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Old October 18th, 2014, 04:29 PM
soulnate soulnate is offline
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Should my dog Duke nap on my bed?

Hi Pets.ca,

My dog Duke loves to nap on my bed but I have never really let him because I have heard that dogs should sleep at a low level. Is this true though, if I let him will there be trouble? Thank-you
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Old October 18th, 2014, 05:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soulnate View Post
My dog Duke loves to nap on my bed but I have never really let him because I have heard that dogs should sleep at a low level. Is this true though, if I let him will there be trouble?
If you don't personally have a problem with him on your bed (like allergies or something), then I don't see an issue. The whole concept of being at a "higher level" than the dog is part of the dominance myth perpetrated by Cesar Millan and his followers. It's a total crock. Here's some good info on pets and furniture, if you want to analyze the situation in more depth: http://www.stubbypuddin.com/2014/09/...furniture.html

From the above link:
Quote:
Some pet parents allow their pets on furniture. Some do not for various reasons. One of those reasons should not be "dominance". Pet guardians do not have to worry about pets taking over the household if they are allowed beds or sofas.
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Old October 18th, 2014, 06:43 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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I do believe sleeping on the bed is a privilege that a dog should earn by good ownership and training. Our dog sleeps on our bed and he is allowed on two loveseats. He may only get on the bed by invitation and once he jumps off that's it, no coming back that night. Otherwise he's up and down too many times. Well, that's how we started out.
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Old October 18th, 2014, 07:51 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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The first night I had my dog I told him was time to go to bed and he jumped right on my bed! LOL! I let Marty sleep on my bed , some people do feel the dog should sleep on the floor crate. I think it depend on the dog if the dog is very alpha and does not see the owner as leader of the pack it would be best to have the dog sleep on the floor . This my .
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Old October 19th, 2014, 09:45 AM
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Interesting SCM - I do believe I've been hearing about the whole alpha dominance thing WELL before Cesar became popular. In addition Lots of well respected experts in the field including Dr. Stanley Coren do believe in some type of hierarchy. 'Total crock' seems a bit dismissive to me.

I tend to lean with BD on this one in that I don't see an issue if the dog is well behaved.

Our next dog will likely be sharing our bed with the cats, Carmy and me. Zootopia
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Old October 19th, 2014, 07:06 PM
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Dominance theories were for sure around before Cesar Millan, but he popularized it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by marko View Post
'Total crock' seems a bit dismissive to me.
There are many much more knowledgeable people than me on this subject, and while they might not actually say "total crock" out loud, that's the gist of it:

The Dominance Controversy by the esteemed late Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

De-Bunking the "Alpha Dog" Theory By Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC

Misconceptions of the Mythical Alpha Dog by Dr. Ian Dunbar, DVM, PhD - (Special Honors degree in Physiology & Biochemistry from the Royal Veterinary College (London University) and a doctorate in animal behavior from the Psychology Department at the University of California in Berkeley, where he spent ten years researching olfactory communication, the development of hierarchical social behavior, and aggression in domestic dogs.)

From the above link:

Quote:
Today the Family — Tomorrow the World!

From an assortment of books, I have discovered the following cautionary “advice” for owners. Never let a dog stare or jump-up, never stand, crouch or kneel down in front of a dog, never look a dog in the eyes, or reach over his head, never loom over a dog and reach down around his neck, never get down on the floor or allow a dog to stand over you, never give a dog food treats or human food, never allow a dog to eat before the family or go out of a door first, never allow a dog on furniture, upstairs, in the bedroom, or on the bed, never let a dog mount your leg, never let a puppy mouth or bite, and never play chase, tug o' war, or play-fight with a dog. Instead, novice owners are routinely advised to enforce “elevation dominance”, “dominance down-stays”, physical restraint and discipline and especially, the “alpha-rollover” — grabbing a dog by the jowls and forcing him onto his back.

All of these recommendations destroy the fun and enjoyment of living with a dog, most recommendations are just too silly for words, some are counterproductive and others are downright dangerous.

The above behaviors and actions were misconstrued as the dog's intention of dominating people even though these behaviors and situations have absolutely nothing at all to do with social rank or aggression during dog-human interactions. Basically, if an owner is OK with the dog’s behavior, then there is no problem, whereas if the owner is worried about the dog’s behavior and can neither prevent nor control it, then there is a problem.
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Old October 19th, 2014, 08:23 PM
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Uh-oh I am in trouble then.... all 3 of mine sleep on the bed with me.
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Old October 19th, 2014, 09:39 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by CsqU4r3d View Post
Uh-oh I am in trouble then.... all 3 of mine sleep on the bed with me.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...%20dog%20night

No you're a winner , with winter coming you'll be toasty warm. http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/samoyed
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Old October 19th, 2014, 11:27 PM
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heheheh We're in trouble, too!

One thing I'm convinced of about that whole 'alpha dominance' thing is that no matter how hard you try, if you're human, you just can't be 'alpha'. 'Alpha' is more than just 'in charge' and unless you're canine, you can't fit behaviorally or physically into 'alpha'. As a human, you can be in charge, maintain a discipline, do the training, and earn the attention and respect of your canine companions...but 'alpha'? Impossible.

With our 8, we call the shots, but Cole is 'alpha' male in the Pack. The dogs respect him differently than they respect us. Cole respects us, as well, but he's the first responder when there's trouble in the Pack. Humans are just too blind to the subtleties of canine body language and too physically inept to be 'alpha'. By the time we catch the less subtle signals, Cole is already on the job, running interference and making sure things don't get too rough. That's 'alpha'. All we do is settle everyone down after the fact, get them safely directed to proper behavior again and tell Cole what a good boy he is. That's 'in charge'.
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Old October 20th, 2014, 07:10 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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LOL, the only one in SCM's big quote that I agree with, as an owner, is don't let your dog mount your leg. That's humping, I don't like that, humping is not allowed. My dog has never tried though. All the rest are things we do in play. Jumping up is not allowed unless I invite him to do so, which I regularly do as a reward particularly during obedience training. I call it HUG.

Guess we know who is Alpha at our house. When I woke up this morning the dog was on his bed on the floor and the cat was where he'd started out on the bed. All hail Itty Bitty Kitty, ruler of this house.
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  #11  
Old October 20th, 2014, 11:11 AM
soulnate soulnate is offline
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Such good advice thank you so much I will read all the links and start letting Duke on the bed.
Thank-you
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Old October 20th, 2014, 01:52 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
LOL, the only one in SCM's big quote that I agree with, as an owner, is don't let your dog mount your leg. That's humping, I don't like that, humping is not allowed. My dog has never tried though. All the rest are things we do in play. Jumping up is not allowed unless I invite him to do so, which I regularly do as a reward particularly during obedience training. I call it HUG.

Guess we know who is Alpha at our house. When I woke up this morning the dog was on his bed on the floor and the cat was where he'd started out on the bed. All hail Itty Bitty Kitty, ruler of this house.
The first think Marty did when he saw was to pee on my leg ! I was with my daughter and granddaughter and he picked my leg to pee on. I do not allow my do to jump up on me or other people. Marty did leave me a strange messages with his dog food , he put 3 pieces on the rug in the shape of a triangle , I wonder if that was some kind of hex .
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Old October 20th, 2014, 10:37 PM
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Girlfriend has a purebred min pin, enough said. He owns the bed, and is usually between a set of legs. Don't know how many BTU's he throws off but it's alot, and I don't know how he doesn't suffocate under the duvet.
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  #14  
Old October 21st, 2014, 11:56 AM
soulnate soulnate is offline
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Duke is LOVING my bed and I don't know what I was thinking !
Thank-you!!
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