Thank you all for the great suggestions. FYI, her other dog, which recently passed away, used to let Ruger climb all over him. Ruger was never aggressive but seemed to enjoy sitting on her Westie's head. When she got the Labradoodle we introduced them in the park (neutral territory) and all was good. Her Labradoodle displays this new behavior now whether we are at her house or mine or just walking. Both dogs sleep in our beds so I'm not surprised they both want to sleep with us. Good or bad, I think this is a choice most dog owners make and I do understand why this is not a good idea.
"Our" trainer showed us how to use leash control to control our dogs and it's worked very well for me. My decision now is to not bring the dogs together if my gf will not leash her dog, or at least let me leash her dog when we are in the house so I can control his behavior. I believe her dog will get it in time, but if she will not cooperate there's not much I can do. Fortunately, Ruger is very well behaved when I leave him at home by himself. Yes, I know I should crate him, but again, this is my decision.
Thanks again for all the help, and thanks for reinforcing my original intuitions. I can now see where an accident could easily happen and I'd never be able to forgive myself if it did. |