Dennis that's awesome, I do the same thing with my pup (10 months old)!

The original plan was to only let him sleep in my bed while he was a baby, and then to move him to the floor (or even to another room in a crate if he showed any signs of dominance), but he's always been so well behaved and eager to please me that I allowed him to keep his bed privilege.

Before I got him I always had to have the heater on at night in my room (during winters my room is always freezing), but no longer!! He's a very affectionate and cuddly 95-pound German shepherd and I sleep so much better and more peacefully at night when I can snuggle with him.

I don't think it's disgusting at all! I can't stand sharing my bed or even my bedroom with another human (that's another story haha), but I feel so restless without my pup with me.
Then again, he doesn't smell at all and doesn't snore either

Only problem is, it's harder to get out of bed early on cold mornings when I have a soft warm puppy sleeping against me

Oh, um my 11-year-old female shepherd always hated the idea of sleeping next to anyone (even as an 8-week-old pup!). She always sleeps downstairs by the big living room window where she can keep an eye out on the street in front of our house. She barks at everything and everyone. Barking is her life.

Neighbours don't complain though; we stopped having stuff stolen from our neighbourhood and haven't had a single stealing incident in the 11 years we've had her!!!
She's a sweet tiny 59-pound American line backyard-bred dysplastic/arthritic little female who loves people (especially children) more than anything and would lick them to death if she could, but she's territorial as hell and barks so ferociously (hackles up, teeth showing, foaming at the mouth, leaping at the door... you get the picture) when someone gets near the house.
We've had many delivery people refuse to come out of their trucks because they're afraid that she'll break through the window or door...
Once we let her out (or let the person in) she's all kisses, play and wagging tail though

thanks everyone for your replies and opinions, that and you put a smile on my face as well. I think the warmth factor might be an issue, also up to about a month ago I always kept my door closed at night. I guess he has a little(lot) more freedom and so far he hasn't messed it up. He doesn't sleep on my bed or house couches , and has never been given the opportunity. Thats not to say I have a problem with it if it works for you and your dog, just not me.Keep bringing the funny stories!!!

To be honest, I don't know if my dog (now almost 9 years old) ever really sleeps. Until she was 2 years old, she "slept" in her crate in the family room. Then we gated off (double vertically because she climbed them) the kitchen and family room, and she rested where she wanted in those 2 rooms. Over time, she graduated to the first floor and eventually the whole house. Now, she moves around the house through out the night resting in different places. But spends most of her time in areas with a view of entries (preferably located so she can see as many doors as possible). When it gets close to time for me to get up, she lies at the foot of the bed waiting for me. I don't know why she does this. It's just her!

Our older dog always slept on the bedroom floor, either at the foot of the bed or in her crate (door open). When we got our second dog, I started by tethering him to the bed in the first weeks to house break him. So he developed the habit of sleeping on my side of the bed, on the floor. If my husband and I switch sides, he gets upset at the change and vocalizes. More recently, he has taken to sleeping in the hall outside the bedroom, where perhaps it is cooler. I figure we have room for one more on the floor before we run out of room, although it is already a little dicey getting out of bed.

We never let the dogs on the bed because there would be no room for us, with 95 and 65 pound dogs and two humans. We once a had a beagle/spaniel, who at only 25 pounds still stole all the covers, so we have a strict no dog policy in bed. Only once did I let the male in the bed when my husband was away, and not only was he a lousy bed-mate, he kept on wanting to return for a month afterwards. He's not stupid.

First, I have to say how shocked I am that so many people sleep with their dog in their beds. I'm jealous. My fiance drew the line at one dog and one sleeping partner - that would be me .

Sheila, maybe it's the temperature. My GSD has slept outside of a crate and loose in our bedroom since he was 9 months old. Never tethered. Bedroom door shut. He has 2 different beds in our bedroom and will use them intermittently throughout the night but loves more than anything to sleep during the night on our bathroom floor (it's marble so its FREEZING). Our floors are hardwood and somewhat cool and I think that's why he chooses the floor over his beds, but again, the marble floor is his favorite.

About 2 months ago I started leaving our bedroom door open for him to tool around upstairs during the night if he wanted. Well, he wanted. He wanders into the hallway a lot. Even though he's allowed to sleep on the bed in the guestroom (upstairs), he never chooses it over the hardwood floor. (I know because I'd see the bed messed up if he had). My son's room is carpeted and he's allowed on the bed but again almost never chooses it.

So, I think it's all temperature related.

Lastly, my dog is not a barker. Part of his charm for me and intimidation factor for others is that he'll stare you down while you pass his property. But when we're all upstairs asleep and he hears something (not often), he ALWAYS barks like crazy and will walk over and position himself in between me and the bedroom door. Every time. I now really believe it's his attempt at being protective of me.

When all we had in the house was our Corgi, I let him sleep on the bed. We had a king-sized bed and he was shaped like a cashew when he slept, so he fit just fine.

I never really worried about the potential dominance factor from that with the Corgi. He was sweet tempered and compliant.

Then, at about a year and a half, he started a little growling at me if I moved my feet under him, or bumped him with my leg while he was sleeping. In MY bed! That little turkey had a rude awakening after that. Pack leader exercises were inforced, including him being off the bed and in the crate at bedtime.

Now, 3 months later, he's back to himself and in his proper place. We don't crate him intentionally at night anymore, but he does sleep in there anyway because of the fuzzy crate pad we got him. He's back to being his angelic self again and I can even use him as a foot warmer again if I invite him onto the couch.

The GSD 16 week old puppy sleeps by my side of the bed, on his dog bed. He's tethered with a nylon leash. He had severe seperation anxiety so to get some sleep after WEEKS of screaming, we brought his crate next to the bed. It worked, but hauling it up and down the stairs was a ginourmous pain. So then I tried tethering him to the bed with a metal leash so he couldn't chew it, but I kept having nightmares that Jacob Marley was coming after me with all the clanking.

So, I got the nylon leash and have been counting sheep ever since. No whining, no chewing, he loves it in his spot.

He never gets tangled, although one time he did crawl under the bed and woke me up whining because he couldn't figure out why he couldn't stand up!

Judy that's great, Gunnar sounds like a wonderful dog.

Tsk, only one dog? I assume this man is exceptional in every other way if you chose him despite his poor judgement?? (just kidding!!)

The temperature thing is really interesting too; I can see why that fluffy bear of yours would seek out cool floors

I have to say, having my pup sleep in my bed at night is really paying off!! Our furnace broke down over 24 hours ago (an Ontario winter is NOT the time and place for that to happen BTW!!) and the entire house is freezing.
My room upstairs is the coldest and is now at 6 degrees C (that would be 43 Fahrenheit for you Americans, lol) as of this morning!

Was I happy to have my warm puppy there to sleep with me? You bet I was

*shivers away*

Amber that's hilarious!

I love hearing a dog being referred to as a Cashew and a Turkey in the same description

Silly Carbon... my pup also used to crawl into tiny spaces and whine until I rescued him. Luckily he's got the bed thing figured out now; he crawled underneath my bed the other night to retrieve a bone that he'd kicked under there (slippery wooden floors, everything ends up under my bed with that dog) and he was able to crawl all the way back out, backwards (and covered in dust eek! time to vaccuum under my bed).

 Quote: Yuko Blum

Amber that's hilarious!
I love hearing a dog being referred to as a Cashew and a Turkey in the same description

Can you tell I'm on a diet? Watch out, Farley...you've got really plump thighs!

Speaking of tight spaces, when Farley was about a year old, he crawled behind a bunk bed that was up against a wall, length-wise.

Under the bunk bed was a pull out drawer. He walked behind the drawer, against the wall, and then took a right turn and got wedged in the tiny space between the side of the drawer and the other wall.

He tried to back out but his butt would hit the previous wall and let's face it, Corgis are not always the most flexible breed.

Of course, we didn't know any of this at the time.

I thought my son accidentally let him out. I called him in the house (he's always come reliably) and got nothing. I even looked and called him in the bunk bed room. No sound at all. I even looked behind the bunk bed, but since he took the right turn, I couldn't see him.

We spent 5 hours combing the neighborhood. We called the police station and every vet's office and shelter within a 20 mile radius. I went door to door and talked to neighbors. I hired local kids to look for him. My fiance walked for 10 miles in the woods looking for him. My vet school friend Eric cut classes and drove for 2 1/2 hours to our house and walked around looking for him. My parent's drove around in their car. I was terrified that he had become a snack for our local coyotes.

We got home, exhausted and in tears, at dark. My son was heartbroken and when we opened his bedroom door to put him to bed in the bunkbed...there was a little red and white blur as the Corgi darted out for some water. He managed to get himself out, I guess.

I still have no idea why he made no sound. Very weird as he's not afraid to be vocal. That, along with MANY other reasons, is why he will always be a turkey.

Off topic...sorry. In an effort to tie it into the OP's question...I'm sure he slept a little while he was back there!

 Quote: Yuko Blum

Tsk, only one dog? I assume this man is exceptional in every other way if you chose him despite his poor judgement?? (just kidding!!)

I know! Can you believe it? One dog! What a jacka**!

OK, he's really a nice guy. I hate to admit it but yea, he's cool and outrageously funny.

Sorry OP, don't know how to tie this into sleeping as craftily as Miss Amber did so I'll just bow out graciously now...