Getting used to sharing a bed

[firewired]

Hey guys, I'm in a great relationship right now. Things are going great and she's been sleeping over. I love having her there with me and it's great waking up next to her, but I'm having trouble sleeping well. I have a king sized bed and my dog sleeps with us too. I've been used to sleeping there alone for 2 years now. My dog has separation anxiety and so I can't really keep him off the bed without him going nuts.

I am not sleeping well and it makes work really tough during the days, and I find it really effects my mental state and even my eating/working out patterns with just not having much energy.

Anybody have any advice on what to do here? I know this is kind of an off wall question but maybe someone has been in this situation before. Thanks,

firewired

[lahnnabell]

Are you guys attempting to cuddle while sleeping all night? 'Cause that doesn't work for a lot of people. My ex and I would cuddle for a while, then we'd roll to our respective sides so that we could actually sleep. Eventually you get used to having someone there all the time, and it becomes easier to stay close and get adequate sleep.

One thing we always did that was nice was sleep with our legs or feet touching in some way. The contact was nice and it wasn't hindering our sleeping positions at all. We'd typically have his golden retriever sleep on the bed too, but we'd have to finagle a position for him on the end of the bed. It was too much to have the two of us and the dog wedged in between.

[firewired]

She's really not a bed hog at all. And we don't really attempt to cuddle all night either.

Sometimes my dog will push against me a little bit, and i think maybe that makes me slide over closer to her, which makes her get close to her side of the bed. So i guess if anyone is a bed hog it's me! haha

Maybe I just need to find a better place for my dog to sleep on the bed. He'll curl up next to me or up by my pillow and sometimes I feel a little trapped between him and my girlfriend. I'm used to sprawling out a little bit too I guess. But like you said, hopefully it's something I will get used to in a hurry....because I need my sleep!

[Junket]

Put the mutt outside, he's not a human and should not take precedence over one.

He only has separation anxiety because you've trained him to.

[firewired]

Frasbee, actually he has separation anxiety because someone decided they wanted to move away and figured the best way to find him a home was to drop him off out in the country and leave him to fend for himself.

And he's not really given precedence, but he is definitely part of the family.

[lahnnabell]

Frasbee, actually he has separation anxiety because someone decided they wanted to move away and figured the best way to find him a home was to drop him off out in the country and leave him to fend for himself.

And he's not really given precedence, but he is definitely part of the family.

Well, regardless, he needs to learn that sleeping on the floor, or outside your bedroom is not the end of the world. He's a part of the family, but he's not human. I suggest you prioritize a little better.

[doppelgaenger]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the dog sleeping in the bed. Dog is man's best friend. Cuddle with the dog.

[lahnnabell]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the dog sleeping in the bed. Dog is man's best friend. Cuddle with the dog.

I'd be a tad offended if my boyfriend would rather cuddle with the dog than me.

[firewired]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the dog sleeping in the bed. Dog is man's best friend. Cuddle with the dog.

Agreed. I guess some people don't understand if they don't have dogs.

I think it's a matter of finding that happy medium of where we sleep and how we sleep.....and getting used to another warm body with me. I'll just have to squeeze in a nap or two when I can until I get used to it!

[lahnnabell]

Agreed. I guess some people don't understand if they don't have dogs.

I think it's a matter of finding that happy medium of where we sleep and how we sleep.....and getting used to another warm body with me. I'll just have to squeeze in a nap or two when I can until I get used to it!

I've grown up with dogs, and I love them. But a dog that has separation anxiety has been conditioned. Yes, he has abandonment issues, but there is no reason you can't teach him otherwise. How do you think people have to learn how to deal with their abandonment issues? You're only enabling his behavior by giving into him all the time.

The first few weeks will be difficult of course. Parents have to do it with their kids too. In order for them to grow up and learn to be independent, the parents have to stop taking a dominant role in the child's life little by little. Granted, the dog is not a child, but you are treating him like one regardless.

[kitkitkitty]

i think at least have the dog sleep in a basket on the floor in your room.... it'll be a lot less tedious in the long-run. what if a girl of your was allergic to dogs? would she sleep on the floor? dogs should be trained to sit, do their business outside, not destroy slippers and to not be around their owner 24/7.

[Junket]

Agreed. I guess some people don't understand if they don't have dogs.

I have a dog, and I've trained him not to step past the threshold of my door.

Enabler.

[doppelgaenger]

I'd be a tad offended if my boyfriend would rather cuddle with the dog than me.

But dogs are warm, soft, and hairy.

[kitkitkitty]

But dogs are warm, soft, and hairy.

so are some women.

[lahnnabell]

so are some women.

Women can also wake you up in the morning by licking something other than your face.