Golden Retrievers are one of the most loyal, loving, and well respected of all breeds of dogs. They originated in Scotland, during the 18th century, and were bred to be hunting dogs but today, they make amazing family pets. People often wonder if they should let their dog sleep in their bed at night and despite what may have heard from other sources
You should definitely let your Golden Retriever sleep in the bed with you! It will reduce their separation anxiety, help to strengthen your bond with your furry friend and they’ll keep an ear out for any noises in the night!
Below we go over some benefits of letting your dog sleep in the bed with you.
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Making the Decision – Should A Golden Retriever Sleep In Your Bed?
When a brand new puppy, full of life and fun, joins your household, it quickly becomes one of the family. Dogs are pack animals, and they love to sleep with the other members of the pack and hang out together all day! Whether you’ve recently got a puppy or an older Golden Retriever, you’re going to have to decide whether or not they will be allowed to sleep in your bed at night.
Letting your dog sleep in your bed with you will stop them from suffering from separation anxiety during the night. It should stop them from crying or barking in the next-door room and potentially keeping you and your neighbors awake!
However, there are many other advantages of allowing your Golden Retriever to sleep in your bed at night.
If you’re going to let your puppy sleep in the bed with you, be aware that they are quite small and fragile, so you don’t want to squish them by accident in the night! If they’re still really small, you can let them sleep in a basket beside the bed until they are a bit bigger, at which point they can start to sleep in the bed as well! You’ll have to use your common sense to make the call as to whether they are big enough yet to sleep in the bed safely.
How A Dog Sleeps – Helping You Decide Whether Your Puppy Will Be Sleeping in Your Bed.
Golden Retrievers sleep for an average of between 12-16 hours a day! This is almost double what the average person sleeps, but our furry friends really do need it. Puppies need even more sleep than older dogs, though, and can often sleep for 18 hours a day while they are growing pups.
Dogs also have a very different type of sleeping pattern to humans. Unlike humans, dogs don’t have deep sleeping phases like we do. When humans fall asleep they drift into a light sleep, then fall into the deep sleep and REM (dreaming) phases of the night.
Dogs only have light sleep and REM (dreams) phases, which means they wake up at the slightest sound and pretty much sleep at any time of the day! So you won’t have to worry about your dog keeping you awake at night because once they’ve settled down, they’ll quickly fall asleep with you.
Top Benefits of Letting Your Golden Retriever Sleep in Your Bed.
They Bring You Comfort and Warmth.
A recent study found that nearly 60% of all dog owners allowed their furry friends to sleep in their beds because they found it so comforting and helped them sleep better. Having your dog curled up in the bed with you will let you sleep more deeply, and having a snuggle in the morning is the nicest way to start the day! Some dogs do snore in the night, but usually, it’s not enough to keep you awake and can actually be very relaxing to listen to in the darkness.
Your Golden Retriever Will Help To Keep You Warm.
If facing the prospect of a long cold winter is daunting, then having a furry companion to share the nights with will keep you warm and stop the shivering! A Golden Retriever is far better than an electric blanket or a hot water bottle!
Plus, you get the extra benefit of their friendly personalities! Dogs love to sleep with their owners, so they don’t feel left out, which means that making your dog’s allowance to share your bed, or at least your bedroom, is a win-win for all involved!
Having the warmth of your dog at night is even more important in cold climates and can be a lifesaver during a winter power outage. No matter how chilly it gets, your dog will rapidly warm up the bed for you and keep it nice and cozy throughout the night.
Sleeping With Your Dog Lowers Your Blood Pressure!
Scientific research has shown that owners who sleep with their dogs have lower blood pressures than those who don’t. This can be especially important for people who have hypertension or chronically high blood pressure. It’s not only sleeping in bed with your Golden Retriever that will lower your blood pressure because it’s even been shown that petting your dog can have the same effect!
The incredible healing benefits of having a pet dog are still not fully understood by science, but we all know that our furry friends make us feel more relaxed when we’re in their presence. Keeping your blood pressure down is one of the best indicators for living a long life.
Improves Your Mood and Makes You Feel Happy.
Just being around our dogs can improve our mood and help us forget about the day’s stresses! Dogs have a carefree nature that is so infectious we can’t help but be influenced by it. If you’ve been going through a rough patch in life, spending some quality time with your dog can help you get through it. You can talk to your dog if you need a shoulder to cry on or just feel some emotional support. Although your dog won’t answer you as such, it will understand that you’re going through a tough time and will give you all the love and attention that it can!
Sleeping with Your Golden Retriever Can Help To Cure Insomnia.
We’ve all had periods in our lives when we’ve suffered from insomnia and haven’t been able to sleep very well, but your dog will help to relax you and let your drift off into a deep sleep. Insomnia can make it impossible to have a productive life and reach your full potential. One of the most common causes for insomnia is anxiety and stress and so letting your dog sleep in your bed can really help you get a good night’s sleep.
It’s always preferable to overcome insomnia without using sleeping pills or herbal remedies so if you’ve been having a difficult time getting to sleep at night, try letting your dog join you in the bed. Insomnia can lead to other health problems, including diabetes, so tackling it as soon as possible is crucial to good long-term health.
Beat Depression.
Depression can be one of the most debilitating conditions that can last for years at a time. Allowing your furry friend to sleep in your bed at night will give you the warm, cozy night’s sleep that you need to start to get back on track. All pets have been shown to have an amazing impact on mental health conditions such as depression, and so spending as much time as possible with them can be the path to better mental health!
Having a pet dog, especially such a loving one as a Golden Retriever, can help build structure into your daily routine. They can also give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning to go for a walk – which has also been shown to improve your mental health.
Feel Safe And Secure.
Sleeping with your dog at night means that you’ll have a guard dog right beside you who can alert you to any unusual sounds in the house, and if, as Golden Retrievers do, the dog has a good loud bark, they may well frighten off any burglars who try to enter your home! This will make you feel safe and secure in your bed at night just by knowing that your dog is by your side as you snooze.
Improves Your Bond With Your Golden Retriever.
Spending time with your dog is vital to creating the kind of strong, lifelong bonds that all pet owners want to develop. Your dog will love sleeping in the bed with you and will feel like they’re a part of the pack! Don’t forget that in the wild, dogs hunt, play, and sleep together. Of course, you don’t want your dog to be too wild, but it will really help them feel loved and trusted if they let them sleep in your bed at night. Dogs know that humans are also social animals, which is one reason why they make such good pets.
Whatever You Decide Be Consistent.
Once you’ve decided to allow your Golden Retriever to sleep in your bed, you will need to be consistent. That means that you can’t let them sleep in the bed one night and then stop them another time because this will upset and confuse them.
After your dog has learned its routine, you should try to stick to it as closely as possible. If a dog’s routine keeps changing, it will become anxious and might even start to misbehave. For example, if you stop your dog from sleeping with you, it may cry and bark during the night to try to get your attention and show you that it’s unhappy! Changing your dog’s routine will cause it to get separation anxiety and become stressed out, even during the day!
So, once you’ve decided to allow your dog to sleep in your bed, you should not change their routine or the boundaries you have set. Before you decide, it’s always worth spending a little time considering it to make sure you can maintain it in the long term.
Golden Retrievers and Your Children.
Of all the fantastic breeds of dogs, no dog is more trustworthy, loving, and safe around children. Your Golden Retriever will protect your children from strangers and be a wonderful childhood companion for them as they grow up.
Children who have pets, especially dogs, are much less likely to suffer from allergies in the future and are more resilient to chronic conditions such as asthma. Your dog will also help your children to stay in good physical shape by encouraging them to play outdoors and throw sticks for them to chase. Your Golden Retriever has an unlimited reserve of energy, and its fun-loving nature is ideal for your children to grow up with.
Can A Golden Retriever Sleep In A Child’s Bed At Night?
Every child and situation is different, but once your child is a bit older, you can let their pet dog sleep in the room or bed. Your children will suffer from less anxiety and stress while feeling safe and secure during the night if they’re allowed to sleep with their pets. Many parents have reported that when they let their pet dogs sleep in their children’s rooms, it helped their kids get up in the morning without wanting to lie in and miss the school bus!
A pet dog is a reliable, steady, and loving friend and your children will go from strength to strength as they grow up with their Golden Retriever. Dogs can have invaluable therapeutic effects on children and so if they experience stress at school, depression, or anxiety, then a dog can be the factor that helps them to be their very best selves! Having a pet dog in their lives can boost their self-esteem and give them the confidence they need to succeed in life.
Should You Let A Golden Retriever Sleep in Your Bed?
It can change your life for the better to allow your Golden Retriever to share the bed with you. If you’re recently got a new puppy, make sure they aren’t going to get squashed during the night, but once it has grown up a little bit, you can safely let it curl up with you.
If you are sleeping with your dog in the bed at night, be aware that they can overheat, so keep an eye out for the symptoms, including sweating through the paws and panting. Always make sure that there is a bowl of water that your dog can get to during the night in case they get too hot and need to cool down.
Allowing your Golden Retriever to sleep in your bed with you has so many benefits that cannot be ignored; however, once you choose to allow your dog to do so, you need to be consistent and stick with your decision.