Dogs: Letting Your Dog Sleep on the Bed

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Letting Your Dog Sleep on the Bed
The Dog Daily Expert

Who can blame dogs for wanting to sleep on their owners' bed? The bed is warm and comfortable, and it's where your pup's favorite friends are choosing to rest. The doggy bed on the floor -- no matter how big and fancy -- could never hold the same appeal.

Some dogs are angels in bed, staying quiet and keeping to their own dedicated section of blanket real estate. Others become so happy that they cannot contain their enthusiasm. These exuberant dogs, like yours, wind up digging, jumping, pulling at covers, and acting like an adolescent at a sleepover party.

Wendy Nan Rees and Kristen Hampshire, co-authors of the Dog Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Living a Rich Life With Your Dog, suggest the following:

Get your dog to settle down before bedtime by placing it in its crate or on a doggy mat. Provide a chew toy. Say, "Sit. Stay. Good dog." When your dog has settled down, invite it back onto the bed.

Speaking of that doggy mat, place it -- or the crate -- by the bed. Use it as a time-out zone for when your Yorkshire terrier misbehaves on the bed.

You should always try to feed and walk your dog several hours before bedtime. If your pet hasn't had such quality time with you, it will try to initiate that quality time at night. Dogs, like humans, need to wind down before retiring. Your pet should be ready for rest when it tucks into bed with you and your husband.

Your dog is a guest in your bed, so treat the situation as such. Although your pet is invited and wanted, it must be on its best behavior so as to not wear out its welcome.