Should I Let My Weimaraner Sleep In My Bed?

The ultimate choice whether you should invite Weimaraners into your bed or not varies from person to person. While some Weim owners embrace the idea of letting their fur family member have access to every parts of their lives, others are adamant about sharing their bed.

It also depends on the dog, some might not like to cuddle during the night and would prefer to sleep in their own bed.

From their peculiar sleeping postures and despite their energetic personality, Weimaraners are known to be bed-loving pooches. But is letting your Weimaraner sleep in bed with you a good idea?

Nelly & Sleeping In Bed

Nelly knows where she can lay and when. Obviously she has a couple of beds of her own and will sleep on the ground if it’s too hot. Living room sofas are off-limits as are beds.

However, I have a sofa in my room (that can be pulled out for extra sleeping room) and she knows that’s the place she can lay down and she sleeps there during the night.

She’s allowed on my covered and bedding-free bed during the day but when it’s time for bed, she moves to the sofa. She might get up about half an hour before I get up and jump on my bed and sleep for a bit.

I have a single bed, so having a large dog (even though she’s on the smaller side of the standard) there with me isn’t the greatest thing. She won’t fit beside me and I’m not able to move when she plops over my legs. Not to mention that I use a body pillow for my back, so it’s already crowded as it is. 🙂

If you are blessed with a larger bed than I am, maybe you’re contemplating whether to let your Weim up there. As with everything, there are pros and cons to consider.

Before you even get your dream dog, your whole family should decide what the dog will be allowed to do. Weims need consistency and they need a clear idea of what you want from them. If one of you allows them on the bed and the other doesn’t, they get confused and end up doing whatever they want.

If you don’t want your dog on sofas, beds or other furniture, your whole family needs to enforce that rule every time. If your dog already sleeps in bed with you and you found that it’s not working, I’ve included some helpful tips on how to stop it at the end of the article.

Pros of Letting Weims Sleep in Bed

For a well-behaved dog, co-sleeping and night-time snuggles can enhance the dog-owner bond. Regardless whether they’re still a puppy or a fully grown dog, sleeping in bed with your four legged friends will make them feel warm and protected.

Another benefit of co-sleeping with your pet is it helps you to sleep soundly through the night. Research has shown that your pup can actually help you if you suffer with some forms of sleep disorder.

Some service dogs are trained to detect nightmares in patients suffering from PTSD, some can wake their owner during sleep apnea, while others can alert for an upcoming narcolepsy episode.

Some people also report that having their pup in the bed with them worked on their insomnia better than medication due to their soft rhytmic breathing and heartbeat. We know that dogs can ease anxiety and having the dog in bed could help if the owner is worried about intruders.

Cons of Letting Them Sleep in Bed

There’s a great amount of concern that’s been raised over sharing bed with one’s dog. But if you and your dog is healthy (up to date on vaccines, flea/tick/heartworm prevention, regular vet visits, etc.), the risk of catching anything from your pup is minimal.

Sadly, Weimaraners are not hypoallergenic – they still shed hair. Hair is not the only allergen though, saliva and dander can also worsen person’s pet allergy. If you are immunocompromised, it’s not recommended to share your bed with a dog.

If you share a bed with a partner, you should both be on the same page when it comes down to letting your Weim sleep with you. If you can’t agree when to allow the dog on the bed, it could cause friction in the relationship.

Dogs have a different sleep cycle than humans (approximately 3 sleep cycles in an hour), so at times they are awake during the night before settling down again. When Nelly wakes up during the night, she usually shakes herself and her ears are so loud they could wake you from dead sleep.

I’m sure you’ve also heard dog owners complaining about their dog cleaning themselves at 3 am and I can confirm, nothing is louder than that in the middle of the night.

All this extra movement and noise can wake people up, causing sleep deprivation, which could lead to poor performance in day to day tasks and feeling tired upon waking up.

Around half of all pet owners let their dogs sleep in their bed and even though they reported mild reduction of sleep quality, they wouldn’t dream about kicking their beloved pups out.

However, locking your Weimaraner pup in a separate room can be emotionally painful to them (and you if you’re used to having them in your bed). Weims are prone to developing separation anxiety (more on that here in my post).

One thing you can do to avoid separation anxiety is to set up a crate or bed in your bedroom where they can still see you. You can also put down a blanket or a shirt that smells like you. This will alleviate the stress of not being in the bed with you, without evoking feelings of being abandoned or left behind.

You should decide which areas will be off limits before you even bring a dog home.

Training Dogs Not to Get in Bed

As I mentioned at the beginning, it’s best to train your dogs that certain areas are off-limits as soon as you bring them home. However, if your Weim has been in your bed every night, you can still train them not to do it anymore. The old proverb “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is false. 🙂

Definitely make sure your whole family is onboard with this training as it has to be consistent.

Make sure to arm yourself with high value treats or, if your dog isn’t food motivated, a toy or simply affection. Have their dog bed ready wherever you want them to sleep instead. If you’re looking for a new dog bed, here are some recommendations from other Weimaraner owners.

1. Tire them out before bed! Tired Weim is a good Weim.
2. Use whatever command you use for “place”. Make sure to reward them once they lie down.
3. Ignore any attempts for your attention – whining, crying, walking around.
4. If they try to get on your bed, repeat the command and reward once they’re lying down in their own bed.
5. You could use a chew toy to keep them occupied in their bed.

If your dog has been sleeping in your bed for years and you’re just now trying to break that habit, it will take longer. This training requires patience and consistency.

If your dog sleeps in your bed during the day and you don’t want them there, make sure to remove any access (close the door, install a baby gate, etc.)

Conclusion

There are pros and cons to consider before deciding whether you’re going to let your Weim sleep in bed with you.

References:

• Thompson, K., & Smith, B. (2014), “Should We Let Sleeping Dogs Lie… With Us?…” (link)
• Salma I. Patel, Bernie W. Miller, et al. (2017), “The Effect of Dogs on Human Sleep in the Home Sleep Environment” (link)
• Mary W. Rose, PsyD, CBSM, et al. “Dogs and Their Promising Roles in Sleep Disorders Therapy” (link)
• Chomel BB, Sun B. (2011), “Zoonoses in the bedroom” (link)
• PetMD, (2015), “Is It Safe to Sleep with Your Pet?” (link)

Dana

I’ve always loved dogs, ever since I was a child, but I wasn’t allowed to have one. I dog-sit my sister's Weimaraner often. I decided to start this blog and share what I’ve learned about Nelly, the Weimaraner breed, and dogs in general from scientific papers and journals and my own personal experience. Learn more about Dana.