Okay . . . as a newbie, please excuse me if I didn't search this topic enough . . .


BUT . . . after reading so many posts, I thought I might dredge this up as a separate thread! I have read so much on so many different "dog forums" that perhaps it might be beneficial to review it here as a "Boston Terrier" subject.


As a bit of background, ALL my life I had always been adverse to having any animal sleeping in my bed! (Ewww. . . yuch! . . . . just think of all the fleas, ticks, bugs, smells, poop, etc. right? )


Anyway . . . now "fast forward" my life up to about three years ago when my (ex) wife and I adopted a Black Lab mix who slept with us in our king size bed. Our dog was always treated for fleas and ticks (K9Advantage) and I was seriously surprised that there were NO "bugs" etc. in our bedding! Wow!


Perhaps some of you more experienced dog owners may smile at my remarks, but please bear with me! I mean . . . my BED is my final refuge, right? . . . . this is the place where I finally pass out and try to regenerate for the next day's onslaught of problems, right? . . . So it's important to me.

I have read many different arguments against having your dog sleeping in bed with you, such as it might cause confusion if you're trying to be the "alpha" dog in your "pack" and your dog might think it is a chance to take over the pack because they are now sleeping in a "higher" position, etc.

Okay . . . well . . . fill me in! . . . .What do the folks on THIS forum think?

I have read that Bostons Terriers are extremely CLEAN animals and have no odor!. Their coats are easy to clean off, and that they LOVE to sleep under the covers with their owners!

Ia all that really true? . . . . OR . . . could that apply to ANY dog breed? I have no problem with my prospective new dog sleeping with me in a standard double-sized bed . . . and I don't care if Bostons "snore" or not! . . . I think it would be cute!


Anyhow . . . . please share your thoughts about sleeping with (or WITHOUT) your dog here!



I really like this Forum and all the people on it, and I would seriously appreciate your input!



Thanks and all best.
Joe

I work the midnight shift. When I sleep during the day I let Raini sleep with me. She lays under the covers and usually washes my legs or feet before I drift off to sleep. She sleeps in her crate at night and on Weekends when I'm off and sleeping at night.

I'm one of those people who don't think dogs should be sleeping in your bed. It's unhealthy, dogs shed, they have fleas, which can bite you, and it makes the dog think he's equal with you which could put a strain on getting him to obey commands.

Neon, do whatever makes you happy. But beware - if you start your dog in the bed with you, it will be very difficult to change that behavior later. Our pit bull slept with us. He and I shared a pillow, usually sleeping back to back. We never had a dominance issue. Our BT was crate trained when we got him and a year later he is still sleeping in the crate at night. But when I take an afternoon nap on the weekends, he sleeps under the covers, snuggled up to me. Our westie sleeps on top of the cover and not touching.

The reason we keep Opie and Grace in their crates at night is because we have a 20year old cat. Night time is the only time she gets to have free run of the house. If the dogs were also out, they would be in her food and in her litter box.

I have to say I don't agree with you emc. Nowadays there is no reason for a dog to have fleas. If you do have a flea problem they are already biting you and in your bed anyway.

My dogs have always been obedience trained and earned titles. They have also slept in bed with me. As long as the dog knows who is leader in it's daily life I don't think sleeping in bed will cause any confusion.

Oogy (and sometimes Rusty) sleep in bed with me. They have their own little blankets but sometimes Oogy sneaks under my covers. Neither has ever had a flea. No dominance issues either, both dogs know who is the boss; me.

Like its been said, as long as there isnt a dominance issue its fine if thats what you want. Rosco sleeps with me quite often but he also sleeps in his bed when he wants. He's 5 so I dont do the crate thing with him very often. Its really what you choose.

Its really up to you in the end...but like i said in a previous post once they sleep with you its hard to go back to crating, verses crating and then deciding you want them to sleep with you!

Winston sleeps under the covers curled up against one of us. He does know when I look over at the alarm that it's time for me to get up and him to eat . Haven't had any problems with hair, smell, fleas, etc. Only complaint is that It's harder to snuggle with my wife with him in between us.

"Only complaint is that It's harder to snuggle with my wife with him in between us."

Neon - that is something you may want to consider - if your dog sleeps with you - will that be an issue when you want to share your bed with another human?