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Should I Let My Dog Sleep in my Bed?

Dear WOOF:

I have a question...I have had my 10-month-old shepherd mix for about 2 1/2 months now. When I first brought him home he had serious separation anxiety. He is a little better, but not much.

My question is that when I first got him, the only way to get any sleep was to allow him to sleep in bed with me. It doesn't really bother me (I would prefer he slept on the floor especially now when it's so warm out) but when we attended a local obedience class I was told that allowing your dog on the bed or couch was a dominance issue and should not be done. Is it possible to now break him of this. Idon't want to have to crate him if I don't have to he is crated while I am at work). My dog does display dominance quite often and I don't want to encourage any bad habits.

Thank You for any advice.

Hello:

Although I understand that the whining at bedtime is not the primary issue you have, I feel that it is important to address. It sounds like this pup has really gotten your number! He learned that whining and crying got you to come get him and take him into bed with you. Is he alright when he is alone at other times? If so, this should tell you something. The behavior is entirely learned in the context of bedtime, and therefore would not be accurately diagnosed as separation anxiety. If in fact he is upset when you leave too, please call us for an in depth consultation to help modify his behavior and make him more comfortable in your absence.

Let's move on to your next question regarding dominance issues. I will start by defining "dominance" as it relates to canines, and explain where the notion came from in the first place so that you can make your own decision regarding it's validity.

"Dominance" among canines is defined as exclusive breeding rights and priority access/control of limited primary resources.

During the 1940's, studies were conducted on captive wolf populations. The keyword here is captive, and this alone invalidated the study because the animals were not in a natural environment and therefore did not act naturally.

In a natural environment, wolves disperse at about 2 - 2.5 years of age to form their own packs, in which they will be the dominant animal. This keeps aggression or challenges for status to a minimum, and provides for survival of the species. In the captive studies, the animals could not disperse naturally, so there was a significant amount of aggression, fighting and other agonistic displays observed like standing over one another. One standing over the other and being "taller" is a way that dogs will try to communicate status. When a dogs "hackles" are up around another, it is often intended to make the animal look taller and communicate status. The information derived from the studies of captive packs was then transferred to dog/human relationships, and is primarily where this notion of "never be on the same level or allow your dog to be above you" came from.

Many studies have been done on free ranging wolf populations since the earlier ones on captive populations that have provided an eye-opening look at the reality of their social relationships, much of which conflicts with the conclusions drawn from the captive studies.

Dogs recognize that human beings are not conspecifics (of the same species). There is no scientifically valid research to support the notion that a pet dog would ever want to, or try to, dominate a human being. Given the definition of the word dominance, what would breeding rights or priority access to limited primary resources have to do with the dog sleeping in bed with you, or sitting next to you on the couch have to do with it? Most of what we see behaviorally in domestic dog/human interaction is learned, not instinctive.

Pet dogs can and do learn to use behaviors to control environmental consequences. In other words, when they learn that a particular behavior "works" in gaining a desired consequence, they will continue to use it. For example, if a dog growls because someone is trying to move him off the couch or bed, it's because it's worked in the past in controlling the environmental consequence (he gets left alone where he's comfortable!) not because he's trying to be "dominant".

It is our responsibility to provide structure and to teach our pet dogs how to behave to our expectation, using humane and positive training techniques. If responding to requests for behavior from you brings your dog good stuff in life, that's what he will do, simply because of the consequence it brings him.

If you still want to break your dog of sleeping in bed with you, prevent him from it (tether him to the bedpost), and teach him to sleep on his own bed, on the floor. Remember though, that it's your house and your rules, so it's your choice.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you.

Best of luck, and thanks for writing.

Lisa (Laney) Patrona,  Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC

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