Opportunity training for most dogs.

In some cases, sleeping in bed with you can have some advantages. For instance, if your dog is in bed with you at night, it means he cannot be counter surfing or chewing on your furniture at the same time. Also, some elderly dogs may find it soothing to be with their human parents when they are starting to feel vulnerable or frail. If you and your dog are healthy and your dog does not develop any particular behavioral problems, there is little harm in letting him sleep with you in bed. If instead you have some concerns, you can easily find a compromise and let your pampered pooch sleep in his own bed right next to yours.

Conventional wisdom tells us that letting your dog sleep in your bed with you can cause them to believe they’re the alpha, giving them the illusion they’re in control because in bed, they (large dogs at least) are taller than you.

The reality is much different. While some aggressive behaviors could be exacerbated by letting your dog sleep in your bed, the reality is, it’s really more of an opportunity for training for most dogs. Take for example one of the more common aggressive behaviors, like guarding the wife by growling when the husband enters the bed.

Pat Miller, certified professional dog trainer and the training editor for the Whole Dog Journal, says, “keep in mind that removing the dog from the bed doesn’t modify the bed-guarding behavior; it only prevents the dog from having an opportunity to practice the behavior.” While safety is always an issue, it may be a better idea to use the opportunity to modify the behavior.

In fact, there are some who argue that allowing your pet to sleep in the same room (or at least close to you) during the night is a comfort to many pets who spend six to eight hours a day at home alone. There’s no reason to make them feel as though they aren’t part of the family.

So, if sleeping with your dog doesn’t generally cause any specific aggressive behaviors, that means it’s OK, right? Yes and no. The reality is, sleeping with your dog is more likely to compromise your health than his.
Unfortunately, letting your dog sleep in your bed may actually be bad for you. Many dogs have sleep habits that can interrupt your sleep cycle, which can cause you to be cranky the next morning, lower your immune responses and impact your health in other ways.

In the wild, dogs gathered leaves and dug in them to make a comfortable bed. Wild dogs also dug “dens” for a safe place to sleep at night. If a dog is hot or cold, it may dig to find a warmer/cooler place to lie down. It may dig in shaded areas or sunny spots, depending on which avenue of comfort it is seeking.

Indoor dogs may dig through carpet in an attempt to cool down. If it’s hot inside, lower the thermostat or leave a fan blowing near where your dog naps.

When cold temperatures arrive, dogs might dig to prepare a place to curl up, reduce the loss of body heat, and get comfortable. Adding more blankets or old clothing to the bed will provide better padding.

That awesome dog bed you bought for your pets? They’ll sometimes scratch into it, too, purely out of natural instinct. Heck, they’ll even try to dig around on hardwood floors. To prevent destruction to carpet, flooring and bedding, remember this easy solution: Keep your “little digger’s” nails trimmed.

Here’s another take on why dogs dig where they sleep: Dogs have glands in the pads of their feet, according to Daily Puppy.com. These glands send out a unique odor, which is enhanced by scratching. Therefore, by scratching where they are about to sleep, they are marking that spot with their scent.

Zoned For Pets
Having your pet's sleeping area located at the foot of your bed may be most conducive for deep sleep. But if your pet has taken on the job of cuddle buddy or if he is more dependent on you and needs close physical proximity, you can move his sleeping area closer to the head of the bed, where he can easily receive the valued reinforcement of petting and close contact for staying in his designated sleeping zone. No matter where you let your pooch snooze, it is important to be consistent about where your dog can lounge; he needs to understand that he is allowed to sleep in your bed only as long as he stays in his own clearly marked zone, wherever that may be.

With a clearly marked and heavily rewarded pet sleeping zone, you can safely and comfortably share the sheets with your pet -- and get a good night's sleep.t isn’t just dog trainers and the occasional finicky spouse who want you to keep your pets off the bed. A new report in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that of the 250 known zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted between humans and animals, more than 100 are derived from domestic pets — yes, even from your precious Sparkles or Daisy

In one case a 69-year-old man, whose dog slept under the covers with him and licked his hip replacement wound, came down with meningitis. Another incident involved a 9-year-old boy who got plague, a potentially deadly bacterial infection, from sleeping with his flea-infested cat.

Other infections transmitted to people after sleeping with their cat or dog, kissing them or being licked by the pet include: hookworm, ringworm, roundworm, cat scratch disease and drug-resistant staph infections, the report said.

Birds Aren’t the Only Nesters

Natalie Wolford of Phoenix, Ariz. has two Chihuahuas, Leo and Bella. Their strange habits include “digging” a bed each night before lying down to sleep.

“Bella goes under the covers near my feet and turns and turns until she starts pawing and pawing before finally plopping down,” says Natalie. “Leo does it sometimes but it’s the same thing every night with Bella.”

So why does Bella nest each night?




Before dogs were domesticated some 100 years back, they dug shallow beds to keep them a bit warmer than simply snoozing on the ground’s surface.

The bedtime ritual might also be linked to a dog’s instinct to mark his or her territory. Dogs mark the area that they consider theirs by scratching the ground with the smell that comes from the sweat glands in their paws.

While Natalie’s dogs conduct harmless pawing, some dogs shred whatever they can get their paws on. If this is the case, get your dog a bed of her own with a lose fill such as cedar chips. (Dogs are more likely to adapt to a bed placed in spots they already consider their territory.)

Comfort

Just as we smooth the sheets and fluff the pillows on our beds, dogs have the urge to rearrange their bedding for greater comfort. Digging, circling and trampling may have once shifted sticks, stones, leaves and grass into a position more to their liking. Charles Darwin cited this behavior of the domestic dog as an example of vestigial behavior, an action that persists after it has become useless or irrelevant.

Concealment

Another possible interpretation of the bed-scratching activity is that the dog is attempting to dig a den to hide in. In the wild, circling would result in flattening tall grass, both to form a comfortable surface and to conceal the animal's position. This behavior is, of course, futile when practiced on a firm, flat surface such as a modern dog bed, and could therefore be seen as vestigial.

Temperature

Scratching could also be an attempt to achieve a more appealing temperature zone, either warmer (by removing snow) or cooler (by reaching a cooler stratum of earth). Dogs often dig such holes outdoors, and may repeat the behavior vestigially indoors.

Maternal Nesting

Bed-scratching in a pregnant bitch is called nesting, and may be a sign that she is about ready to have her puppies. In this case the behavior is not vestigial, but hormone-driven.

Coping

As long as the dog scratches only at his bed, there's no problem. However, if he starts seriously digging on your wall-to-wall or the orientals, it's time to step in. Give him a rug or a blanket in his favorite spots so he can rearrange the bedding to suit himself. Teach him to use his bed(s) and no other areas for sleeping. Confine him to a floor he can't hurt -- with his bedding, of course. In the case of the whelping bitch, make her a nesting box full of clean rags, newspaper and other soft, disposable materials early on in her pregnancy and encourage her to nest there.

 can't get to sleep

Identify the Problem. Puppies may miss the noise and warmth of a litter. Dogs are creatures of habit-- a change of sleeping situation may be the problem. If something stressful to the dog has recently happened, perhaps this needs to be addressed.For a sleepless puppy: Make sure you have the following things: a warm bean bag or mat, and a clock that makes a rhythmic ticking sound. Put these articles under a cushion or a blanket where your dog sleeps! It should work like magic. You can also put the clock next to your dog. However you could also try putting a radio on softly.If your dog is accustomed to sleeping in a crate, kennel, or other small space he or she may have a hard time sleeping in an open room. If you prefer your dog to sleep out in the open, or you don't have a crate, it may take a few nights of whining and pacing for her to get used to the new situation. Be patient! Show her where you want her to sleep, and, if she knows the command, tell her to do a "Down" and "Stay." You may need to get out of bed to correct incorrect behavior--but it'll be worth it in the long run.If you want your dog to sleep in a crate, but he isn't "crate trained" it may take some time to get him used to the crate. Put special treats in the back of crate before you lead him to it. Make sure that when you say "Kennel" or "bedtime" you use a positive tone of voice--going into the crate to sleep shouldn't be a punishment. If you use it as a punishment, you may find that your dog never grows accustomed to the crate as a relaxing and quiet place.Perhaps there are other issues--a big event, a change in household set-up-- that the dog is responding to. Just remember, dogs are happiest when the same thing happens everyday in the same way. A small change to you (like moving your bedroom furniture) may seem like a big deal to the dog. He'll get used to the change with patient and consistent training from you.Exercise! Dogs need about 40 minutes a day of running, panting, aerobic exercise. A restless dog at night may be a dog who needs more time tiring himself out.Food. Dogs absorb energy from their food differently than humans do--because their food is a little different. Generally, dogs get a big energy push right after eating, so if you feed your dog late at night, she may be too energetic to get to sleep. Try feeding her earlier, and be sure to let her relieve herself before bedtime.