Where does your dog sleep?

[primummobile]

My dog moved in when she was six months old back in 2004. We bought her a bed of her own, and she has never spent one full night in it. She has insisted on sleeping in our bed from the day she arrived. It's a California King sized bed and she somehow manages to take up about half of it.

[redshifter]

My dog moved in when she was six months old back in 2004. We bought her a bed of her own, and she has never spent one full night in it. She has insisted on sleeping in our bed from the day she arrived. It's a California King sized bed and she somehow manages to take up about half of it.

That's pretty much identical to our situation. Our dog sleeps under the covers with us. Don't judge...

[swampyankee]

That's pretty much identical to our situation. Our dog sleeps under the covers with us. Don't judge...

At least we keep our dog on, not under the covers. Somehow, dogs manage to use half of whatever bed space is available, as my late bichon (about 10" at the shoulder) took up the same amount of room as my current dog, a cocker that's about 16" at the shoulder. The bichon did sleep under one of my daughter's covers, but only when he was clean.

[slang]

With the fishes. Our newer dog spends his nights in an indoor kennel (over here it's known as a 'bench'), like this. We had it in the house with the door open when we got him, and he immediately adopted it as his 'room'. Even when he's sleeping somewhere else, when I start to turn out the lights at night he immediately goes in it. The cats, though, treat our bed as their own, and especially in winter they'll push with their heads to be let under the comforter.

[primummobile]

With the fishes. Our newer dog spends his nights in an indoor kennel (over here it's known as a 'bench'), like this. We had it in the house with the door open when we got him, and he immediately adopted it as his 'room'. Even when he's sleeping somewhere else, when I start to turn out the lights at night he immediately goes in it. The cats, though, treat our bed as their own, and especially in winter they'll push with their heads to be let under the comforter.

Our dog, who usually will stay in whatever room that people are in, always stands up around 10PM and heads up to bed by herself whether or not we are going to bed then. She'll also take your seat if you stand up for even a minute.

We have three cats, and they sometimes sleep in the bed and sometimes not. They don't seem to have a preference either way.

I think it's funny that your dog took over an area as its own without being prompted.

[primummobile]

At least we keep our dog on, not under the covers. Somehow, dogs manage to use half of whatever bed space is available, as my late bichon (about 10" at the shoulder) took up the same amount of room as my current dog, a cocker that's about 16" at the shoulder. The bichon did sleep under one of my daughter's covers, but only when he was clean.

I guess I'm lucky then. My dog, even though she has short hair, hates to be under any type of covers. She usually just sleeps on top of my legs to make sure I can't move.

[Perikles]

Our newer dog spends his nights in an indoor kennel (over here it's known as a 'bench'), like this. .

Similar to the one our dog uses, but ours is a dog airplane transporter box on loan from friends who had to transport their own huge dogs. This is the brilliant solution for a puppy which would chew anything if unsupervised, and she adores it as her home.

Why is it called a bench? It looks very unbenchy to me.

[PetersCreek]

She has insisted on sleeping in our bed from the day she arrived.

Insisted? I guess we know who wears the doggy pants in your family. (just kidding!)

More seriously...

Our dog, Kroger, sleeps in his own bed. We trained him to that since we got him as a pup. At first, that bed was his crate. Nowadays, it's a padded dog bed. There are four of them actually, located throughout the house, to serve as bed, couch, easy chair...they're his furniture. While I'm getting ready for work on Mondays, my wife's day off, she often invites him up on the bed for a bit but he's not allowed to sleep with us. We're Alpha. He's not. We have our space and he has his.

When we're both at work, it's another story. I suspect that he thinks he's Alpha when we're gone (really, the cats are) and he spends part of the day lounging on the bed. I think he believes that he's getting away with it by being sneaky but as smart as he is, he doesn't understand the concept of evidence, not even the kind left by an 85-pound Labrador Retriever. He rearranges pillows, knocks them onto the floor, leaves his toys on the bed, and just generally rumples the heck out of it. We allow him his delusion, though, since it hasn't resulted in dominant behavior problems.

[slang]

Why is it called a bench? It looks very unbenchy to me.

I have no idea. I've always wondered myself. Maybe it was introduced by some influential dog bigwig with terrible English skills but a fondness for foreign sounding names.

[Swift]

The cats, though, treat our bed as their own, and especially in winter they'll push with their heads to be let under the comforter.

I've had cats that did that too, or would scratch at the edge of the comforter till you let them in.

With our two current cats, Maki will sleep on the bed during the day, but almost never sleeps with us at night. She has a particular corner of the living room she likes (I don't know why) and after she adopted it as her bed, we put a blanket there for her.

Ginger does like sleeping with us, but I can't sleep with a cat on or against me. She usually sleeps next to, or partially on my wife, and usually on top of the covers. She does love hiding places, and will often spend time during the day under the covers. If the bed is unmade, it sometimes is hard to tell she is under the pile of blankets until you move them.

[primummobile]

Insisted? I guess we know who wears the doggy pants in your family. (just kidding!)

I'm just a sucker for big brown puppy eyes. My dog is a Boxer/Lab mix, so even at six months she was a pretty big puppy, but she still had those puppy eyes. I remember waking up at 3AM with her looking at me and crying. I guess it was one of my weaker moments.

[Swift]

I'm just a sucker for big brown puppy eyes. My dog is a Boxer/Lab mix, so even at six months she was a pretty big puppy, but she still had those puppy eyes. I remember waking up at 3AM with her looking at me and crying. I guess it was one of my weaker moments.

I assume this is the dog in your avatar, and apparently demonstrating the subject of the thread <wink>.

With regard to the "weaker moments" bit - my dad was the big pushover with the dog we had when I was a kid (an Irish Setter named Kerry). He could not say no to that dog. For a long time we had a cartoon up on the refrigerator that showed a dog in a high chair with a bowl of food and a guy is saying to the dog "Because you're a dog, that's why you can't eat at the table". That was my dad.

[primummobile]

Don't any of your cats fight if you get two under the covers at the same time?

[primummobile]

I assume this is the dog in your avatar, and apparently demonstrating the subject of the thread <wink>.

Yep, correct on both counts!

[Swift]

Don't any of your cats fight if you get two under the covers at the same time?

Our current two are pretty much never under the covers at the same time. They do fight sometimes, but not because of that. On the flip side, they do sleep together sometimes on top of the bed, curled up with each other.

[primummobile]

Our current two are pretty much never under the covers at the same time. They do fight sometimes, but not because of that. On the flip side, they do sleep together sometimes on top of the bed, curled up with each other.

Two of my cats are sisters from the same litter, and they used to do that. Then we brought in a third cat (also a sister, but different litter) and now they all hate each other except for the times they are watching a bird or some other small animal they think they can catch.

[Swift]

Maki and Ginger are sisters too. But I've also had cats that were not that slept together. Our childhood cats, Princess and Doris were not related and were several years different in age, but slept together. I actually think Princess thought of Doris as her adopted child (she was the older and Doris came in as a kitten).

It is very funny how alike sisters Maki and Ginger are. They both have kind of the same walk, and walk with their tails straight up except for the very tip, kind of like a little flag on a flagpole. When they are sleeping or watching the birds, they often adopt the identical positions. They are both black and orange, though Ginger has quite a bit more orange. The one difference are their faces - Maki has kind of a round face and green eyes, Ginger has a more pointy classic cat face and yellow eyes.

[Tog]

Sleep is an odd affair at my house. I work nights and the gf works days. I'll go to bet about 2 PM and get up about the time she goes to bed. On my nights off, I'll "sleep in" until midnight or 1 AM. Where the dogs sleep depends a lot on who's sleeping.

I should also add that the top of our bed is 3 feet from the ground. Jack can jump up from the front side if he really tries, but both use the stool on the GF's side of the bed to get up. When they get down, they jump off my side near the door. They sometimes do this several times an hour when I'm sleeping.

I sleep on my stomach/side and often have my legs in the shape of a 4, so there is a small triangle made with both thighs and one calf. This is seen as a pet bed by the dogs. Jack (the Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound) used to sleep in this pet bed, but since we got the Little Dumb Dog (Chihuahua), jack no longer sleep on the bed with me.

The dumb dog will claw at my arm, pillow, face, whatever until I let him under the covers. Then, he'll curl up in the "pet bed" or nestle into, well... We also refer to him as a chasti-chihuahua. He's not picky about whose lap, or how that lap is facing, he's in it.

If the GF an I are both sleeping at the same time, LDD will be on or touching her as described above, and Jack will be between us at about chest level.

When I'm home, I have a pet bed in the lower shelf of my desk, and another under a roll away open top filing cabinet. It's not unusual to have one dog in each. Sometimes there's a cat in one and Jack sleeps in the living room on the couch. Sometimes he jumps up into my chair and wedges himself into the small of my back.

[Tog]

Our current two are pretty much never under the covers at the same time. They do fight sometimes, but not because of that. On the flip side, they do sleep together sometimes on top of the bed, curled up with each other.

I've caught the cat and Jack curled up together before. As soon as I got the camera, Jack took off. One night all three were on the couch, but not quite touching.

[Trebuchet]

Our cats are not related (other than being adopted sisters, you know) but came from the same place and had known each other from young kittenhood so they get along and are often curled up together on the bed at night. Both like to get under the covers with us, usually during the day if we're napping. The cover is important: One in particular demands that I go sit in the recliner, put my legs up, and put on the blanket.

When we go to our 2nd home, she gets in her carrier merely by being asked to do so. She then cries all the way there. Once we've arrived and she's figured out where she is, she goes and sleeps in the carrier. Apparently the problem is just the door being closed.

[primummobile]

I sleep on my stomach/side and often have my legs in the shape of a 4, so there is a small triangle made with both thighs and one calf. This is seen as a pet bed by the dogs.

That's exactly where my dog sleeps. It's fine until I try to roll over. But mine won't get under the covers.

[primummobile]

Maki and Ginger are sisters too. But I've also had cats that were not that slept together. Our childhood cats, Princess and Doris were not related and were several years different in age, but slept together. I actually think Princess thought of Doris as her adopted child (she was the older and Doris came in as a kitten).

It is very funny how alike sisters Maki and Ginger are. They both have kind of the same walk, and walk with their tails straight up except for the very tip, kind of like a little flag on a flagpole. When they are sleeping or watching the birds, they often adopt the identical positions. They are both black and orange, though Ginger has quite a bit more orange. The one difference are their faces - Maki has kind of a round face and green eyes, Ginger has a more pointy classic cat face and yellow eyes.

The two older sisters of my cats, Callie and Chloe, are night and day as far as personalities go. Callie prefers my wife, and Chloe prefers me. Callie is aggressive and outspoken and Chloe is shy. When they were kittens Chloe knew what the rules were, and she would instigate Callie into crossing the line and then Chloe would sit back and watch while Callie got in trouble. It was usually something like jumping up on the table or climbing the curtains. Chloe would just pretend she was going to do one of those things and then Callie would see her and actually do it, at which point Chloe would sit down and have nothing more to do with it.

[Fazor]

My dogs sleep on the couch. Or behind the door. Or on the bed. Or under the ironing board. Or sprawled out in the doorway between the living room and dining room. Or in the middle of the kitchen floor. Sometimes down in the basement; under the stairs or next to the furnace.

...okay, so they sleep pretty much anywhere and everywhere. And in every conceivable position.

[Swift]

The two older sisters of my cats, Callie and Chloe, are night and day as far as personalities go. Callie prefers my wife, and Chloe prefers me. Callie is aggressive and outspoken and Chloe is shy. When they were kittens Chloe knew what the rules were, and she would instigate Callie into crossing the line and then Chloe would sit back and watch while Callie got in trouble. It was usually something like jumping up on the table or climbing the curtains. Chloe would just pretend she was going to do one of those things and then Callie would see her and actually do it, at which point Chloe would sit down and have nothing more to do with it.

In spite of their physical similarities, our two have very different personalities. Both are very social with us, but Maki is more my cat, and tends to hang out with me, while Ginger is more my wife's cat and hangs out with her. Maki is one of the most mellow cats I've know, and is not only sociable with us, but with strangers that come into the house. Ginger is definitely more skittish, tends to get startled by many things and her reaction to that is to go hide, usually under a piece of furniture or in the basement. Other than us, she will hide from anyone who comes into our house. When we are on vacation, it will be days before our pet sitter will actually see her. My mother-in-law, who comes over every couple of months, has never seen her.

[Fazor]

I just realized I had these available, and so great for this thread!

First, Charlie annoyed that I won't let her sleep:


And Charlie sleeping in the car after a nice walk at the park:


The elusive Veruca (she hates cameras and runs anytime we pull one out) sound asleep . . . upside-down:

[swampyankee]

I guess I'm lucky then. My dog, even though she has short hair, hates to be under any type of covers. She usually just sleeps on top of my legs to make sure I can't move.

The worst complaint I have about my dog is that she aids and abets my wife in stealing all the covers.

[primummobile]

In spite of their physical similarities, our two have very different personalities. Both are very social with us, but Maki is more my cat, and tends to hang out with me, while Ginger is more my wife's cat and hangs out with her. Maki is one of the most mellow cats I've know, and is not only sociable with us, but with strangers that come into the house. Ginger is definitely more skittish, tends to get startled by many things and her reaction to that is to go hide, usually under a piece of furniture or in the basement. Other than us, she will hide from anyone who comes into our house. When we are on vacation, it will be days before our pet sitter will actually see her. My mother-in-law, who comes over every couple of months, has never seen her.

Funny, my cats are exactly like that, though it is my wife's cat who is the more sociable.

[primummobile]

The worst complaint I have about my dog is that she aids and abets my wife in stealing all the covers.

Dogs are good for that. I think they plan it. I solved the problem by just having my own blanket set aside. It's easier than trying to move blankets around with two dead weights-one on the blankets and another curled up in them.

[DoggerDan]

The worst complaint I have about my dog is that she aids and abets my wife in stealing all the covers.

Your statement just brought grins and tickles all over my heart and face!

[Laguna]

Our first dog would not dream to sleep in our bed. She hates to cuddle! So she either sleeps in her bed under the stairs or besides our bed on the floor.
Dog #2 sleps where ever sleep catches her. No preference. Beds are taboo though!