Sleeping with dogs

It is time to sleep, and every day we have the same problem: We do not know whether to let the dog go up to the bed because of the endless comments negative that we have heard about it, that if it is not hygienic, that if you make your dog aggressive and dependent, that if it affects our rest, etc.

Dogs are members of the family, hence their owners feel the need to take care of them and give them affection. For many, sleeping with their puppy is not debatable, it is something they simply do because the bonds that they strengthen when they are together go far beyond all those comments that they do not recommend this habit that, in my opinion, is not something crazy. At the end of the day, we are talking about letting the dog climb to a bed that is yours, and since it is yours, you will always be the ones who set the rules that you consider appropriate.

But let's go in parts. In this article I am going to analyze the points that recommend not letting the dog get on the bed to finally make an assessment of the state of the matter, and if letting our dog climb to bed can pose a great danger to your health or his.

It is unsanitary

Is it hygienic to let the dog get on the bed? Well no, It is not hygienic, as are many other practices that we carry out on the bed., like eating while watching TV, napping in street clothes, going to sleep without taking a shower, etc. It is likely that our shoes have ever stepped on the sofa or the bed, or that that mobile that we touch in any situation and place, has settled on our clean white sheets, right?

There are millions of little or no hygienic attitudes that we do every day and we end up transferring to our bed. Obviously, letting our furry up, knowing that its legs may contain mites and dirt from the street, is one of them. But wow If our dog is healthy, up to date with all its vaccinations, dewormed, you brush it often and wash it from time to time, nothing dangerous has to happen. No one ever died from it, and according to a survey conducted in the UK by Mark Evans, about half of those surveyed (23.000 owners in total) admit to sleeping with their pets.

While it is true, In the event that dogs do not comply with their medical care and do not maintain proper hygiene, there may be health riskssuch as some immune responses, allergies, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or asthma. Children, pregnant women, or patients who are immunocompromised are more susceptible.

The quality of sleep is not the same

When our furry sleeps in bed with us, they may kick us, snore, or wake up and move. For many people, these interruptions to sleep can negatively affect your quality. Likewise, it is likely that temperature imbalances between humans and dogs can also result in a point against the quality of sleep.

However, the studies that have been carried out in this regard, have not been able to determine the real impact of these disruptions, which are actually very short, and by the same rule of three, our partner can also cause us.

They become dependent

Many experts affirm that in reality the only really negative point is that which has to do with the behavior that the animal acquires when we allow it to get into bed to sleep with us.

I explain. On an instinctive level, the leader of the pack always sleeps in the highest zone to protect his own. If we allow our dwarf to sleep with us, you can interpret it as a power that we give you to acquire dominance, possession and leadership behaviors over time.

They are likely to urinate on the bed from there to mark their territory, and they will experience an increase in aggressiveness, or problems related to separation.

At this point, It is important to note that, like everything else, the behavior that our dog acquires will depend on dedication and education that we provide you from the beginning.

So do we let them sleep with us or not?

A rigorous study conducted by Bradley Smith on the implications of human-animal coexistence ended up advocating common sense: although it is likely to negatively interfere with sleep quality and is not the most hygienic practice in the world continued practice of co-sleeping with pets indicates benefits of social interaction, personal safety and social support.

In other words, sleeping with our pets can have very positive effects if our relationship with them is healthy and comforting. The only thing that we must bear in mind is that the dog must be healthy and maintain adequate hygiene, and on the other hand, it must also understand that if it rises it is because we allow it.

And you, do you let the dog get on the bed? What is your opinion?