Should I let my Beagle sleep in my bed?
The idea of snuggling up with your Beagle at night sounds pretty cute, but is it a great idea? There are advantages and disadvantages to letting your Beagle sleep on or in your bed, and no two situations are the same. Some Beagles and their owners experience positive mental health benefits from spending time asleep together, whilst in other situations co-sleeping with your dog may cause behavioral or physical health problems.
Here are some of the topics we will cover in this article:
1) Should I let my Beagle sleep in my bed?
Cocoa making herself at home on my bed.
To start with, we'll look at this doggy dilemma from your Beagle's perspective. Is it safe for your dog to share your bed, or is there a good reason why they should stick to their own bed?
There is a huge urban myth that circulates around the idea of a dog sleeping alongside their human owner. You'll come across many dog owners who are horrified by the suggestion, warning you that your dog will become spoiled or develop behavioral problems.
Luckily, canine experts have dispelled this myth, and under the right circumstances, there should be no issue with your Beagle sharing your bed. Caveat to this is that if your Beagle does demonstrate any behavioral issues, you should be cautious about allowing them to sleep on anyone’s bed, and should be especially careful about leaving the animal unattended with children.
In terms of the dog's physical health, it is perfectly OK for an adult Beagle to sleep on a mattress, as long as they are well out of the puppy phase and free from any health problems.
As a besotted Beagle owner who loves nothing better than a snuggling with my Beagle cuddle, it came as no surprise to me to learn that there are mental health benefits to sleeping with your Beagle! Sharing a bed with your dog can provide a sense of security, ease anxiety, and increase the chances of a restful night's sleep.
But before you snuggle up with your Beagle for the night, there are some things that you need to carefully consider.
2) Is it healthy for my Beagle to share my bed?
A healthy Beagle should be able to comfortably share your bed without any issues. However, in some situations, your Beagle may experience mental or physical health problems as a result of sleeping on your bed.
If your Beagle suffers from musculoskeletal issues, such as arthritis, you should carefully weigh up whether allowing them to sleep with you is a good idea. Softer mattresses do not provide sufficient support for dogs with skeletal pain, and may even make the problem worse. Added to this, climbing onto or jumping down off the bed places extra strain on the joints.
This can be a particular problem as your Beagle gets older, as you may find they are unwilling to relinquish their favorite spot in your bed. To carry on co-sleeping with your elderly Beagle, you should provide them with a step or ramp to access the bed. Placing a firmer doggy mattress in their favorite spot on top of your own bed can help to provide support to aging joints as your dog sleeps.
Another issue associated with elderly Beagles is urinary incontinence, leading to a leaky bladder whilst sleeping. While medication can help treat this, you might also get to the stage where you need to ensure your dog sleeps on puppy pee pads, or you may prefer to encourage your Beagle to sleep on a doggy mattress alongside rather than on top of your bed.
3) Advantages and disadvantages of co-sleeping with your Beagle
While the physical health risks to your Beagle are low when sharing your bed, there are some behavioral considerations to take into account - both positive and negative.
Beagles have a strong pack mentality, and spending time asleep with their favorite humans helps to reinforce this bond. This can be especially beneficial for Beagles that are alone during the daytime, helping to ease stress and reduce the risk of separation anxiety.
But in some circumstances, allowing your dog into your bed can backfire and lead to the blurring of behavioral boundaries. Dogs with possessive tendencies can become obsessive about their favorite human's sleeping area, guarding the bed and keeping other family members at bay.
And although the need to exert dominance over our Beagles is an outdated myth, it is useful for us to be able to ask our dogs to go and lie on their beds when necessary. If your dog starts thinking that their bed is your bed, things could quickly get very confusing! For this reason, it is a good idea to let puppies and young Beagles get used to sleeping in their own area before you allow them to snuggle up with you at night.
4) How to safely share a bed with your Beagle
If you dream of sharing your bed with your Beagle, you are not alone! Nearly half of all dog owners let their dogs sleep with them at night, and issues related to co-sleeping with dogs are rarely reported. However, there are a couple of risks to be aware of when deciding where your Beagle should spend the night.
Allowing your Beagle to sleep on your bed can greatly increase the risk of allergic symptoms, even in people who do not have a known allergy to pets. By sleeping near your Beagle, you are more likely to come into contact with allergens such as dander and saliva, leading to mild hayfever-like symptoms.
Some pet behaviorists also warn that there is a slightly increased risk of aggressive behavior when a dog is allowed to sleep with humans. This is thought to be because by sleeping together on the same level, you are reinforcing the idea that your dog is part of your pack. And should you turn over in the night and accidentally nudge your dog, you might get a snarl in return. Even the most gentle-mannered dog can be grumpy when awoken unexpectedly (and, quite honestly, I’m the same!), so make sure there is plenty of space for everyone in the bed.
It is clear to see that, even though many people dislike the idea, co-sleeping with your Beagle can bring many benefits. Just make sure to rule out the risk factors outlined above, and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep with your canine best friend by your side!
5) Why my Beagle sleeps on my bed: a Beagle owner’s experience
Sleepy Cocoa snuggling with my husband on the day we moved from Germany to the USA.
When I got Cocoa, I was determined that she would sleep in her dog bed, and that the human bed was no place for a dog. I didn’t like the idea of dog fur on my pillow.
When Cocoa was one year old, my husband and I relocated with her from Germany to the USA. We landed late at night, and it had been a very big and scary day for all of us. Cocoa had to travel in her crate in the hold - which was an intensely stressful experience for us and I imagine also for her - but that’s a story I’ll tell you another time). We got to our new home in the dark, in the middle of a snowstorm, all three of us completely exhausted.
I was so relieved that everything had gone smoothly with our arrival into our new home country, and that Cocoa seemed none the worse for wear as a result of her long journey in the crate. That night, there was no way I was going to put Cocoa back into the crate she had just travelled in across the ocean for so many hours. And because we’d only just moved, we only had 2 suitcases, and no spare dog bed. So she was allowed to sleep on our bed.
Cocoa sleeping in our bed for the very first time. A very tired little Beagle.
That night, I remember the greatest sense of relief, joy and contentment as I snuggled with Cocoa in my new bed in my new home.
And that was it!
After a year of insisting that Cocoa should sleep in her own bed, all it took was one night for me to crumble and realize that I’d been missing out on one of the greatest simple pleasures of life. And Cocoa clearly loved it too - we’d never seen her so happy and relaxed as she was that first evening.
Cocoa has been sleeping on our bed ever since. And honestly, snuggling with her is still one of the greatest joys of my life. I will never get bored of it.
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