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Is it bad to allow your GSD to sleep in your bed with you?

153K views 263 replies 204 participants last post by  Gaia 
#1 ·
First post, dont hold back :p

My 5 month old GSD has his own bed, and uses it most nights, however some nights I need to go to sleep and he just isn't getting bored or comfy, If I let him in my bed with me he goes right to sleep. Now Im aware this might not be the best thing down the road. But if i continue to do this, is it really going to haunt me in the future?
 
#2 ·
No I don't think it's bad at all.It's a personal preference. All of our dogs have plenty of comfortable spots to sleep and so I don't let them sleep in bed with my husband and I,but they are usually in the bedroom on one of the dog beds or in some other part of the house.For the ones who aren't trustworthy unsupervised,they sleep in crates. Before we go to bed,they can jump up on the bed and hang out if they want to. As long as the dog(s) isn't claiming the bed,I see nothing wrong with them sleeping in the bed with people.
 
#260 ·
This is my experience!!!!! Alex used to go to bed before we did... in our bed. So then we would go to bed and he would get disgusted and leave. I really think he thought we should be on the floor/couch/dog bed and he was the owner of the comfy king sized bed!
 
#4 ·
I have read that it messes with pack structure (I think on Leerburg), and you should never let them, they will not respect you as pack leader. I personally don't completely agree, unless you have a very dominate dog. Mine have never wanted to sleep in bed with me, except as tiny pups... I guess I kick too much or something :p
Axel will jump up and get affection for a few minutes, then he gets down and sleeps right beside on the floor.
 
#11 ·
I have read that it messes with pack structure (I think on Leerburg), and you should never let them, they will not respect you as pack leader.
I was taught this in class, me being the skeptic that i am, I let Max sleep in the bed with me for a few days, and sure enough, you could see a change in his willingness to obey commands
 
#5 ·
We've always let ours sleep in the bed with us, never had any problems with it. Other than sometimes not having leg room, LOL. Of course, we'd always established that we were leader, and if we wanted them to get off the bed, command given and they would get off, no questions.
I don't think it would interfere with the pack structure unless you already had a problem in that area in the first place, as one poster mentioned, a very dominant dog.
Personal preference, I guess. Most of our GSD's would sleep on the bed for a while, then they'd jump off after a few and go to their own bed. Jaeger on the other hand, is a big cuddle bear, and has to sleep with some part of him touching us all night. Rarely does he get off the bed unless we ask him to. :)
Course, hubby and I kind of like having them with us anyway.
 
#6 ·
our dog has a dog bed in our bedroom and livingroom.
most nights he starts out sleeping with us. when it's
time to go to bed i say "it's sleepy". our dog will walk
down the hallway and either lay on his bed untill we get
in bed.or sit beside our bed and wait for us to get
in bed then he'll jump in. we don't have a problem with our
dog being on the bed or the sofa. if i want our dog off the
bed or sofa we can say "off the bed", "get down" we can point
to the floor, etc. you want to be able to controll the situation.
you want to be able to call him to the bed and off the bed.
 
#7 ·
To each his own. I shower every day but my dog does not so I don't want his dirt and hair in my bed, but I know enough people who do who don't have discipline problems with their dogs.
 
#50 ·
Same here, GSD shed a lot, and I shower in the morning and at night because I like things clean I cannot imagine sleeping in your dog's fur and slober. What I do if say im in the bedroom studying and don't want the dog to be separated from me, I put extra blanket on the top of my bed and the dog lays down on it. but not under the comfroter and not on the sheets, yuk.
 
#8 ·
We let our guys sleep where they want. Our GSD/BMastiff mix sleeps in the spare guest bedroom on that bed, our male GSD sleeps on the floor in our bedroom on one of the two dog beds or the hallway, or youngest female GSD sleeps on the bed at our feet...and right now the 10wk old puppy sleeps also on the bed with us or he jumps down like our other male and goes to one of the dog beds.... It's the only way I can get him 1 to stay quiet at night and 2 with me being preg when I feel him move at night it wakes me up to let him out generally on my same bathroom night schedule for myself. If I wasn't preg and using e bathroom so often at night we may have tried crate training him at night but letting him out every two hrs just to scream for an hr every time seemed not worth it and let him stay with us and we haven't had any accidents.
To each their own.
 
#9 ·
All of mine are free to sleep wherever they choose. The golden is always on the bed with me, the older dog starts out on the bed then moves to one of the dog beds and the GSD moves around all night. The only time the GSD will sleep on the bed all night long is if she is completely exhausted....she is in the same exact spot I last seen her in..usually right next to me, hugging me on the bed:)
 
#10 ·
I was told they should not come up on the bed or couch for the first year, until it's firmly established that you are the pack leader. My pup likes her crate anyway, and it's beside my bed.

One time I tried to let her on the bed with me for a nap, but she kept trying to wiggle up to my face and lick me and she's always trying to get a hold of my ears, so I had to put her back in her crate. LOL
 
#12 ·
I really think it depends on the dog(s). I don't allow new dogs to just decide that they want to be on the furniture,but after the rules are established and followed, I will allow them up on the bed. I haven't had any problems with dogs becoming unruly or taking over the furniture. When we are ready to go to to bed,the dogs know that they have to get down and they are ok with that.


I was told they should not come up on the bed or couch for the first year, until it's firmly established that you are the pack leader. My pup likes her crate anyway, and it's beside my bed.
 
#14 ·
First post, dont hold back :p

My 5 month old GSD has his own bed, and uses it most nights, however some nights I need to go to sleep and he just isn't getting bored or comfy, If I let him in my bed with me he goes right to sleep. Now Im aware this might not be the best thing down the road. But if i continue to do this, is it really going to haunt me in the future?

Not as long as he doesn't wet the bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Or bite you if you roll over on him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#16 ·
I allow my 12 week old gsd to sleep in the bed with me, but there is also a dog bed on the floor beside my bed which sometimes he gets down into instead, when he is a little older he will be sleeping with the other dogs in the kitchen at night. Just want make sure everyone is firm friends before they are left over night together.
 
#19 ·
Lexi does sometimes. She was never allowed as a small puppy but when we got our new bed it was much lower than the last one and she could jump up easily. She doesn't do it too much and if she's in the way my boyfriend nudges her onto the floor into her bed. Once he's out of bed she likes to come and snuggle under my arm. Duke doesn't really come on the bed when we're sleeping but when I go into our room to get something he'll jump on it and then get off as soon as I walk out of the room.
 
#21 ·
According to the Monks of New Skete in their book How To Be a Dog's Best Friends it is. There is an entire chapter on it. The dog should be in the bedroom but on the floor - provide a rug or dog bed if the dog wants to use that. It is a privilege for the dog to share our den. That's what I do and it works out well for me and my dog.
 
#22 ·
I only recently started letting Kyleigh on my bed (it's one of the safe spots for the cat!)

I read for about an hour every night in bed, and this is when she's allowed up. She's been really good about it ... but letting her sleep through the night? LMAO NOT A CHANCE:

1 - she takes up too much room
2 - she likes to roll around and give herself a body rub on the bed
3 - she usually drops about 1/2 pound of sand (and this is AFTER being brushed)
4 - after about 10 minutes she gets too hot, and starts panting and shakes the whole bed - makes it hard to read your book!

I waited until she was over a year because I wanted to ensure that she realized "her place." She's been great, no issues. If I noticed a change in her behaviour, no more "bed time"with me ... However, given that she's only ever up there for about 10-15 minutes, and then I'm kicking her off, I really don't foresee any issues in the future!
 
#23 ·
It depends totally on the dog and the owner. If you are a complete pushover and your dog knows it, then allowing on the bed may not be the best decision. If your working relationship is established and you have a biddable clear headed dog, then why not. I have a 3yo male who gets up on the bed for a bit but prefers the tile floor in the bathroom, whereas my 20month old female spends about half the night on the bed and half on her bed in the corner of the bedroom. In the morning they both get on the bed for some cuddle time. They both will get off the bed immediately upon being told to do so, no ifs ands or buts.
 
#25 · (Edited)
My dogs are allowed on the bed, but they don't sleep there at night, they sleep in their crates. We ALL sleep better that way! And as Lauri said, they have to get off when I tell them to.

Keefer rarely goes up there, he's a floor dog, always has been. But Halo likes to hang out on the bed, she's usually there when we're getting ready for bed, but either jumps down and goes to her crate as soon as I come into the room, or I just snap my fingers and she goes to her crate. She frequently goes on the bed with a toy, and the first thing she does every morning when she comes out of her crate is to jump up on our bed and roll around, before she even goes outside for potties.

I made a video of Halo's morning ritual:
 
#26 ·
My GSD girl is a little over 3 months old and I let her have a choice of whether she sleeps on my bed with me or on the floor of my room. She usually opts for the bed, although she's getting more and more independent, the older she gets. I don't let her have free run of the house at night yet however, since we just recently mastered house training and she still wakes me to potty in the night hours. I rather like when she sleeps with me, though. :)
 
#29 ·
No GSDs on my bed! I love them, but I don't want fur in the place where I sleep, thank you very much. ;)
My mini Poodle is allowed on the bed though, but he really only likes to snuggle for a while and then sleep on his bed, except when it's cold. Then he's curls up next to me and we both warm and better. :)
 
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