New dog owners often ask whether it is okay to have your dog sleep in the bed with them. The answer is yes, but you should consider some things before inviting a puppy to share your bed. There can be some behavioral problems such as misconduct, acting out, and over possession. With proper training, you and your dog can get a good night’s sleep together. So, if you want to know how to train a dog to sleep in your bed, keep reading the article to the very end.
Dogs are loving and friendly pets, and they quickly become an inherent part of the family. Dogs want to sleep with you simply because of love and affection. Furthermore, a dog is a “pack” animal, and sleeping in a pack also gives them extra warmth and security. If you want your dog to sleep with you, teach him rules that I will tell you below for a better sleep experience.
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Contents
What to Consider Before Letting Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed
It would be best if you considered Several Things before you let your dog sleep in your bed. If your dog does not fulfill these requirements, I would not recommend you sleep with your dog. I have listed some of these recommendations below for your ease.
Your dog should be potty trained. If not, then you should first train your dog for potty. It can be done in a variety of ways, such as using dog crates.
Make sure that you are not allergic to dogs. Dog’s hair or fleas can make you allergic. If you let your dog sleep with you, Chances of getting an allergy can be increased. In this situation, just let your dog sleep elsewhere or use anti-allergens regularly.
If you feel comfortable alone or a light sleeper, then you should not let your dog sleep with you. Some dogs are too big to cover your whole bed and always try to sleep on your head or stretch enough to thrust you close the bed’s edge.
How Do I Train My Dog To Sleep in my Bed?
You must be passionate enough to know these instructions for training your pup. You do not have to wait much because now; I will share five super easy and amazing steps for better training of your dog sharing your bed.
Step #1Introduce Dog to Your Room
First of all, you should introduce your dog to the bedroom in a proper manner. Dogs are cautious about unfamiliar things, so it would take some days to get familiar with your bedroom. If your dog is habitual of sleeping in his room, sleeping in your room will be a new routine for the dog. This behavior can be stressful for your dog. Therefore, you should invite the dog to your bedroom in the right way to avoid any ambiguity.
Sleep Practice on Pet Blanket
When your dog gets familiar with your bedroom, you should better train him with a pet blanket or mat on the floor. You should train your dog to lie on the mat using the “down” command. Keep training your pup on the mat for a few days, before moving him on the bed.
Step #3Get Dog Familiar with Bed
Dogs are very upset at unfamiliar places. Therefore, you should somehow train your dog to get familiar with your bed too. It can be done in many ways. You can reward the dog every time he jumps on your bed. The dog has a very positive response towards food as a reward. Keep giving him treats until you feel that he is “Okay” or “free” with your bed.
Step #4Place Blanket on Bed
After training your dog on a pet blanket, you should choose the area where you want your dog to sleep. Place the blanket in the selected area. You might have to guide him again with some treats. Make sure to dog that you are in charge. Otherwise, he may become territorial and cover too much space to make you uneasy. You should discourage this kind of behavior.
Step #5Necessary Precautions for Better Experience
Following the Above training, your dog will get used to sleeping with you in your bed. It would be best if you took some precautions, which will better your experience more.
You should train your dog to jump on bed only at your invitation. If you let him jump on the bed at his desire, he may become boss of your bedroom. Always make him sure that it is your bed, and he will jump only on your orders.
It would be best if you took him out for the toilet break before going to bed. This step will be much helpful for smoother sleep.
You should better train dog to follow your commands. This is a crucial step towards smoother bedtime. In the meantime, you should discourage unwanted behavior. Dogs can respond to negative reinforcement, which can disturb your sleep. Dogs do this to grab your attention. So, you can discourage them by ignoring them or by taking something away.
You should better respects your dog comfort zone. Some dogs do not like cuddling especially at sleep time. Therefore, if your dog growls in response to cuddling, you should avoid it. Allow your dog to sleep in his comfort zone.
Final Thoughts:
There are no strict precautions when it comes to your puppy ought to sleep with you on your bed or not. If your pup not creating any issue for you and are comfortable with him, go for it.
Even after you train your dog to sleep with you, you should take some necessary measures for a better experience. You should train a dog to follow your commands; otherwise, he will become territorial and cause behavioral problems. You should also follow his comfort zone for a smoother sleep experience.
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