Question please Americans (or visitors to USA) is dogs sleeping in beds/bedroom common here?

Can I pick the brains of all of you lovely Americans (or visitors to USA)
I am trying to find a great sitting anywhere and a theme is emerging.
All of the ones that I have applied for have dogs sleeping either on the bed or in the bedroom.
Is this a feature of most American sits?
Most of the listings don’t say where the dogs sleep and it is only during the correspondence stage that it is apparent where they sleep.
Any info will be most helpful
Thanks

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I’ve sat three dogs in the U.S. and they all slept on their own. My dog mostly sleeps near us, in his own bed, and he sometimes wanders off and sleeps in one of his other beds in the house. He’s free to roam. The funny thing is, he expects to sleep with us when we road trip and stay in hotels, even though we bring a dog bed. We don’t mind, but he decides for himself.

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For the most part, yes.
On one sit, the bed was only a full/double and the dogs left me very little room. On another, she was a little 'un and was quite a sweet bed pal–loved rolling on her back and rubbing her ears in the morning as a routine.
On another, the big old dog and the rambunctious puppy slept in crates in the MBR with me (I was instructed to sleep there b/c of the dogs). That was no problem; in fact, nights were the only time the puppy didn’t drive me crazy.

I encountered it for a sit that I had applied for in Europe, I was slightly horrified at the prospect. I only was told about it in the video chat that he slept in bed, between the couple. But now I see that the HOs were from across the pond.

My application was then declined without a reason, but my guess is that this was why.

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I think you have already seen my situation on another thread… :slight_smile:
My listed dog has a dedicated bed in our bedroom (and in my office, and in my partner’s office) but will often opt to sleep with us. She can be sent to her own bed, but will always sleep in the bedroom. My other dog (not listed, because she travels with us) also is free to make her own location decision and nearly always prefers the bed in my office.

It of course will vary person to person, but pretty much every other owner I know (all companion dog owners, not any working dog owners) at least allows their dog sleep in the same bedroom, even if not in the same bed. The notable exceptions are puppies who need to be crated at night while they’re still learning to comply with house rules.

For what it’s worth, I would not be offended if you asked if my dog could be sent to her own bed or if you asked if she slept quietly through the night. I recognize that she’s big and that uninterrupted sleep is important! However, it would give me pause if you wanted to lock her out of the bedroom entirely.

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@Itchyfeet While every situation is different, none of the HOs at our sits insisted we let the dogs sleep with us.

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Our Golden sleeps on his own bed in our room and typically does the same with sitters, although neither he nor we would be offended if a sitter shut the door so he’d sleep in another of his several beds.

I finished a sit with two dogs in the states and they didn’t sleep in the bed. I am also not someone who normally sleeps with animals on the bed, though my cats do win me over when I’m sick :sweat_smile: It will depend from pet owner to pet owner.

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Mostly. I’m ok with it as long as the dog doesn’t interrupt my sleep. On my last sit the dog was crated at night. That was nice.

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US-based sitter here. My dog sleeps in the kitchen but I often let her and the cat join me for a bit in bed while I drink my first cup of coffee.

When I’m sitting, if the owner prefers the dog sleep on the bed, I’m fine with it as long as the bed is big and the dog is a good sleeper (minimal movement, snoring and/or farting). This year I’ve had 3 sits with the dog on the bed and 4 with the dog or dogs on their own beds in the bedroom. Haven’t yet had a sit where the dog sleeps in a different room.

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@Itchyfeet , Looking at 30 US sits with dogs, here is my tally:
Slept in my bed -10
Slept in their own bed in my bedroom - 6
Did not sleep in my bedroom - 14

I do not let cats sleep in my room as I’ve had too many instances where they don’t let me sleep.

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Dogs sleeping in the bedroom if not on the bed is common. A good question to ask: What furniture is the dog allowed on?

It is considered good manners if a dog knows not to sleep on the bed unless invited.

Cats sleeping in the bed is AN HONOR (for the humans).

This is a good reason to take the guest room or just don’t sit dogs in the US.

An estimated 87 million U.S. households have pets — that’s a bigger population than many countries have total. Even if a small fraction of those don’t have dogs sleep with them, your odds seem decent if you don’t want them in the same room or bed with you.

All our dog sits in U.K. so far dogs usually slept in bed/ bedroom with owner .

Interesting topic. I do wish HO’s included in their post where the pets typically sleep and/or where they are expected to sleep.
I once had a cat that would jump up and off the bed at night waking me so I needed to shut the door (she had beds elsewhere in the house) and she wound up meowing throughout the night. Needless to say, sleep was not had!
We are ULTRA light sleepers and even a pet breathing deeply or snoring will prevent us from sleeping well. If a pet is expected to sleep on the bed I wouldn’t even apply, but rarely is that information included in the listing.

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Thank you to everyone for your valued input.
Like @LovingLife , I cannot tolerate snoring - I have managed to train Mr Itchyfeet to stop snoring after decades of noise!

@mars and @Maggie8K , you have given me encouragement to carry on searching.

@carpediem16 , I agree that it would be helpful if they stated in their profile where they slept but I suppose it won’t cross many owners minds.

Despite stating in our profile that we don’t want pets in the bedroom, we have been chosen on 3 occasions over the past 2 weeks and we have had to decline all of them.
I am now just asking this question before I take time to carry out a detailed application but I have not yet received any response from 3 of them.

Lots of time and opportunities
Thanks again

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I just love that he’s called his full title of……Mr Itchy Feet @Itchyfeet :joy::raised_hands:t3::heart:

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I have passed on your comments to him!!

our dog sleeps in our bedroom in his own bed, I have found this to be very common in California in other states where property is less expensive I have found that it’s more common that the dog sleeps in in more of a “common area.”

Also, we do specify this on our profile because we know not everyone feels comfortable with a dog in the same room.

I do wish HO’s would include in their listing (under responsibilities) where the animals usually sleep or are expected to sleep. This would be very helpful.

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