Sleeping Under the Covers Won’t Smother Your Dog
Should your dog sleep in bed with you? Controversial issue. Even a small dog can take up a lot of bed space, and some trainers will tell you that sleeping in a cage or in his own bed sets important boundaries that help his behavior. But on the other hand: pressing.
My dog usually sleeps in a cage, but when he sleeps in bed, especially in winter, he likes to sleep completely under the covers. It’s incredibly sweet, but the night is perfect for irrational worries, and I was like, “What if he suffocates?” (A quick Google search reveals that I’m far from the only dog owner concerned about this.)
I asked veterinarian and author Emma Milne if I needed to worry about this. She said:
I don’t think this is a problem at all. If the dog hid under the blanket and the blanket was too tight, the dog moved or even struggled to get out. It would be clear that the dog was uncomfortable. It is unlikely that the dog will suffocate. The only exceptions are very small dogs with heavy sleeping owners, or young puppies who are not strong enough to get out if trapped.
I was relieved, but I also couldn’t help but think of my sleeping dog as a drunken person who might not have known he was in trouble until it was too late. Dr. Mile assured me, “As soon as an animal feels limited or limited, it panics. This is one of the reasons we try to encourage people not to hug dogs. They hate it. So yes, they will move immediately. “
And it’s true, my dog hates hugs! But he likes to sleep under the covers, so everything is ready.