Before I got a puppy, my stance on having a dog in bed was pretty clear. Dogs sleep in a basket, and then they can come up to the bed and say good morning.
That's how it had been with all the dogs I had grown up with.
So when Nemo moved in, he slept in a small wire cage next to my bed for the first few months, and it went so well. When it got colder and colder, he started to stay in bed for a while before going to sleep. As the winter progressed, well, it went as it did with so many other rules – he didn't just sleep in the bed, but in my arms – under the covers, of course.
And honestly, we both love it to this day.
And if I have to sleep without him, then something is clearly missing.
That thing about having a warm little dog, and just "chewing" and being together.
And while everyone else is busy telling me how bad a habit it is, we actually enjoy it together in 7th grade.
And yes - of course there are both pluses and minuses to having a dog in bed.
First of all, there's dog hair everywhere – and paws... even though he's small.
So the frequency of washing bed linen is clearly greater.
Then there's the matter of space, and one's interrupted sleep rhythm, in our case it's like I'm woken up several times a night with a loving (but firm) nose pout - because it's time to lift the covers so he can snuggle under. Obviously not a discipline he intends to master himself.
-"But you'll never get a girlfriend when that dog takes up the whole bed," my former neighbor always says with a twinkle in his eye.
To which I have to reassure her that it has been successful to have a boyfriend and a dog, and to find a perfectly fine joint solution to this.
Because he's filling up, the fat spotted one – incredible that a small dog can fill up so much anyway?
But he now also understands very well how to navigate when he sleeps in the arms and at the feet and when he is welcome and when he is not.
Just as he accepts that in some places he sleeps in a basket when he is being looked after (at my parents' place) while in others (read my brother-in-law) he chooses to leave the bedroom so there is room for the dogs in the bed at my sister's place.
My point is that I don't think there's that much right or wrong. We all find a shape that suits us best, and I think we find a lifestyle that matches that as well.
And there's probably a difference between having a Labrador in bed or a smaller dog (could I imagine?).
Because the truth is that almost no matter who I have as sleepovers, Nemo definitely ends up charming them enough that he naturally ends up lying in their arms too. And that they actually end up thinking that having a dog in bed is quite cozy.
What do you say about dogs in bed? Go or no go?
About Bloggers of the Week
The author behind this week's DogCoach blog is Linn Radsted.
Linn is an independent consultant and serial entrepreneur of 8 years and has a Jack Russell terrier, Nemo, who is almost 7 years old, who is currently primarily a companion dog.
In addition to other projects, she is the founder and owner of DogCoach.
Dog or not in bed?
Before I got a puppy, my stance on having a dog in bed was pretty clear. Dogs sleep in a basket, and then they can come up to the bed and say good morning.
That's how it had been with all the dogs I had grown up with.
So when Nemo moved in, he slept in a small wire cage next to my bed for the first few months, and it went so well. When it got colder and colder, he started to stay in bed for a while before going to sleep. As the winter progressed, well, it went as it did with so many other rules – he didn't just sleep in the bed, but in my arms – under the covers, of course.
And honestly, we both love it to this day.
And if I have to sleep without him, then something is clearly missing.
That thing about having a warm little dog, and just "chewing" and being together.
And while everyone else is busy telling me how bad a habit it is, we actually enjoy it together in 7th grade.
And yes - of course there are both pluses and minuses to having a dog in bed.
First of all, there's dog hair everywhere – and paws... even though he's small.
So the frequency of washing bed linen is clearly greater.
Then there's the matter of space, and one's interrupted sleep rhythm, in our case it's like I'm woken up several times a night with a loving (but firm) nose pout - because it's time to lift the covers so he can snuggle under. Obviously not a discipline he intends to master himself.
-"But you'll never get a girlfriend when that dog takes up the whole bed," my former neighbor always says with a twinkle in his eye.
To which I have to reassure her that it has been successful to have a boyfriend and a dog, and to find a perfectly fine joint solution to this.
Because he's filling up, the fat spotted one – incredible that a small dog can fill up so much anyway?
But he now also understands very well how to navigate when he sleeps in the arms and at the feet and when he is welcome and when he is not.
Just as he accepts that in some places he sleeps in a basket when he is being looked after (at my parents' place) while in others (read my brother-in-law) he chooses to leave the bedroom so there is room for the dogs in the bed at my sister's place.
My point is that I don't think there's that much right or wrong. We all find a shape that suits us best, and I think we find a lifestyle that matches that as well.
And there's probably a difference between having a Labrador in bed or a smaller dog (could I imagine?).
Because the truth is that almost no matter who I have as sleepovers, Nemo definitely ends up charming them enough that he naturally ends up lying in their arms too. And that they actually end up thinking that having a dog in bed is quite cozy.
What do you say about dogs in bed? Go or no go?
About Bloggers of the Week
The author behind this week's DogCoach blog is Linn Radsted.
Linn is an independent consultant and serial entrepreneur of 8 years and has a Jack Russell terrier, Nemo, who is almost 7 years old, who is currently primarily a companion dog.
In addition to other projects, she is the founder and owner of DogCoach.