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Both myself and my DH sleep too lightly to share our bed with dogs. Everyone who can be loose in the house has a bed in our bedroom. I either made or remodeled every bed to have a nice memory foam pad. The Papillons are usually happy to sleep in their beds, although Swiffer sometimes chooses teh master bathroom mat. Ross sometimes chooses his bed, but he sometimes likes to sleep on the couch.

 

Argos sleeps in his kennel in the livingroom, about 6' from our bedroom door.

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Lark, Pip, and Phoebe sleep on the bed with me. Sometimes Twist joins us, but she rarely stays there the entire night. When Lark was a pup, I took her to work and she was crated in my van (private parking lot) and I took her out to play during the day. Then we had a couple of hours at home, then back in the crate for bed time. I felt bad about how much she was crated, and as she was a tiny puppy and I had a very tall antique bed, I started letting her sleep on the bed with me at night (since I knew she couldn't get off by herself). So she grew up thinking that a dog's place is on the bed.

 

Twist and Jill generally sleep under the bed (Twist *is* known as the troll under the bed), though Twist also likes to have a wicker basket in which to sleep if she chooses. She had a couple, including a cool Moses basket, but Willow chewed all but one.

 

Kat sleeps in an open crate in the bedroom, and Farleigh sleeps in the small space between that crate and a dresser (he's on a sheepskin dog bed).

 

Willow sleeps on the floor on a bed that's at the back corner of my bed. She used to occasionally sleep on my bed, but she can't jump up there anymore.

 

Ranger sleeps somewhere on the floor--often he will get in the small space between the bed and the wall, but other times he crawls under the bed and sleeps on the more open side. If there's a bitch in heat, he sleeps in a crate because he's obnoxious.

 

At any rate, they all sleep in the bedroom with me. Jill might choose to stay on her couch in the living room at night, but I prefer to have them in the room where I am.

 

When Boy was still alive, he chose most often to sleep between the toilet and the tub in the bathroom. In a different house, he used to sleep in a closet (without a door). Sometimes he would also sleep on a big orthopedic dog bed with a soft "pillow top" bed on top. Here, Boy pretty much had the run of the bathroom and the computer/dog room, and he also had a night light in the bathroom to help him see to get around at night.

 

J.

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Sophie sleeps on a dog bed in my room, Taz sleeps either on my bed or in his open crate or sometimes on the floor next to my bed, and everyone else sleeps in crates. Craig and Ike are probably safest in crates, plus there is no chance of fights when they are crated, and Meg, at nearly 10 months, is still eating/playing with inappropriate objects. If I left her out of her crate all night, I'd probably wake up to a scene straight out of Twister...

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Ceana sleeps at my feet on the bed. She has slept there ever since she was a pup. Poke sleeps on one of two dog beds either by DH's side or mine. Poke likes to have his space. Sita is my personal space heater. She will either cuddle in a ball right against my side, or stretch out and she cuddles in against me.

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(Twist *is* known as the troll under the bed

 

Except at my house, where it's Tweed ;-)

 

Tweed won't sleep on a dog bed for love nor money. I would think that at going-on-11 he would be ready for some comfort, but he absolutely insists on laying on the hard floor.

RDM

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Allie typically starts off the night on my bed, snugged up against my legs. At some point in the wee hours she moves to the futon until early morning alarms go off, at which point she'll either go in her crate, or if I'm sleeping in, she'll come back to the bed.

 

My previous dog Ansel slept next to the door, back legs in the air, head usually on some shoes.

 

My folks' dogs were supposed to sleep on dog beds downstairs in the office. One still does (once properly tucked under his blanket), but the other one kept sneaking into the bedroom, and now sleeps on the floor next to my mom's nightstand.

 

As for *why* they do? Who knows...

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Georgia sleeps on the bed. It took her four nights to convince my husband. He didn't want her up there but she was determined. She starts the night at the foot of the bed and by the time we wake up she's curled up at the head of the bed on top of the pillows. You'd think she'd be in the way, surprisingly she's not.

 

Texi used to sleep on the bed with us too. But he's a bed hog and would grumble as Georgia migrated during the night. So now he starts off the night curled up with me but as soon as I fall asleep or turn the TV off he leaves. For the longest time he was sleeping out in the living room. But I folded up a a couple quilts on the floor on my side of the bed and he's decided that's AOK. I have to admit, I didn't like him sleeping in the living room all by his lonesome.

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Rusty, Electra and Misty sleep in my bed with me,although Rusty occsionally chooses to sleep under my bed. Happy sleeps in my room, but on the floor. she preferes it, I am not sure why..her mom is the same way, has always been allowed on the bed, but chooses the floor. Ladybug sleeps on a Kuranda in the bathroom, she wont sleep with the others, I think she just hates to be crowded, she's her own dog lol

 

I should qualify that Misty sleeps with me in my bed, but when I get up, as soon as she comes in from her potty break, she zips up the stairs and sleeps with my mom until breakfast. she tries very hard to make sure we both get one on one attention lol

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I've never been able to convince Ouzo that dog beds are for dogs. He thinks they're just stuff I better pick up from the floor and put them away since they're in his way.

 

He jumps in bed with me and curls at my side - on my husband's side of the bed - as I read before the book becomes too heavy and hits me in the head. Then, as soon as I turn off the light and wish him a good night, he jumps off and goes to hang out with Chris who's a night owl (as well as my husband tongue.gif ). Throughout the night he would come back to bed with us, then jump off, wander off from room to room, downstairs on the cold tile in front of the entrance door, then back up with us or on the couch in the living-room.

 

If Chris falls asleep watching TV on the couch, then the chance of me walking up in the morning with Ouzo splayed out next to me, head of Chris' pillow, all legs in the air is about 99.99 % :)

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Nick, Ginger and Moon sleep on the bed with me - they line up in the other human spot. Invariably Nick manages to somehow stretch his long self out against me and practically roasts me out of the bed. Linc sleeps in a crate (he has his issues, and he moves around too much... I'm a light sleeper and the moving wakes me up). June sleeps on the living room couch, though on very rare occasion it makes me smile to find her curled up on the bed behind my knees. This is a HUGE progression for June. Zippy, the Papillon, sleeps in his tiny little bed on the floor on my side of the bed - and the bed MUST be near the head of the bed according to Zippy.

 

Incidentally, with regards to the light sleeping, I can hear their feet padding around on the carpet. I have a firm "you'd better mostly stay put at night" policy.

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When Boy was still alive, he chose most often to sleep between the toilet and the tub in the bathroom. In a different house, he used to sleep in a closet (without a door). Sometimes he would also sleep on a big orthopedic dog bed with a soft "pillow top" bed on top. Here, Boy pretty much had the run of the bathroom and the computer/dog room, and he also had a night light in the bathroom to help him see to get around at night.

 

I thought Gil was the only wacky dog to want to sleep there[between the toilet & the tub]! I can't stand it so I have to keep the bathroom door closed most of the time or she'll practically live in there.

 

Sprite starts out on the bed & but ends up in one of the 2 huge Perla beds that are lined with comfy blankets. Gilly takes the other- sometimes they trade over night. Sprite stopped spooning when I bought the tempurpedic mattress... I think it is too hot. LeeRoy & Oscar (my mom's Yorkie-here for boot camp) camp out in their "Fort" in the dining room (just outside the bedroom). LeeRoy has separation anxiety & literally paints crate walls with poop if I leave him in a crate overnight so I made him a doggie fort out of an ex-pen. Like any decent fort it has to have a top because he will climb out in about 2 seconds...His initials are L.B. & it is not just for LeeRoy Brown!

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My two Rat Terries generally sleep in the bed with me. "Five" used to sleep in the recliner in my room until she got to arthritic to jump into it. Then she slept on a dog bed. The male Border Collies and the mix breed dog sleep in crates with the doors shut because the tension between the dogs is too great and fights would break out if they were allowed to mingle freely

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Tweed won't sleep on a dog bed for love nor money. I would think that at going-on-11 he would be ready for some comfort, but he absolutely insists on laying on the hard floor.

RDM

 

That's how Jaax is. At 14 he still prefers the hardwood floor 9 times out of 10. Once in a while he'll sleep on a sleeping bag. Hope, Twinkie and Bear use the sleeping bags or throw rugs. Curly and Wilbur always on the bed. Zoe and Stella sometimes the bed sometimes the couch. Bree, the foster dog sleeps on a rug or the chair.

Laura

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Where I'm at now, my two cant be in the house so they stay in their dog houses in the barn.

 

I cant wait to have a home where they can be in the house with me again.

 

Flye, my female that I lost a little over a year ago was on the bed with me. She was attached to me at the hip =) I miss her.

 

Casper will lay on the bed for while, but then he gets down b/c he gets too hot. He's very fluffy. He sleeps beside my side of the bed.

 

Fatboy (the pup) will sprawl out beside you and on you on the bed lol.

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All three of mine are in bed with me. I upgraded to a King sized bed just for the dogs (I'm the only human in the house). Secret always takes the top of the top of the bed, in front of the spare pillow. Luke's spot is the bottom half of the bed opposite to the side I'm on. Kaiser goes somewhere in between, but in the winter he's generally curled into a ball and pressed into my side. I drop the heat to 64 at night, so I guess he's cold. :P

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Fergie, the 15-year-old grande dame, sleeps in the den. In her wing-back chair with the seat cushion removed, on her thick cushioned bed, on her thin fleece bed, or on the carpet. Maggie the attack cat also sleeps in the den because she has to be the CNA for Fergie. Honest - she makes that quite clear. They also have the kitchen, breakfast room, and laundry room. Which means the water bowls and kitty litter. And views of the deer.

 

They used to sleep upstairs with us. But Ferg's arthritis makes the climbs up and down both difficult and dangerous. And Maggie refuses to leave her big sister.

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Hannah sleeps on her bed right beside my side of the bed and Turbo sleeps on a bed on DH's side, however he has a leash which is tied to one of the mattress handles so he can't sneak off in the middle of the night. Hannah will come up on the bed and snuggle if I ask her to, and will stay there until I am asleep. Then, she will sneak off the bed back onto hers. If we let Turbo on the bed, he becomes a sprawling bedlump and has no problems at all laying right on top of us or stepping on us or trying to push us out of his way. I let Turbo on the bed if DH is away because that way there is still enough room for both of us. Once he's on the bed, its hard to get him off.

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Tansy and Pippin generally sleep on the bed, but Pippin doesn't start there. Hamish sleeps in a crate in the bedroom because he still eats illicit stuff on occasion. Kyzer moves around but lately sleeps in an open crate. Rafe sleeps on a bed under our bed, Renzo sleeps in a kitty cuddle at the side of the bed until morning when he gets on the bed. Laddie (the puppy) sleeps in his crate until morning when he comes up for snuggles. Two cats also sleep on the bed fairly regularly. So, it can happen that there are two people, four dogs and two cats on the bed. Not a lot of moving around for anyone at that point.

 

Once he notices someone stirring, Kyzer begins bouncing on and off the bed in anticipation. He has to endure snout grabs from Tansy for that, but seems to think it's a small price to pay. No one else seems to grumble much about encroachment, though one of the cats will swat the puppy.

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I want to do the right things for my dogs, and sometimes I question whether I do. I was reading a book on dominance and it was saying that you should never let a dog in your room or pet a dog on their demand. I am really glad to read that others allow their dogs on the bed with them.

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I know there are several training theories that say dogs shouldn't be on the human's bed because then they don't "respect" you or some hogwash like that.

 

Basically, if letting your dog on the bed causes issues, those issues stem from other areas of your relationship -- Not just the bedroom.

 

If ANY of my dogs exhibited aggressive or dominant tendencies on the bed they would be kicked off. The bed is mine, it is our happy place. The dogs earn their way onto the bed, always starting off life in a crate next to it. They are invited onto the bed and any negative behavior (including moving around) gets them put back into the crate. They learn pretty quickly!

 

I would be very, very lonely without the dogs. And cold. They throw off a lot of heat!

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I also have a "troll under the bed", Alex, but he doesn't sleep under there. He just likes to hang out sometimes. Anyway, three of mine sleep in the bed with us. Alex usually between our pillows, Willie pressed up as tight as possible to one of us, and Lilly likes to burrow under the covers. Jack sleeps out in the living room on one of the couches, by his choice.

 

My husband bemoans the fact that we ever started letting them sleep with us, and just this week tried to encourage one or more to sleep on the floor. He brought in the dog bed from the living room and he and the three of them went to bed before me. When I came in, all three dogs were snuggled in bed with him, so I took the dog bed back out to the living room so the cat could sleep in it! :lol:

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I want to do the right things for my dogs, and sometimes I question whether I do. I was reading a book on dominance and it was saying that you should never let a dog in your room or pet a dog on their demand. I am really glad to read that others allow their dogs on the bed with them.

 

I think it all depends on the dog. If you've got a pushy, dominant dog forget it. But otherwise, why not?

 

My only rule is that they'd better not disturb me if they're on my bed :lol:

Kenzi used to bounce around like c.r.a.z.y. I kept kicking her off. Now I can go to sleep with one dog on the bed (Missy) and wake up with three. They jump up very carefully so they don't disturb me and they stay curled up until I wake up :D

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I know there are several training theories that say dogs shouldn't be on the human's bed because then they don't "respect" you or some hogwash like that.

 

Basically, if letting your dog on the bed causes issues, those issues stem from other areas of your relationship -- Not just the bedroom.

 

Totally agree.

 

I do have a few rules about dogs on furniture. It is a privilege, humans always take precedence (they know to get out of the way if they see a human butt headed where they are lying :lol:) and they do not get any say in whether other dogs are allowed up. Otherwise, they are welcome. All my dogs have been kicked off the bed or other furniture at one point or the other if they resource guard it in any way. They figure it out pretty quickly. I consider that part of basic house manners.

 

I don't put much stock in dominance theory when it comes to living with my dogs but I do my best to be a clear, consistent leader with them.

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I want to do the right things for my dogs, and sometimes I question whether I do. I was reading a book on dominance and it was saying that you should never let a dog in your room or pet a dog on their demand. I am really glad to read that others allow their dogs on the bed with them.

 

As has been said, you'd know it if you shouldn't be allowing the dog to share "your space" -- you'd be having other problems with them as well. I don't have a problem with my bunch getting up on certain pieces of furniture of their own accord, but they for darn sure should get off when I come to claim it, (which they do) :). The boys actually really only crawl all over DH when he's in his recliner. The rest of the time, they're on the floor like respectable dogs. I find Ladybug in my recliner or on the sofa in the TV room more often than not, or on the bed upstairs and Ladybug has rank and privilege and takes her half out of the middle of the bed most nights. In fact, now that she's older and might get chilly, I find DH stealing blankets to cover her up!

 

As for the other two, they're in crates at night, but they get their turn in the recliner with DH, though Robin only takes his turn because he can. He prefers the various "spots" I've trained him to -- he's the only dog I've ever told, "That's your spot," and have it stick. I think it was the clicker training. Brodie hangs out with his best Bud -- DH, either on his lap in the recliner, or beside it. He did get to choose his "spot" -- right by DH!

 

 

 

 

 

Liz

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