This is the one of the most debated question among dog owners, and Golden Retriever owners are no exception in this case. Why should I let my Golden Retriever sleep in my bed? Do benefits outweigh risks? Is this good for me and my Golden’s health?

These are the questions every owner ask before making that important step. Co-sleeping with your Golden Retriever certainly brings some benefits, but also certain risks with it.

In this article we will list and explain all of them. But in the end this is your own choice and you should choose what is best for your dog and you.

Dog owner community is divided by this question. While some strongly advocate co-sleeping with your dog, others disagree.

Research done by the AKC has shown that 45% of the people welcome the dog in their bed.

There are many scientifically proven physical and mental health benefits of co-sleeping with your Golden Retriever. Just touching or petting your dog will increase oxytocin level in your brain. This “love hormone,” as it is often called, has positive impact on your overall psychological stability.

Studies have also shown that petting and close contact with your dog improves survival rates after life threatening surgery.

Letting your Golden Retriever sleep in bed with you will increase the duration of contact between the two of you. Thus increasing it’s overall effects.

Recent studies performed in Australia have shown that both human and canine heart rate gets lower when we are together. Three human subjects together with their canine companions were subjugated to this test.

Researchers separated pairs for a certain amount of time. Then they reunited them, while recording heart rate data all the while. After collecting and analyzing the data researchers have shown that both human and dogs experienced immediate relaxation upon seeing each other. Sleeping with your dog can ease felling of anxiety and give sense of comfort and security. Dogs are also great bed warmers, and that is a big plus in anybody’s book.

On top of all this letting your Golden Retriever sleep in bed with you will substantially improve and strengthen bond between you.

We can divide risks of co-sleeping with your Golden Retriever in three distinctive categories: Risk of infection and allergies, Sleep deprivation and Behavioral issues

One of the main points that drives people away from allowing their Golden Retriever to sleep in bed is the risk of infections.

While the studies have shown that transmission of disease from dog to human and vice versa is possible, this transmission is very rare. Also, there is no clear correlation between co-sleeping and disease transmission. continued on next page

There is always possibility you, your partner or your family member have dog allergies. In that case co-sleeping and sharing bed with your Golden Retriever is of course out of the question.

Quality of sleep is another reason many refuse notion of sharing bed with their dog. Unlike humans that are monophasic sleepers, dogs are polyphasic sleepers. This means they don’t have one sleeping period during 24 hours like we do, but three to four sleep/wake cycles per nighttime hour. Also, dogs stay alert to the sounds even if they are sleeping. They will wake up few times during the night, and this can affect quality of your sleep. Especially if you are light sleeper. Although, recent studies have shown that dog’s presence in the bedroom may not be disruptive to human sleep, as was previously suspected.

There is still an ongoing debate about premise that letting dog sleep in your bed can cause problems with separation anxiety. Direct correlation, though, can not be found.

Did sleeping in bed caused separation anxiety or did the excessive attachment caused owner to let the dog sleep in bed in the first place?

There are some claims that letting your Golden Retriever use your favorite place or sleep in your bed can cause them to display dominant and possessive behavior. In most cases this is not true. Well trained and well educated dog will never have problems with this kind of behavior.

I hope this article helped you see both sides of the story. Letting your Golden Retriever to sleep in bed with you certainly has it’ pros and cons. Since every man, and every dog for that matter, has different personality, there is no clear conclusion to whether you should or should not co-sleep with your dog.

Analyse all the pros and cons before you make this decision. If there is more positives than negatives in this, regarding you and your dog, then why not? If co-sleeping with your Golden is not your cup of tea, don’t do it.

Do you have a SEVA GRREAT dog? We would love to see what you are doing. Our alumni seem to be having very exciting lives. Share your pictures, including captions, by sending them to grreattimes@ adoptagolden.com. They will be featured in the next newsletter under Homecoming. And if you have a story to tell, we and the other Golden lovers would enjoy reading about it. So, send those stories with your photos also.