the day and give in to the sweet allure of sleep. For many dog owners, sleeping with their pooch actually improves the quality of their rest rather than detracts from it.
Sharing your bed with your dog helps to keep you warm.
If you share your home—and your bed—with a menopausal woman, you’ve likely spent more than a few nights freezing to death whenever a hot flash strikes the lady in your life. Strike another vote in favor of sleeping with Fido! Your pooch will happily cuddle up next to you, providing that extra layer of warmth to keep frostbite at bay while your wife can cool down on her side of your Sealy Posturepedic bed. Not only do you stay toasty warm, your wife gets to enjoy her temperature of choice as well—a win-win, for sure!
Sharing your bed with your dog adds an extra layer of security.
Dogs take their role as our protectors very seriously, and to best to do their work, they like to remain close to us. Since our dogs possess hearing which is far more acute than our own, they are able to detect even the faintest of noises that could put your household at risk. Allowing Fido pride of place in your bed allows him to keep a close eye on you and a close ear on what’s going on around him at the same time, providing an added element of security for your home. Should your dog hear a suspicious sounding noise, you won’t be able to miss his alert barking if he is right beside you!
Sharing your bed to your dog increases feelings of contentment.
Is there a greater joy than basking in the company of someone that you love? We love our pets, and we relish the opportunity to spend time with them, and it’s even better if it involves a little pre-dreamland cuddling. Enjoying the closeness of your pet encourages a sense of contentment which helps to relieve tension and promotes healthy sleep patterns.
Sharing your bed with your dog enhances your bond.
There is no doubt that spending time together relaxing in bed is an excellent way to increase your bond with your beloved dog. Both dogs and owners enjoy being in close proximity to one another. A shared activity, even if it is a passive one such as sleeping, is a great way to connect with your dog. The ritual of climbing into bed unites you together in a common enjoyable experience which enriches your relationship.
Why You Shouldn’t Share Your Bed With Your Dog
Though the benefits of sharing your bed with your dog are hard to deny, many prefer to let sleeping dogs lie in their own beds and keep their mattresses exclusively for human use. Though old school notions of “dominance” have long been debunked, there is one resounding reason why many dog owners come down firmly on the side of keeping their bed a “No dogs allowed” zone. Since dogs are creatures of habit and like to select their own spot in your bed, they often don’t move much once settled into “their” space. Unfortunately, the spot that Fido chooses as his own might not coincide all that well with where you are most comfortable. The constant struggle to find a sleeping position that doesn’t make your feel like a contortionist robs you of valuable sleep, meaning you wake up tired. Once a sleep deficit is established, it can be very difficult to recoup. For this reason, many families like to limit doggy bonding time to non-sleeping hours.
Does your pooch like to sleep in your bed? If so, you are not alone! Lots of families like to share their sleeping havens with their best canine pals. If you find yourself preferring to catch some zzzz’s alone, that’s okay too. When it comes to whether or not to share your bed with a beloved pet, it’s a personal choice with no right or wrong answer. So long as Fido has a comfy place to take a snooze, he’ll be one happy boy!
