Will letting my dog sleep with me make his Separation Anxiety worse?

The short answer is NO!

Bet you're thinking that's good news right? Well be prepared for some kickback. Many old school trainers abhor dogs sleeping in your bedroom with you, let alone on your bed .... shock gasp horror .... the outrage of it all!

Did you know dogs are social sleepers? And, according to a study carried out by the Mayo Clinic, more than half (56%) of pet owners allow their pets to sleep in their bedrooms. The study also found 20% of pet owners described their pets as disruptive, whereas  41% perceived their pets as unobtrusive or even beneficial to sleep.

Did you also know that having a pet can lower your blood pressure and help you feel calmer. They can help you feel safe and comfortable and can also help diminish nightmares! This is because sleeping with your dog may release oxytocin meaning you are likely to have a deeper sleep.

Sounds good right? But there are schools of thought that believe allowing your dog in your bedroom at night can not only cause dominance issues (even aggression) but also contribute to separation anxiety.

I'd like to put those ideas to bed (so to speak) as neither of them are true. 

If you are having dominance/aggression issues with your dog, there's more going on than simply sleeping in your bedroom. Somewhere down the line, there's been a lack of training perhaps, or other areas are being let slide (but that's a topic for another post). It's also essential to ensure your dog is getting adequate exercise and enrichment activities as well as the right type of training. Failure to do these are sure to cause issues, but sleeping in your bedroom is not the key factor at play here.

When it comes to separation anxiety, you cannot create this issue by allowing your dog to be with you in the bedroom. Many dogs who sleep with their owners do not suffer from separation anxiety - think about that! I'll say it again ... the vast majority of dogs who sleep with their owners do not suffer from separation anxiety.

Now, if your dog does suffer from separation anxiety, letting them be with you at night will actually serve to make them feel more at ease and less anxious. A dog that is petrified to be on its own is more likely to fly into a panic if it is left by itself and this will only confirm its fears.

Proper desensitisation training helps your dog cope better when left alone and once you undertake it, you will find your dog may take itself off and be perfectly happy to sleep on its own as it has learnt how to be comfortably independent confidence when you are not around.

Ness
PS I am not advocating dogs in bedrooms one way or another. Choose what's right for you. I, for one, allow it, but that's just me!