Have you wondered if you were the only one that loved to sleep with their dogs? Several other people enjoy having their dogs sleep in the same bedroom or on the same bed. Sleeping with your dog is normal, and several benefits come with sleeping with your dog.
Should I Sleep With My Dog?
According to Stephanie Gibeault from the American Kennel Club, sleeping with your dog is just like adult-child co-sleeping. It is often a sign of closeness that comes with getting attached to your dog.
Sleeping with your dogs is not something that just happened to be a modern phenomenon, as it can be traced backward. Certain cultures consider sleeping with an animal as beneficial for providing warmth and protection. However, there are still certain risks that come with sleeping with your dog.
Sleeping with your dog is highly beneficial as it helps you reduce depression by creating a sense of comfort. Typically, it is okay to feel somewhat alone if you live alone and having your dog on the same bed with you provides a cuddle buddy.
Apart from the comfort, dogs are highly protective animals as that is one trait that they share with wolves. A wolf would want to protect every member of their pack, and in this case, they already regard you as a new member.
In this regard, sleeping with your dogs is one way to relieve yourself of stress and anxiety, as it is an opportunity to build emotional connections. Certain studies have been proven to help people struggling with a high heart rate or irregular blood pressure related to stress.
The advantage of sleeping on the same bed with your dog is that it also helps to deal with nightmares so, if you are dealing with any PTSD, your dog by your sleep even while sleeping could serve as a way of controlling the nightmares.
In all, it is not a bad thing to let your dog sleep with you as they are beneficial to your mental health. Some recommend that you get a pet such as a dog when searching for a means to lower your level of aggression.
Why You Shouldn’t Sleep With Your Dog
No matter how great it is to sleep on the same bed with your dog, there are downsides to that as well. First of all, dogs are known to carry allergens in their fur no matter how well they are constantly bathed. This alone could trigger an allergic reaction as they leave these allergens on the bed while sleeping.
So, one of the disadvantages of sleeping with your dog is that they could carry things that could, in turn, make you sick. Also, even older dogs are susceptible to having a potty situation despite their training. This could mess up your sleeping area if it occurs while they are sleeping with you on the same bed.
Dogs are naturally light sleepers, and this means that even the slightest can wake them up. While going to check on the source of the sound, they could wake you up at the same. On a general note, this now makes it harder to have an uninterrupted sleep for an extended period.
Do Dogs Like Sleeping With Their Owners?
Dogs love the idea of sleeping on the same bed as you do as they are loyal pets. This means that they appreciate when they have that level of closeness to you as their owner. It does not have to do with any derogatory means; rather, it serves as a way of identifying you as a member of their pack.
Naturally, dogs are wired in a way that makes them more cuddly than other pets. Therefore, there are certain breeds like the Rottweiler that like to grab every attention they get from you. Even if you are laid on the couch, the dogs would still want to stay close to you.
All of this is a sign that they affectionate and feel emotionally attached to you as a whole. So, yes, dogs like sleeping with their owners, and the only reason they may not want to do that may be the sleeping area.
If the bed is too soft, then they may not want to sleep on the bed with you. They are considerate pets and would not want to ruin the frame. In this case, they may come off as though they don’t love the idea of sleeping with their owner.
Do Dogs Protect You When You Sleep?
As has been highlighted earlier, dogs still have strong ties to the protective nature of their wolf heritage. This works because they consider you as a pack member, even the leader,, so they want to keep you safe.
This is the reason they are hyperactive to sound while sleeping next to you. They want to make sure that the area is safe and you are not in harm’s way at any point. So, dogs protect you from harm or any impending danger due to their protective instincts.
There are certain breeds that are natural protectors add can be used as a guard dog. Several users now make use of dogs to keep intruders out of an area and then still have them as sleeping partners.
Summary
If you are still confused about whether you should be sleeping with your dog, then you shouldn’t. It is a normal thing and so can be traced back to an ancient culture that used dogs as a source of protection from evil spirits.
The comfort they offer also serves as a source of warmth from the cold or simply being lonely. However, there are still disadvantages to sleeping alongside your dog as they could affect your health. Their furs are one place that diseases and allergens which you could come in contact with when sleeping on the same bed.
Yet, dogs are loyal pets and enjoy the whole experience of sleeping next to their owners.