Who does not like a nighttime full of snuggles? We have three dogs. Two of them (Albert and Emma) don’t like to be disturbed during sleep time. Both of them prefer to go to their respective doggie beds at night. Stanley, on the other hand, is a professional snuggler.
Over 60% of dog owners consider their pets to be their family members. Therefore, it is not surprising that many dog owners welcome their furry family members in their bed. In fact, about half of pet owners allow their pets in the bedroom. People co-sleeping with their pets is not a modern practice. Some traditional cultures such as Aboriginal Australians often slept beside their dogs and/or dingoes for warmth and protection from evil spirits.
A recent study evaluated whether dog ownership is associated with better sleep, exercise, and health. The study found that dog owners were able to fall asleep more easily than owners of other pets, or no pets. Most likely the reason for this may be that dog owners frequently walk their dogs just before going to bed, and this activity could have a relaxing effect on the dog owner helping them to fall asleep more easily. However, some dog owners reported waking more tired. This observation makes sense if your dog wakes up often at night.
Dr. Krahn’s research group at Mayo Clinic evaluated whether a dog in the bedroom or bed disturbs sleep. In the study , they monitored dog owners and their dogs for seven nights. The owners had to wear a wrist monitor that would record the movements and light. The dogs were monitored with dog collar monitor that detected movement.
🐾 The study found that a single dog in the bedroom does not affect human sleep significantly.
🐾 Humans with dogs had a satisfactory sleep efficiency (slept most of the night).
🐾 Sleep efficiency for the owner was higher if the dog was in the bedroom but not on the bed.
Unfortunately, the study only included 40 human/dog participants. Therefore, the group was too small to determine whether dog size had an impact on human sleep. Although, I suspect (based on my own experience) that sleeping with three tiny chihuahuas or Maltese dogs would be less disruptive than sleeping with three 100lb Labrador retrievers, or three Newfies.
I was surprised to learn that dogs sleep well independently of their location or human companion. In other words, fluffy will sleep well regardless of him sleeping with you or not. As long as he/she has a comfortable, cozy, quiet place to sleep, your dog will sleep fine. Therefore, if you have good reasons to transfer your dog to its own bed, do not feel guilty. As long as you provide a comfortable, safe place for Fido to sleep, he will be ok.
Few things to keep in mind are:
🐾 If you have allergies, it may not be a good idea to sleep with your dog since sleeping with Molly may aggravate your allergies.
🐾 Also, if your dog is showing signs of aggression or any other behavioral problem that is intensified by co-sleeping, provide your dog with his own sleeping space while you consult with a professional trainer, your vet or a behavior consultant.
Do you let Milo sleep in your bed at night? Does Fluffy sleep in your bedroom? If yes, I would love to hear why it is important for you to share that space with your hairy fluffy pet.
All I can say is that my three dogs sleep in our bedroom and I can’t imagine a better way to start my day than waking up to three tail-wagging doggies.
The sleeping woman and its dog , focus on a dog.
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