Do you let your dog upstairs?

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I have an 8 month old golden retriever puppy who is just amazing but bloody huge at nearly 30kg already. But I also have a 4 year old cat who is completely blind (and we think has been pretty much since kittenhood).

The cat and the dogs get on absolutely fine and up until now he hasn't been allowed upstairs as I've kept that as a sort of safe haven for the cats.. But I'm starting to feel a bit mean...

He has a nice bed and is allowed on the sofa etc.

So wondering if you let yours roam or if upstairs is a no no?

Yes he definitely is. He weighs 40kg, he’s a labrador, he used to sleep on my bed, but now he has a bed on the floor next to me. If I am poorly he doesn’t leave my side and I find him incredibly comforting.
I read recently that women sleep better with a dog by their side, rather than a man. I would prefer to sleep with my dog rather than dh tbh, as dh snores like a walrus and is a terrible duvet stealer

Mine sleeps on the sofa in my room. But legs it downstairs as soon as she here’s Dh stir to pretend she’s been in her bed all night. How she’s thinks she’s stealthyquiet as she galumphs downstairs is beyond me

I also have cats who sleep on somebody’s bed, I feel honoured if they choose mine!

Yes. He likes to be near us. Fine by us. Lovely cuddles on a lie in day - too big, warm and fluffy to actually sleep on our bed but jumps in for a snuggle when invited on the weekend mornings.

Dog has never been allowed upstairs apart from when I was very ill once and she wouldn't leave my side. Has free roam downstairs.
Cats were originally not allowed in the bedrooms but that went out the window pretty quickly!

I live in a garden flat, so there is no upstairs. However, he has free roam of the flat and if I lived in a house he'd be allowed upstairs too.

That said, if I thought it would upset the cat I'd keep the dog downstairs so the cat can have peace and quiet.

Nope, upstairs is carpeted and dog is not allowed unless she needs a bath (And even then I carry her!) She knows she's not to come up but might lie on the 3rd step up if we accidentally leave the stair gate open... She's a dog she doesn't get the same privileges as people. Her parents and siblings live outside in kennels (gundog line) so she's lucky she can come in the house!

There's a part of the garden which is fenced off too and she can come in by 'invitation only' when we're there. And part of the lounge is the same. Oh and she's not allowed on furniture. I have friends and colleagues who say I'm mean and cruel. But she's a dog! She's known no different!

Ours is allowed upstairs, she sleeps on the bed next to me when DH is away

She's non moulting and not generally a smelly dog

Another golden owner here!
Dog is allowed everywhere, but our house has an unusual layout so it would be difficult to stop him.

It’s not mean. It’s setting boundaries which is healthy for a dog. Plus the dog needs to know that because the cat was there first the day is above him in the pack. It’s healthy for dogs to know where they stand and to be part of a pack mentality. It’s actually how you get a healthy and well balanced and behaved dog. Watch Ceaser Milan the Dog Whisoerer because he has so much advice about dogs and pack mentality.

Ours are allowed upstairs to shout 'MORNING!' at any lazy bugger who hasn't got up yet. Otherwise it's only for baths.

Our lab goes everywhere... I didn't intend for her to go upstairs, but she cried and cried so much as a pup I relented. Part of me regrets it now, however what's done is done.

We're about to move into a caravan, so I will try and keep bedrooms dog free in there.

Depends on the dog. We used to have a working cocker who needed boundaries or she would slowly take over. She wasn’t allowed upstairs and would sit and wait at the bottom if we went up there. Now we have a relaxed lab cross who often doesn’t want to be around all the action downstairs, so we allow him to take himself off upstairs and be alone. He will often do this if we have visitors or if the baby is being particularly noisy! The habit also started because DH takes him to work, and some days I would hardly see him, so we’d let him come upstairs first thing in the morning for a quick cuddle, and last thing at night until DH came up to bed. The dog now tends to sleep downstairs with us in the evening, and then as soon as I start getting ready to go upstairs to bed, he sits up, waits for my first foot on the stairs and then runs up to lay in bed with me
We also have a cat but he is...pretty robust and most definitely in charge of the dog.

No, not in the bedrooms .
I think it’s unhygienic

Our dog goes wherever he wants and he shares a bedroom with ds , although ds is only here a couple of nights a month usually so it’s really the dogs bedroom .

No, ours isn't allowed upstairs, and I don't allow her on the sofa either, so I think you're being fair enough.

nope, not allowed upstairs, not allowed on the sofa and not allowed in the kitchen.

My dog is healthy and well balanced and sleeps upstairs.
I thought Ceaser Milan and his pack theory had been discredited?

No, not since he fell down them
The cat goes upstairs though, to wake everyone up in the morning.

Yes mine is allowed upstairs.

Yes,but only because I was fighting a losing battle as my kids were always letting them up there the minute my back was turned

Pack theory does not apply to domesticated dogs 🙄 I wish people would stop peddling the myth.

Yes, how else would she claim her rightful place on our bed at night lol (she’s a v low shedding breed though).

@Yas1996 Pack theory has been thoroughly debunked - even the bloke who did the original research has said he wished he never did it. Cesar Millan is considered a pariah of the dog training world, for very good reason.

Do dogs need guidance, boundaries and rules? Absolutely - it's a bit like parenting. Are dogs locked in a constant power struggle with their owner? Really, no. They want to lie on the sofa rather than the floor because it's comfier, not because they're trying to take over the world.

If you want a TV dog trainer, Victoria Stillwell is a much better choice.

Oh and yes, unless your dog is actually a wolf (not beyond the realms of possibility if purchased on gum tree😂) he is part of your family, not pack! Always treated a dog like a child. Having boundaries, lots of love, lots of stability, teaching good manners, supporting through insecurities, learning through play etc. Never gone far wrong.