It’s very hard to say no to a French Bulldog. They manage to mix being stubborn and cute at the same time, meaning you will have a battle on your hands… and none more so when your Frenchie wants to sleep in your bed with you.
We don’t let our French sleep with us for a number of reasons. But that doesn’t mean we don’t let him come onto our bed. He does in the evening, but when it’s time to go to sleep, I take him downstairs to the kitchen where his bed is – it’s the only way we can get some sleep at night!
Should I let my Frenchie sleep with me?
I am not a fan of letting dogs sleep in my bed, so would say no to letting our Frenchie sleep with us.
You might not agree, but here are my personal reasons for not letting our Frenchie sleep in our bed:
1. The snoring is far too much
Frenchies are infamous for their snoring habits, and once they get going the noise can increase in volume until it’s unbearable. Unless your completely deaf, the snoring will keep you up all night.
Claude’s snoring gets so bad that we can’t even watch TV in our bedroom at night, and I will take him down early, and way before when his bedtime should be!
If you can’t get to sleep due to your Frenchie’s snoring, here are 19 tips on how to stop it (as much as you can at least!). Check out this video on our Frenchie YouTube channel of how bad it can get!
2. The fart smells are overwhelming
Nobody wants to sleep with snorer, but a farting dog is possibly even worse!
When a French Bulldog is sleeping in your bed it’s almost like a stinking time bomb waiting to go off.
Personally, I can’t get to sleep knowing that at any given moment I could get woken up by the foulest stench stinging my nostrils.
3. They take up way too much room
Frenchies might be a small and medium sized dog breed, but when they stretch themselves out in that funny frog-legged sleeping position, you’ve got no chance of being comfortable.
They are space invaders!
To see examples of how Frenchies sit down and lie down funny, check out these photos.
4. They will shed lots of hair
One of the worst things about French Bulldogs sleeping in your bed is the hair they shed. Frenchies do shed a lot, and despite what you might have heard, they are not hypoallergenic either.
This can make them very bad for allergies sufferers. The hairs get literally everywhere, especially when your Frenchies tries to burrow under the covers like this.
5. They can leave nasty surprises on your bed linen
Frenchies cannot clean their own bum (you will need to wipe them sometimes) which means sometimes there will be little nuggets occasionally left behind, on their behind.
This means you can get the odd little surprise on your bed. It could drop off and be found when you least expect it, or your Frenchie might decide to drag his bum over the white sheets.
It’s enough of a reason to not let your Frenchie start sleeping in your bed unless your 100% certain there’s nothing left behind after his last poop.
6. They are like little furnaces
Frenchies can keep you too warm in the winter, but in the summer months these guys are like little furnaces.
Claude sleeps at the foot of our bed in the evening whilst we watch TV, and my feet get insanely warm off him. I won’t want that amount of heat in my bed when I try to get off to sleep at night.
7. They don’t respect your privacy
And finally, do you value your privacy?
You might, but a Frenchie won’t…. meaning you could have a Frenchie pushing his face into your romantic liaisons. The bad breath alone is a turn off, let alone having a pair of beady eyes watching you get up to your business!
Handy Hint: I’ve put 21 signs to look out for if you want to know your dog truly respects you.
What the experts say
Other than my personal reasons above, there is no reason why you shouldn’t let your Frenchie sleep in your bed, it’s an entirely personal decision.
Providing your dog is safe, and there’s no risk of suffocation, then why not. It’s a great way to bond and will probably bring you and your Frenchie closer together – it’s not for me though.
What I quickly wanted to also do was see what the experts say about dogs sleeping in their human’s beds, as there are some polar opinions on this.
To get what I believe to be an expert opinion, I looked on the American Kennel Club website, and here’s what they say:
“There are some health concerns related to co-sleeping with your dog. Human allergies can be aggravated. There is also the risk of transmission of disease, from both the dog to the human and the human to the dog. However, such transmission is rare. Quality of sleep can also be affected. Previous studies have shown that owners sharing a bed with their pet report greater sleep disturbances than people whose pets did not sleep in their bed.”
So, perhaps it’s not a good idea?
Well, it might not be the case, as the AKC wrap up their article I reference with this statement:
“Studies have shown many physical and mental health advantages to owning a pet, and co-sleeping increases the amount of time spent with that pet, potentially increasing those benefits.”
Can my French Bulldog sleep in my bed?
It’s entirely a personal choice. We don’t let our Frenchie sleep in our bed, but I know owners who are fine with. Some reasons you might let them sleep with you include:
1. They are suffering with separation anxiety
Frenchies are notorious for suffering with separation anxiety. It can develop for a number of reasons, and I’ve published a guide on how to deal with it.
However, you might have to cave in sometimes when it’s bad, and give them the love and security they need from cuddling up close to you at night.
2. They won’t stop crying in their crate
Nightly crate tears are closely related to separation anxiety, but are mainly an issue with young puppies who are spending their first few nights in a new home.
When Claude used to cry as a puppy, it was heart-breaking, and we did buckle at times and go get him. We’d then let him sleep in our bed for the night.
But the key was to not make a habit of it. Frenchies develop habits very quickly, and we always knew we did not want our dog sleeping with us every night.
3. You or they are cold at night
If it’s cold at night, a Frenchie can keep you warm. These little furballs get very hot, and it’s almost like having your own live and kicking hot water bottle.
Can French Bulldogs sleep alone?
Providing you have trained your Frenchie from a young age I don’t see any reason why your French Bulldog can’t sleep alone.
Claude sleeps down in our kitchen with all the doors shut. His bed is in a corner, and he will often share it with our cat.
Our cat is often out all night, so Claude the Frenchie will sleep alone half of the time. Other nights the cat will curl up in bed with him.
In my guide to night time crate crying, I explain how hard it was when we first had Claude as a puppy. It took us some time to get him used to sleeping by himself.
Conclusion
Letting your Frenchie in your bed is entirely a personal choice. I don’t mind our dog being on the end of our bed for a few hours in the evening, but when I need sleep, he’s got to go to his own bed downstairs.
Where French Bulldogs should sleep is something that divides opinion; and there really is no right or wrong answer!
I’ve previously written a guide into how much sleep Frenchies need. It gives some valuable insight into how their sleep patterns might be compatible or not with your own – which could be the decider on whether you let your French Bulldog sleep in your bed with you!