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"Some dogs may not belong in the bedroom, such as very young or old pets who may not sleep through the night, a sick pet or a reactive pet who might become aggressive when startled or woken up suddenly."
I know many people who allow their canine companions to sleep in their beds, and some who don't. They all have good reasons for making their choices, and I'm impressed when most of the discussions consider both the human and the dog's points of view. Because I'm often asked my opinion on whether or not dogs should be allowed to sleep in their humans' beds, I was very interested in a New York Times essay by Jen Miller called "Out of the Doghouse, Into the Bed." Ms. Miller's piece is available online and nicely reviews a research essay by Dr. Salma Patel and her colleagues titled "The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment" that's not yet accessible.
The research team studied 40 healthy adult humans (88% women) and their adult dogs and monitored their sleep patterns for a week when the dog was in the same bedroom. All of the individuals wore accelerometers. The humans wore an Actiwatch 2 and the dogs donned a Fitbark so the scientists could accurately monitor their activity and sleep patterns. Dr. Patel and her colleagues concluded, "Humans with a single dog in their bedroom maintained good sleep efficiency; however, the dog's position on/off the bed made a difference. A dog's presence in the bedroom may not be disruptive to human sleep, as was previously suspected." Ms. Miller notes, "People slept slightly better when the dog was off the bed; dogs slept the same whether they were on the bed or in another location in the bedroom."
Should dogs in need be banished from the bedroom?
I enjoyed Ms. Miller's essay and how she nicely capsuled what the researchers learned. However, I was rather annoyed when I read, "Some dogs may not belong in the bedroom, such as very young or old pets who may not sleep through the night, a sick pet or a reactive pet who might become aggressive when startled or woken up suddenly." Young, old, and sick individuals are the very dogs who likely really need the company of their humans and a little more TLC than they usually receive. We also know that young dogs benefit from extra socialization (please also see "Giving Puppies Extra Socialization Is Beneficial for Them"). One of my friends helped her reactive dog calm down by allowing her to sleep in her bedroom on a dog bed. During this training period she had to be very careful about how she got in and out of bed, but she told me it was well worth the inconvenience and effort from which they both benefited. And, I'm all for giving senior dogs whatever they need to be comfortable and feel loved ("What's a Good Life for an Old Dog?").
In response to this essay I received this note, "My ten year old Doberman (many years ago) had bloat (stomach tortion) and started pacing the bedroom at 1a.m. Luckily I woke up and saw his stomach bloated out (recurred after vet visit a few hours earlier) and was able to take him immediately for emergency surgery. Unfortunately, on opening him up, he had a liver condition and I chose to euthanase him, as his life expectancy was minimal. But he would have suffered excruciating pain if he had not been in the bedroom with us and died. So a resounding 'no!' to older dogs being kept out of the bedroom".
Dissing dogs in need so that the human(s) can sleep better is far too one-sided and ignores the fact that we are these individuals' lifelines and we are obligated to give them what they need and to accept the trade-offs that occasionally arise when we choose to bring a canine companion into our lives. They're totally dependent on what we decide to do with them in all situations, and this power isn't license to do whatever we please.
Let dogs feel the love
It's important to figure out what the dog needs and then negotiate with them so that both their and the human's needs can be met (for more discussion please see "Living With a Dog Is Good, If It's Good for You and the Dog"). There's no simple rule of thumb or quick fixes or answers to the question of whether dogs should sleep in bedrooms or beds, because dog-human relationships are so variable and each is unique. For example, they depend on who the dog(s) is (are), who the human(s) is (are), and the situation at hand. It would be totally heartless to force a young, sick, or senior dog to sleep alone when they need the contact, comfort, and love from their humans. Let's tune into their needs and let them feel the bountiful love that's there, especially when they need it. Let dogs have a say in where they sleep.
There always will be trade-offs when dogs and humans live together, and negotiations that take into account what both animals need, along with some give-and-take that surely will vary from time-to-time, will be a win-win for all. Numerous dogs don't get what they need in all sorts of situations as they try to adapt to a human-centered world (please also see "Companion Animals Need Much More Than We Give Them" and "Dogs Want and Need Much More Than They Usually Get From Us"). Allowing them to sleep near or with their humans even if it's not all that comfortable for the caregivers, especially when they need the love, is very good for maintaining and fostering a close social bond that will surely will benefit all.
