Dog owners love to get cozy with their pet dogs. One way in which they do that is to invite their dogs to sleep with them in their beds. Even with that being said, there are a few reasons why you might not want to bring your dog to bed with you. First, dogs are very hairy and can leave at least a few traces of hair on your bed. Second, because dogs don’t normally wear shoes outside, they may end up on your bed with dirt under their paws.
Third, dogs are notorious for being bed hogs and can be disruptive to your sleep depending on how he/she behaves while in bed with you. That is especially problematic if you have to wake up early in the morning for work and thus are keen to get a good night’s sleep. So, with these reasons in mind, you may want to learn how to keep a dog off the bed and here are the ways you can do that.
Ways Of How To Keep A Dog Off The Bed
1. Get Your Dog His/Her Own Dog Bed
Ideally, your dog will have his/her very own dog bed to sleep in during the night. You don’t want to just get any dog bed though. You want to get the most comfortable dog bed for your dog that you can get.
In fact, you will want to get a dog bed that is so comfortable for your dog that he/she would rather be there than to be in your bed with you.
I would recommend that you get the PetFusion Ultimate Dog Bed as it is made of memory foam which is renowned for its softness. It is also four inches thick and comes in different sizes ranging from small to XXL Jumbo.
Now that you have a dog bed for your dog, you will want to find a spot to place it in. If your dog is comfortable with sleeping alone, then the living room will do just fine.
But, if your dog is too scared to sleep all by his/herself, you will want to put the dog bed inside your bedroom so that he/she can sleep right next to you. If you find that there isn’t enough room for the dog bed to fit into, then the spot right outside your bedroom is a good place for your dog to sleep in.
In that situation, you will want to leave your bedroom door a little bit open so that your dog will feel secure knowing that you are in there.
2. Use The Off Command
Here, I am going to show you how to use the off command to get your dog off of your bed. As soon as your dog gets on your bed, say the word “off.”
At the same time that you say that word, show you dog a tasty treat and hold it somewhere below the bed near the floor to help encourage him/her to come down from your bed. If your dog does that, then go ahead and give him/her the treat as a reward.
But, if your dog doesn’t get off your bed, slowly walk backwards from the bed and show him/her the treat while giving the off command at the same time.
If your dog responds in kind, be sure to reward him/her with the treat the moment that all four of his/her paws are on the floor. It would be helpful if you are also proactive about your dog getting on your bed.
So, if you witness your dog getting ready to jump on your bed, immediately give him/her the off command and show him/her the treat at the same time. If your dog keeps his four paws on the floor, reward him/her with the treat.
Be careful not to yell at your dog if you catch him/her being on your bed as it will just frighten him/her. If you aren’t sure what treats to reward your dog with, the Canine Carry Outs Dog Treats should do it for him/her.
3. Use The Bed Command
Now that your dog has his/her own dog bed, you will want to use the bed command to send him/her there. Before we get started with the bed command, I would recommend that you place the dog bed in a spot where it will be visible to your dog.
That doesn’t mean that the dog bed needs to be in that spot permanently. Now, when you are getting ready to go to bed for the night, just walk towards your bed.
If your dog follows you to your bed, use your finger to point at the dog bed and say the word “bed” to direct him/her there. If your dog obeys you, make sure to praise and reward him/her with a treat.
If this process doesn’t work out, show your dog the treat and then lure him/her to the dog bed. Once you and your dog have arrived at the dog bed, hold the treat just above the dog bed and say the word “bed” to get him/her onto it.
If your dog is completely on the dog bed, reward him/her with a treat. You may have to repeat this a few more times before your dog gets the hang of it.
Ideally, you will send your dog to his dog bed with just the word “bed” without even having to point your finger at it. Also, try and combine the off and bed commands for extra measure.
Concluding How To Keep A Dog Off The Bed
These are the ways that you can go about how to keep a dog off the bed. Also, if you are living as a family in a home with multiple beds in it, you will want to make sure that everybody in the family is on board before moving forward with this training.
That is because if you don’t allow your dog on your bed, but one of your children allows the dog to get on his/her bed, the dog may end up thinking that it is ok to get on your bed – even if you have already trained him/her to stay off of it.
What are your thoughts? Do you allow your dog to sleep with you in your bed? Feel free to leave a comment below.
That’s a good article on fetching. Thanks. I’m going to try that with our dogs.
Thank you very much for the suggestions. At first, my puppies also love to sleep with me in the bed, but I thought it will be better if they can sleep by themselves. I will try to train them with the bed commands. Usually, how long it will take to teach them? My puppies are a bit devilish 🙂 so it may take a while until they become obedient to the comment.
You are very welcome. Yes, I understand why your puppies would want to sleep on your bed with you. So, if your puppies are anxious about sleeping separate from you, I would suggest that you try to put their dog beds into your room with you. That way, they can sleep on their own dog beds, but still take comfort in knowing that you are sleeping right there.
As for how long it takes to teach your puppies the bed command, I would say that it can be done in a few days to a week. But, don’t rush your puppies into learning the bed command. Do it in a gradual manner and make sure that they are following along every step of the process.
I hope this helps.
I strongly believe dogs should not sleep in their owners bed. To me its is just not proper hygiene no matter the circumstance. Dogs should have their own place of rest. If you have allergies or a skin condition being exposed to the dogs fur and whatever else is in their fur can aggravate the condition. I love animals, but my bed is definitely off limits.
You make a very good point there. These are serious concerns to consider when deciding whether or not to allow one’s dog to be on the bed. So, I am glad that you found this article so that you can teach your dog that your bed is indeed off limits to him/her.