Getting a Dog Out of Your Bed

Internationally known dog trainer Victoria Stilwell says if your dog has no behavioral problems then it's OK to let him sleep in your bed. In fact, from the dog's standpoint, it's a compliment.
"Dogs only sleep with people or dogs they trust," says Stilwell, star of the TV show "It's Me or the Dog." Continue...



But, she says, aggressive or dominant dogs should not be allowed on beds. And if pets become a problem, they have to get off the bed.

That was the case with a couple that Stillwell worked with who slept with three giant, male mastiffs. One of the dogs started lunging at their toddler when she approached the bed, so Stilwell bought three extra large dog beds and taught the dogs to get off the bed on command.

"Make it a game to get off the bed, using lots of praise and petting," Stilwell says. "They get no attention on the bed. Only on the floor."

After a while, when the dogs were ordered off the bed, they got down, although Stilwell says it was at least two weeks before the dogs didn't attempt to get back on the bed.
"You're going to have a few sleepless nights," she says, "but you've got to stick with it."