Author and trainer Kathy Diamond Davis offers a few sensible ground rules in her article for The Canine Behavior Series on VeterinaryPartner.com. The dog should be fully housetrained. Davis stresses that it is important to begin with a well-behaved dog. While sharing a bed will not necessarily create bad habits in a dog, a dog that already has some bad habits will not make for a good sleeping companion.

You do not want a dog in your bed who startles easily or wakes up defensively snapping. You, or your partner, do not want a territorial animal in bed who will growl or threaten anyone who tries to reclaim a pillow. Davis recommends establishing a “get off the bed” command so that you can have some privacy when your partner is very much not in the doghouse.

Anyone with a cat skipped the last sentence entirely. Commands? Training? These are foreign words. If you would like to know a command for getting a cat off the bed, so would a lot of other people. Now I have your attention, but only, unfortunately, to tell you what you already know – there is no such thing. If your cat is a nuisance at night, consider that he or she has already spent a sizeable portion of the day dozing.

By nighttime, a cat is ready for action, and you are a captive audience. If you can provide more stimulation during the day for your cat, and set aside some time in the early evening for play, this might increase the likelihood that you will all be on the same page at bedtime. The only key to privacy, and personal space in bed, however, for cat owners, is the door.

Jennifer Hoyden is a freelance writer with a diverse background that includes editorial, trade and advertising. She especially enjoys covering fashion and beauty, for humans and animals (separately). Jennifer is also a devoted dog-lover who can play well with cat people.