Top Reasons You Should Avoid Sleeping With Your Dog

For many dog parents, it is no longer acceptable to leave their canine pal sleeping on their doggy bed somewhere in the house or a dog house. According to a survey done by the American Pet-Product Association, over 50% of the dogs in the U.S. sleep with their owners. This survey confirmed that over 32% of the giant dogs, 41% of the medium-sized ones and 62% of the small dogs sleep with their owners every night.

However, is sleeping with your furry pal a good idea? Well, we all adopted our dogs for companionship and sleeping with them helps strengthen the bond between us. But, do you know that sleeping with your dog poses a significant risk to your health? Sleeping with your dog might have numerous benefits, but when it comes to your health, it’s good to think twice. So, here are a few reasons why you should never share a bed with your dog:

Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Sleeping With Your Dog

1.    Aggravates Asthma and Allergies

According to the AAFA (Asthma and Allergies Foundations of America), about 10% of the population are asthmatic and over a third of Americans have pet allergies. So, if you are in these demographics, you should never sleep with your dog in the same bed. People with pet allergies should never allow their pets to get into their bedrooms.

The main issue with pet allergens is that they are not isolated to your pet’s bodies. These allergens can adhere to your beddings or furniture and continue affecting you even in your dog’s absence. So, make sure you use HEPA filters, every time you sleep with your dog in the same room. Even with proper grooming and a balanced diet, individuals with pet allergies should never sleep with their dog. However, adequate grooming can help you manage their shedding levels. Dedicated dog blogs like https://www.crazypetguy.com/ offers  more information on how to groom different dog breeds, so you may consider doing further research.

You might not have pet allergies, but remember every time your dog goes out; he is exposed to outdoor allergens. These allergens such as dust and pollen tend to stick to their paws or coats and follow them to bed. The presence of outdoor allergens can affect the quality of your sleep. After all, sneezing and blowing your nose the whole night is no fun.

2.    Interrupts Sleep

All dogs twist and turn when sleeping, and this can be even worse when they are dreaming. The movement of small-sized dogs might not disrupt the heavy sleepers, but the huge dogs can keep you awake the whole night. When they scratch at night, the noises from their jingling collars or nails can also disrupt your sleep.

While cat’s paw or sit on your face at night when they want your attention, dogs tend to hog the bed. Remember, it’s not unusual to get unexpected kicks from his hind legs when sleeping. These habits can interfere with your sleep resulting in decreased alertness during the day or crankiness.

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3.    Causes Aggression and Dominance

Dogs tend to be protective of their territories, and by allowing them to hog the bed when sleeping, you are intensifying or creating an aggression or dominance behavior. From your canine pal’s point of view, you are giving them more space on your bed. And this can be a problem the next time you try to move them or force them to leave your bedroom. To counter this behavior, you can try and allow them to sleep on a specific part of the bed. And only let them in bed if they stay in that particular position.

4.    Interferes With a Couple’s Intimate Moment

Letting your pet sleep on the bed can prove problematic to you and your spouse. Remember, physical proximity and touch is crucial for maintaining connection and intimacy in a relationship. Many experts advise couples against allowing their dogs to sleep between them. Allowing the dog to sleep between couples can cause behavioral problems and increase the distance between you and your spouse. Your dog can start growling at your spouse every time he/she comes close to you. So, for the sake of the relationship between you and your pet and your marriage, it is better to have your dog sleep on a doggy bed.

5.    House Training Accidents

Have you ever steam cleaned your beddings? Well, if you have, then you can agree that it’s easier to throw a dog bed into the washing machine than cleaning your mattress. And if your mattress doesn’t have a rubber sheet covering, there is a huge chance that you can get some leakages.

6.    Increase the Risk of Diseases

Even if you are not affected by pet allergies, your dog spends a lot of time interacting with everything that can interfere with your health. According to the CDC, over 60% of human pathogens are transmitted by our pets. Therefore, your beloved pet can introduce unwanted pathogens in your home.

Dogs are not generally clean creatures. Dogs tend to play or step in their poop. And when they come into your bed, they track their feces into the bedroom. The introduction of fecal matter in your bed is the most common way of transmitting bacteria and parasites like salmonella and E. coli. The risk of infections can be relatively high if your dog’s flea medication and vaccinations are not up to date.

7.    A Lifetime Commitment

It is almost impossible for your dog to go back to sleeping on the floor or in a crate after tasting your bed. And who can blame him when he had his best friend next to him, a comfortable pillow and comfy mattress to lie on. So to avoid this, it’s better if you have him sleeping on his bed from day one. Because reintroducing him to crate training after he has gotten used to your bed is quite challenging. Moving him back to the crate can result in your pooch crying and whining the whole night.

Final Thoughts

The whole idea behind adopting a dog is companionship; therefore, it’s quite normal for you to always want him snuggled next to you every night. However, sleeping with your dog every night is not a good idea. Other than affecting your sleep cycle, sharing your bed with your dog can be quite hazardous. Dogs can aggravate your allergies and also introduce pathogens and bacteria that can affect your health. Therefore, you should try your best to fight the urge to carry your furry pal to bed every night. And make sure that you allow them to sleep on their beds from the first day you introduce them to your home.