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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?
 
#175 ·
Mine doesn't even sleep with me any longer. He curls up at the foot of my bed when I tuck in, and then sometime after I fall asleep, he moves onto the floor at the foot of my bed, facing the door, until I wake. He's a good dog!


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#176 ·
Um, not to be facetious or anything (snicker) but, could this be the reason?
German shepherd dog Photo caption Font Snout Organism
 
#178 ·
I don't mind my dogs on the bed with me. We have two beds in the garage, when they where puppies we had one on the floor (this was before we converted the garage to a sleeping area), and the dogs chewed that up, so we ended up putting furniture blankets on that bed and letting them have that as their bed. We then got another bed for us to sleep on out in the garage (someone is always out there with them at night, it's either me or my dad). I think it is important to establish with them that this bed is mine and you can get on it if I let you, but other than that it's off limits. They won't get on our bed unless we let them, and they know they can't get on the couch. So far no issues.

Here they are hogging as much space as they can in our bed in the garage:


Here is Dargun taking advantage of a comfy spot in my room while I took a shower (we had them in the rooms when they where still kinda small)


It's pretty funny when we're sleeping, if I have both of them on the bed they will both go to the lower portion of my body, lay down, and rest their heads on my legs.
 
#182 ·
They won't get on our bed unless we let them, and they know they can't get on the couch. So far no issues.
Exactly the same scenario here. My dog doesn't actually like sleeping on my bed - I call her up there fairly regularly and she always runs off in 5-10 minutes. She prefers sleeping in the living room, between me and scary noises in the hallway.

speaking of beds, can anyone recommend a good quality dog bed that is worth the price tag? I don't mind spending the money on a nice dog bed, as long as its worth it. I would hate to spend money on it just for it to flatten out or break down within a year. Also, how often do you need to replace a dog bed?
I like the big, round dog beds from Costco. They're cheap ($30-40) and seem to last quite a while for me. I've got two in the living room, and my dog prefers to sleep on these, with her head hanging off to the floor. Seems weird and uncomfortable, but that's how she always lays down.

With my current GSD I purchased an Ortho crib mattress. I didn't like all the round dog beds that the dog can't stretch out on when sleeping. The bonus is that it's waterproof and the crib sheets and small wool blanket underneath are a breeze to wash and change out. Just a thought..... My total investment was 12.00 for mattress and fitted sheets from a thrift store.:)
That's a great idea. I'll look into getting one of these, too.
 
#179 ·
speaking of beds, can anyone recommend a good quality dog bed that is worth the price tag? I don't mind spending the money on a nice dog bed, as long as its worth it. I would hate to spend money on it just for it to flatten out or break down within a year. Also, how often do you need to replace a dog bed?
 
#180 ·
With my current GSD I purchased an Ortho crib mattress. I didn't like all the round dog beds that the dog can't stretch out on when sleeping. The bonus is that it's waterproof and the crib sheets and small wool blanket underneath are a breeze to wash and change out. Just a thought..... My total investment was 12.00 for mattress and fitted sheets from a thrift store.:)
 
#181 ·
Well, I must say that my nieces are 9 and almost 9 now. They share my living room couch when they spend the night at my house, like last night. They wanted Cujo to sleep with them last night. So I let them. 2 girls and one big young dog. Babs was with me and she woke me at seven, while in the other room, Cujo woke Analisa exactly the same way, by licking her face.

Nothing wrong with dogs sleeping/sharing the bed with you.
 
#183 ·
Rosko has the choice of he wants to. Like a few others have said. He'll jump up for 10-15 minutes the he's off to the floor. We have a watered frame so there is a long tunnel between the wall and bed below the head board. When he could fit he slept back there every night. Wouldn't come out until I woke up and called him out. Now most mornings he wakes me. Not by licking, barking, or jumping on the bed. He'll just sit on the floor and stare as close as he can get to my face without touching me until I happen to open my eyes and see him. First couple times was quite startling. Now I just expect it.
 
#191 ·
Just like many have said our Zoe is allowed on the bed and couch. She will stay on bed for only 5-10 minutes and then lays down on the floor next to us. we have a corner couch so the only times she sleep on the couch is if I pass out there first :D. No matter what she will always fallow me to sleep in the same room.

she has been through few beds but she doesn't like any of them go figure
 
#193 ·
The trainers I've met who have extensive experience with GSD's, and working breeds in general, have all universally said that letting a dog sleep on the bed with you is a big no-no. The concept behind that is sleeping positions (and elevation in relation to other pack members) can influence how the pecking order is perceived by the dog. I don't know if that concept has a mainstream following among the majority of dog trainers, but I am generally surprised by how many owners on here are okay with letting their dog onto their beds.

I realize that many owners on here view their dogs as more than pets or animals, but at the end of the day they aren't people and shouldn't be treated like them. A rug or even a nice floor mat should be more than enough to accommodate any pet's needs, especially considering that their ancestors used to tough it out in the cold, bare ground (in fact many still do).

There's taking care of your pet and then there's babying it...but everyone is going to have a different view on that.
 
#194 ·
I seriously miss sharing a bed with Sage, on the road at a dog show or here at home.

All my dogs have been taught to immediately jump off of a bed, chair or couch if I give the word. I see no problem with dogs on the furniture or sleeping with you if that's what you want.
 
#195 ·
I love snuggling with a dog. Too bad most of my GSDs aren' t much for snuggling.

My old gal prefers approx 20 minutes of snuggling out of every 24 hr period. She and I enjoy it very much. She sleeps on her memory foam dog bed all night but when I wake up early I make her special spot and she smooshes in for our quality time.

My boy likes snuggling but is always hot so he never stays. But when he hears us stir in the morning he is on our chests for hugs and kisses which I find a very pleasant way to wake up.

What Selzer said about puking is totally true. She was super sick last week, jumped in bed to tell me she didn't feel good and hurled in my bed. It is a real bummer. After I cleaned that up, she threw up again in the other room. She was really sick and I was really worried. My pup was also worried. When I finally got all the mess cleaned up and got her comfortable to wait for the vet to open, I laid back down and he got in bed with me and we hugged each other, literally. We were both upset about how sick she was and it made us both feel better to hug about it.

My old man Ruger who died recently was a resource guarder when we adopted him. He growled about a lot, including the bed, so he lost privileges for a long time. But we worked on it and he mellowed out and his last few years he was a constant in our bed and never a grumble. He liked to get between me and my husband so he could snuggle us both at once. Tons of love.
 
#196 ·
My 3yo intact male used to regularly sleep with me, but he became very territorial in the house with the other animals at around 18 mo old, so he lost privileges. He is/has always been good with the cats, for instance, but God help a cat that tries to come in my room if he is there. So, he sleeps in his crate. We dealt with the other territorial issues inside, but I don't want to deal with it when I'm trying to sleep. Nothing like waking up to fur flying and an angry GSD standing on your head ?

FWIW, he is fine with other dogs and cats outside (except puppies...doesn't like them...).
 
#197 ·
My dogs all sleep on the bed if they want to. Never had an issue.

Only caveat, they are invited on once I am in bed, then they have to get off with a single command from.
 
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#199 ·
My big girl slept on her mat by mom part of the nite and on her leather couch by me the rest of the nite, she always needed to know where we were.

Because of a medical condition, I sleep in my recliner in the front room, she always came in and slept on the couch.
 
#200 ·
At night Yogi usually starts at the foot of the bed and after about 30-45 min he jumps off and sleeps on the hardwood floors spread eagle. During the day when the blinds are open he likes to sleep in the sun on my bed but he's only allowed on when that atrocious looking blanket is covering the bed. When my girlfriend sleeps over he likes to sleep on her sideb and puts his head under her hand because she has longer nails and scratches him to sleep. haha
 

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