I love sleeping with a dog. It's just something that's always been comforting to me. But he knows that when to come on the bed/couch and get off when I tell him too. When we travel with him he sleeps in his crate, and he knows better than to fuss about it.

I definitely like dogs on the furniture. It cuts down on the number of people who want to visit.

My herd gets to be on the couch, and a couple of the smaller ones even sleep on dining room chairs while we eat, and my oldest papillon sleeps on the pillow next to me, while the elderly spaniel sleeps with my housemate. Everyone else is crated for the evening around here. I've received no written complaints in my suggestion box so I assume everyone is ok with this arrangement.

I guess to me it's about comfort with the situation. Personally I don't think my dogs are dirty, I don't think they smell in any way, i would notice if they had bugs since mine are groomed daily, and generally don't worry too much about their behaviors since they're a pretty soft crew and I'm pretty good about maintaining rules of order. The little bit of hair doesn't bother me, one does not share their life with six dogs or even one dog and expect no fuzz on stuff. If it causes discomfort with you, your family, or you pets change the situation otherwise no harm no foul.

Shrug,
Who cares Jamie? They don't live in your house with the dog/s. On the bed, off the couch, outside in a kennel, inside in a crate, if the dog is well cared for and if it works for you, tell them to go s&$@% in their hat.

When we first got married my dog wasnever allowed on the furniture, but it would be suspiciously warm on the couch when we came home. Now that I have 3, I crate the 2 youngest when I leave. The smaller ones sleep with me at my invitation and will leave when told. I started letting them on the furniture after 15 years of marriage and furniture roughly the same age. ONce the house smells like dog I just kind of gave up keeping the couch nice. The pittyx sleeps on a recliner in the sun room. If I'm in the bed I usually have a 2 dog night. The large dog doesn't like to come on the furniture.

 Quote: Jenni Williams

I definitely like dogs on the furniture. It cuts down on the number of people who want to visit.

That used to be my mantra...until I got new furniture. I've never had a problem with a dog getting territorial and really haven't ever had any 'dominance' issues so I used to allow it. I had a couple that would sleep on my bed too, until I was consistently waking up with a 75 pound dog sleeping on my head

After I got new furniture I made most of it mostly off limits, though Murphy likes to sit with his but on the couch, his front feet on the ground. It's pretty goofy.

He is allowed to curl up on the ottoman that goes with my puffy chair (he thinks it's his throne) and sometimes likes to curl up on my bed to get some space when we have company, so I keep blankets on those areas to keep them clean. There are exceptions to the 'no-furniture' policy for sure.

Tucker is allowed up, but only if i give the ok. Even then he has to "do" something first in order to be allowed up(sit, down etc.).
And NEVER on my side of the bed or my BF's, that's our area.
It's either at the foot of the bed or nothing, and never for the whole night. He can come up for a bit before we go to sleep, but once I want to actually sleep, he has to get down.

When we aren't home, i keep the bedroom door shut so that he's not up there when we aren't home and I know he would sneak up there.

Now, if i had dominance problems with him, he would NOT be allowed up. But he know's who's who in this relationship.

Only one dog is allowed on the bed and that is only when I am in it by myself, but our bedroom is his saferoom when Yote is out so I know he gets up there during the day when no one is looking. I don't really mind, he isn't dirty and doesn't stink.

All three of them get on the couch at various times, we have several slipcovers that can be taken off and washed so I don't worry too much about it. With the exception of Nico it is only when invited and they get down when told without hesitation. Nico only does it when we are not home, or are sleeping.

Nico though does stink a little, despite baths and medicine, she is just smelly right now. She can't help it, and at her age I don't blame her for sleeping on the couch when no one is around.

So we are waiting to get a new couch until she is no longer with us, because frankly once it smells like a stinky dog, it will always smell like a stinky dog.

We just use febreeze liberally before company comes over, and frankly I am not concerned if someone is offended because she smells, She is my family and they are not.

My dogs are never allowed on the furniture. The older of my two dogs will be 14 on Jan. 03. When he was a pup and young dog, I'd let him sleep next to me on the bed, in my lap, on the couch, and just generally kick it with me. Then I was taught what a social climber is and discovered exactly how much my dog was manipulating me. That was about 12 years ago and I've had a strict "no dogs on the furniture" policy since. If I'm stretching out on the floor I might call one over to lay with me, though. It's a rare treat so they're always stoked.

I have cats for cute and cuddly creatures to spoil with affection.

 Quote: Scott Garrett

... what a social climber ...

Ah, yes. I have had social-climbing dogs. They had strict furniture policies imposed on them.