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Do you let guest dogs sleep with you?

Hello my fellow dog lovers. How do you feel about guest dogs sleeping in your bed? I personally do not sleep with my own dogs. They sleep in my room in their dog bed. There are times when I sit for dogs, their owners expect me to sleep with their dogs because that is what they do when they are in their own home. I would like to know what people think about this behavior and what would be your response to the dog parents. I know what the right answer is but I would love to hear other response. Thank you.

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I dog sit in their own home, so if they usually allow their pets on their bed then I do as well! One of the reason I love dog sitting so much is because I don't have my own dog with me at college, so I will take any chance I get to cuddle with a dog.

I just had a dog not only sleep in my bed at my home - they slept ON TOP of me. It was a sleepless night for me. The owner laughed and was like oh yes I forgot to tell you that. It went too far for me as I cannot be sleep deprived :)

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I personally do not mind having dogs sleep in my bed with me. If that is what makes the dog feel the most comfortable and at home, then that is fine with me. However, if the dog is big or is a bed hog and my sleep is being disturbed, then I will make the dog get down. I think the decision is up to you. If you are not comfortable with dogs sleeping in your bed, and the owner has specifically requested that they want you to sleep with their dog, then just let the owner know how you feel and assure them that you will do your best to make the dog feel safe and comfortable by making them an area of their own where they can sleep.

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I go back and forth with this specific issue, since I do and don't allow dogs on the furniture. Primarily I only allow dogs that are invited onto the furniture, to lay on the furniture. If that doesn't make any sense I will explain.

With my own dog, she is allowed on all furniture in our home except for my parents bed, and our leather couches in the game room. That being said, she does NOT get on furniture when not invited to. She will not jump up on a bed or couch that isn't hers, until invited to come up. (i.e., she doesn't take the liberty to lay on furniture herself).

She sees laying on furniture with us as a reward for good behavior, a great run, or just because we want to snuggle with her. She will only stay on the furniture for so long, before she gets off to go lay on the cool hardwood floors.

The standards I uphold with my own dog, are applied to my guests dogs. If a guest dog takes the liberty to jump up on the furniture without being invited, they have to get off. Once they've decided to stay off, and go elsewhere, I will invite them to come on if they still want to.

I use couch and bed snuggle time as a reward that they look forward to. I tend to do this with a lot of other normal activities (i.e. treats, meal times, water, walks, cuddle time, fetch, etc.) These are normal every day routine and activties, but I make my dogs work for it, which also stimulates them mentally and physically. My dogs stay for at least 6 seconds before entering and exiting any door or gate, entering a car, entering/exiting a building, entering/exiting the dog park and sit and stay whilst other dogs approach us, kindly say hello, and go about our way. This is a standard I hold with all of my dogs, and for guests that are not used to this kind of training get special attention (solo walks, solo park time, solo feedings, etc) until they get the hang of it, and can do it along with the rest of the pack.

It also helps tremendously when they have someone other than you, that upholds the rules to follow. Binky, my resident dog, leads and shows all of our guests about how to act when staying with us. They often follow her around the house, if she goes to the living room and lies down, they will to. If she goes to get a drink of water, they will follow, if she goes upstairs to try to get away from them, they follow her lol. I honestly could not function as well if it wasn't for Binky. She's my biggest and best helper!!

The key is to be consistent! If you give in, or slip up one time, that's all ... (more)

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We go back and forth on this as well. Our bedroom has always been our dogs "safe" place, or place to get away from all the commotion that occurs in a home with three teenagers. So, when we bring guest dogs into our room, our dog won't come in. We feel we may be offending him in some way. The two guest dogs we have right now supposedly sleep with their owners. However, only one will even come in our room. To keep things on a neutral level with all three, none of them have been in our room at night. They all find their place on the furniture or with the kids. So it is working out. I think, to be fair, it is what ever your comfort level is. Sometimes, you won't be a good fit for someone seeking a place for their pet and that is okay.

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I've always loved when the dogs cuddled with me in bed so for me it has never been a problem! I definitely understand where you are coming from though. Each dog is a different case, but I've found that if I don't want the dog in my bed they usually will find another place, such as their on bed, crate, or a couch instead. I actually move around a lot in my sleep so even if they start out sleeping with me, by the time I wake up they have moved somewhere else! haha

I guess if this is a big problem for you, just be upfront with the owners and possibly offer that while they can't be in your bed, you can place their bed/crate in your room so they can still be close to you while you sleep.

Hope that helps

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Thank you Jenny. I had a dog once who refused to go anywhere but the bed. He howled, barked, cried, you name it, he did it. In other words, he was not taking No for an answer. Needless to say it was a long week Lol! Usually dogs will stay with me in my room but in their doggy bed.

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This would be a personal choice for you and you should not feel pushed into letting a guest dog into your bed if you are not comfortable. I personally do not let any dogs into my bed. I have a small puppy which needs to be crate trained so she would not be trusted in the bed all night. And then I have a standard poodle that likes to change positions every hour and it wakes me. Those are the reasons my own do not sleep with me. As far as guest pets, I have found that they are actually much more comfortable sleeping in the designated pet area I have then to be away from them all alone in my room. Many of my guests are crate trained too and find there crate to be a safe place for them. Hope this helps!

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We are in a fortunate position in that we can require dogs to be crate trained to stay with us. Our own dogs are crated at night. We are in high demand in our area, so we have had people train their dogs so they can stay with us.

We do it for safety reasons. Because any dog that is boarding with us or we are caring for is in a temporary situation, the behavior of the client's dogs cannot be predicted completely. We always put safety and health above all other considerations.

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Just be honest with your customer. In the case of the constant barking or howling, I would probably give in! I like a couple of dogs on the bed, but I want room too!

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I discuss sleeping habits , as well as so many other topics, during the meet and greet, to ensure everyone is in agreement. If the dog is used to being crated at night or sleeps in their dog bed at their home, then the dog abides by the same house rules when with me. If the dog likes to sleep with the humans, we discuss because my dog has to really want to cuddle with their dog to share his space. Most dogs sleep in my room, but not necessarily in my bed. Oh and like Michele commented, house accidents result in total loss of bed privilege possibility.

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Hi Frances -

You can specify in your profile if you allow dogs on the furniture or on the bed, so an observant owner will know your preference even before contacting you. Personally, our dogs are not allowed in the bedroom, and we enforce that with our guest dogs as well. We both have mild allergy issues, so while we love having dogs around, dog dander in the bed is a strict no. If a client wants the dog to have bed privileges, it's up to them to talk to sitters and find one who meets their needs. During the meet and greet I always discuss our house rules and ask if the owners have any additional rules they would like us to enforce while their dog is with us, so that everyone is clear about everyone's expectations.

I suppose ultimately it's up to you to determine if booking the stay or maintaining your current rules are more important to you, but it's always alright to be firm about your rules and allow the owners to determine if your household is a good fit.

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I take it on a case by case basis. If the owner insists that they must sleep in the bed, but they don't cry and bark when I go upstairs to my bedroom at night, I leave them downstairs to sleep on the couch. If they are having accidents in the house, no way am I letting them in my bed!

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