This is especially important now, as many of us are finding it increasingly difficult to find enough time in the day to spend with our pet pooches. Firstly, it is a great way to bond with your dog. There is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to suggest sleeping with dogs benefits some people. The child may not be mature enough and behaviour they might perceive as play, such as tail pulling, could aggravate the dog. Young children should never be allowed to sleep in bed with a dog. Precaution does need to be taken with children though. This is providing that both are healthy and your dog is undergoing routine medical checks to ensure this. Furthermore, vets now also agree that sharing a bed causes little increase to the risk of disease spreading between a dog and a human. However, vets and behaviour experts now agree that canine aggression is normally rooted in fear, rather than a lack of respect, and so would not result from sharing a bed. Historically, theories about respect and dominance in relationships between dogs and their owners led some to argue that allowing your pet to sleep in your bed would cause them to become aggressive. Here, James Wellbeloved investigates the practice, exploring how sleeping with your dog benefits some people and the issues dog owners may face if they do this. It is natural then that we want to keep them as close as possible when we are home, but is allowing them to sleep in bed with us a step too far? This surprisingly common practice is one that polarises pet owners, shocking some and delighting others. Leading increasingly busy lives means we often feel we don’t see our dogs enough. This surprisingly common practice is one that polarises pet owners, shocking some and delighting others.