Has Your Dog Taken Over Your Bed?

Has your dog taken over your bed? When you start to lay down your head

, is your dog's head already on the pillow? If so, then you may have a problem.

Lots of people are accustomed to sleeping with their dog in the bed. Having the dog on the bed can be comforting and soothing. He's your friend and he's a little like a living teddy bear. But allowing your dog to sleep on the bed is a privilege, not a right. You are allowing your dog to do something special. Sometimes dogs forget that it's a privilege and they can try to take the whole bed. They may take your place in the bed or they may protest when your spouse tries to get in the bed.

The simple fact is that there is a hierarchy in the home and you are at the head of it. When you elevate your puppy or dog to the position of sleeping on the bed you are, in effect, telling your dog that he is your equal. If you have other dogs -- or a spouse or children - then this position on the bed can cause problems. Some dogs, especially if they have not earned the position or they are not willing to listen to your commands, can try to assert themselves over other dogs in the house or even over the other humans. In some instances your dog may try to assert himself over you.

To be clear, letting your dog sleep on the bed does not cause aggression or assertive behavior. There are plenty of dogs who can sleep on the bed and it never causes a problem. However, if your dog is not clear about his role in the household then he can be confused by being allowed to sleep on the bed and try to take over. It's the "give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile" syndrome.

If you have a dog who begins trying to boss you, other dogs, or other family members after he starts sleeping on the bed, the simplest thing to do is to relegate him to sleeping in his own bed again.

You can place his bed on the floor beside your bed. If he's big enough to get on your bed by himself you can keep putting him back down in the floor or you can try a couple of other things. If he has a crate then you can let him sleep in his crate so he can't jump back up on the bed. If he doesn't have a crate you may want to consider getting him one. To some extent your dog is being a brat and he needs to have a small refresher course about his place in the household - which is not doing what he wants whenever he wants.

You can also try putting his bed outside your bedroom but this often backfires. Your dog may scratch and whine at your bedroom door which is no fun for anyone.

If your dog is showing other signs of trying to push you, other family members or other pets in the house around you can use a training method for him called Nothing In Life Is Free. With this method your dog has to earn everything he gets. Things that he believes he can do will, in the future, have to be earned. For instance, if your dog wants to go outside you can teach him that he has to sit politely at the door first. If he growls over his food you can take his food bowl away and feed him by hand until he appreciates that his food comes from you.

You can use this same technique before you let your dog sleep on the bed again, assuming you want to allow your dog to sleep on the bed again. For instance, before you allow your dog to get up on the bed you should ask him to sit politely at the foot of the bed to wait for your signal that it's all right to get on the bed. If he gets up without your signal you should put him down. If you use this method then it puts you back in control of the bed again and it reminds your dog that he is only allowed up on the bed because you say so, not because he's taking over.

It's amazing that something as small as where your dog sleeps can be so complicated but there is lots of "subtext" where dogs are concerned. Pay attention to the signals your dog is sending you and don't allow him to commandeer your bed.

by: Tristan Andrews

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