Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.
Poppy and I go back a long way. Although she has lived with my husband, Reece, for longer than I have, I gradually went from being an unwelcome interloper to her second (if not first) favorite person in the world. There is one area, however, where we constantly butt heads: my bed.
Far from occupying a kennel, or even a dog bed, Poppy spends much of her day luxuriating on our king-size orthopedic mattress. More specifically, my side of the mattress. I’m not sure if it is a mark of affection or respect, or perhaps a sign of some deep-seated resentment, but no matter how often I ask, encourage, and push her to make herself comfortable on the end of the bed, or even on Reece’s side, she inevitably shuffles her way back to mine.
Why Does It Bother Me?
I don’t object to Poppy spending her day enjoying the comfort of our bedroom – she’s an old girl and she deserves to feel as content and comfortable as possible. But there are two main reasons that I wish she’d migrate to another part of the bed.
- She sheds so much!
- The mattress never gets to ‘decompress;
Despite being regularly brushed and groomed, Poppy sheds her black hair by the handful, with most of it embedding itself in my sheets. I have gone out of my way to make our bed dog-friendly, even buying a shaggy, fluffy bedding set to make the pooches more comfortable and protect my nice bamboo sheets underneath. However, Poppy seems to feel that the only way to truly experience the comforts of being in bed is by really being in bed.
Even on a warm day, I will invariably come upstairs to find that she has pushed the fluffy blanket aside so she can snuggle under the comforter, her head resting comfortably on my pillow.
The other issue is that my side of the bed has someone in it, almost 24 hours a day. Until recently, we had a memory foam mattress, which eventually developed a permanent dip on my side. I’m not the lightest person in the world, and I’m not blaming Poppy for making an indentation in the bed, but the fact that she would curl her 70-pound body into the impression left by mine, means that the mattress didn’t get much chance to bounce back.
Fortunately, we recently upgraded to a hybrid mattress, so my mattress-dipping days are behind me.
Does She Not Understand?
It’s always hard to know just how much our dogs understand, but what I can tell you is that every time I walk into the bedroom, she will give me a sheepish look as she shimmies over to another part of the bed, leaving rumpled bedclothes in her wake. She doesn’t leap from the bed; she moves out of my spot. To me, this shows that she’s not confused about whether or not she’s allowed on the bed; it’s where on the bed that’s the issue.
Does She Not Care?
I would like to think that, most of the time, Poppy loves and respects me, and in all our other interactions, her behavior certainly suggests that is the case. So why does she defy my wishes in this one area, on a daily basis?
Is it just that whatever warm and fuzzy feelings she gains from sleeping on my side of the bed outweigh any potential guilt or shame? There’s no fear of punishment – I might not like her sharing my spot, but I’d never punish her for doing so. I do, however, give her lots of praise when she is lying in spots that aren’t mine.
Is It Love? Is It Respect?
Is the fact that she prefers my side of the bed a sign of her deep love and affection for me? Or is it a sign of respect for my husband that she wouldn’t dream of sleeping on his side? I guess we’ll never know (but I choose to believe the former!).
Why Don’t I Just Stop Her?
Obviously, if it was a really big deal I would stop her from sleeping on the bed at all, or lock her out of our room. The thing is, Poppy’s not getting any younger, and I have decided to put her comfort ahead of my own. I’ll just have to up my brushing game and maybe ask my cat Clutch to show her how fun it is to be vacuumed!
Until next time,
This article is a part of Dr. Karyn’s series with her five dogs.
