Where does your dog sleep at night.

[sassandgroove]

Hi.

Our dog Leela sleeps in a crate in the kitchen. The last few nights I have sectioned off the kitchen and still 'put her to bed' but leave the crate door open. She seems to like that.

But Mr. Groove and I have been talking about having her sleep in our room.

we are not sure if we should or if she's fine and we should leave things be.

If we do decide to do it, we're not sure how to go about it.
Obviously we need to dog proof the bedroom. Right now she's only allowed in there with us, otherwise we keep the door closed.

Would we need another crate or would a dog bed work and would she stay in it or would she move around. One concern I have is that we would wake when she gets restless. Mr. Groove talks about having her on our bed, but I am not sure I want to go there. For one thing she isn't allowed on any other furniture.

Anyway, it is just something we have been pondering and I wonder what you all think. Thanks.

EDIT TO ADD 1/4/11: See my update on page four. We put a crate in our room and she still won't stay.
EDIT TO ADD 1/12/12: we got a puppy may 2011. she sleeps in our bed. she is 11 months now, probably full grown, as she is little. Leela won't sleep in our room but I put her pillow by the door and noticed she lays there some times.

EDIT TO ADD 5/11/12 OMG I am so far away from the original post now. Both dogs are allowed on the furniture, they both have crates, but Leela sleeps in the living room/kitchen/crate and Hoshi sleeps in our bed. We've decided just to let Leela be, it stresses her out when we try to bring her in our room at night.

[DeleyanLee]

Our dogs sleep with my housemate, though the older dog will sometimes sleep on a dogbed in the bedroom. They've been trained to sleep on the bed, so unless the older dog doesn't want to jump up, that's where they are.

If she's not been allowed to sleep on the bed before, I think you've got a good bet on training her to the dogbed. However, if she's trained to the crate, she might prefer that den experience.

That's my practical experience, at least. Cesar Millan, I'm not--but I'd like to be.

[alleycat]

My cat sleeps on top of me . . .

[sassandgroove]

Ha- I know. I lived with a family for a few months when I moved to B'ham. They had two cats. One had been their daughters before she went to college and he decided when I moved in that he'd sleep in my room. At first it was in a box of clothes on top of the dresser but soon he slept on my bed. One little cat sure took up a lot of bed. A couple times I woke up with him on top of me. Everything was fine until I woke up to go pee once at 4am and he decided I needed to get up at 4am from then on.

[veinglory]

My dog sleeps on the floor, he has mattresses and a crate but seems to prefer the floor and uses lots of different places.

[sassandgroove]

But does he sleep in your room or is he confined to a crate / room other than your room at night, or can he roam? If he roams, how do you keep him from getting into things?

[auntybug]

We put a baby gate up & block off the mud room/3rd bathroom/laundry room for them. It's a ton of room & lots of cushy things to sleep on but no windows to see the coyotes, deer, skunks & raccoons that they would spot otherwise & wake us up barking at them

[veinglory]

He roams. He is indoors when I am at work too. I guess he just has limited interest/opportunity to get into things. I never really thought about it. He has chews to chew on and limited interest in anything else. Very occassionally he will pee on something but only if I leave him too long. Hair get severywhere, but I am at peace with that I think he'd get bored if he couldn't roam around, look windows, etc etc. Also it means if he gets hot he can go to a cooler area like the bathroom.

[heyjude]

Our dog likes to be with us. Dogs are, of course, pack animals and like to be with their people. He's not allowed on the bed so that the cats can escape him if need be. He has his own, very plush, dog bed.

We solved the "roaming" problem by leaning a baby gate against the door--enough room for the cats to skulk around, but the dog can't get through. But he's a good sleeper, esp. now that he's old as dirt.

Put your dog's crate in your room, see how it goes! She may appreciate it more than you know.

[sassandgroove]

Thanks jude, that was my thinking. I know when I nap in the living room she comes and lays near me.

[veinglory]

One of my dogs favorite spots is on the ground at the foot of the bed. I would be okay with him on the bed but he doesn't want to.

[brianm]

Bella sleeps on the bed and steals sheets and covers during the night. Boxers are major cuddle/kissy dogs and they tuck up against you at night. So, if you don't want a dog sleeping with you at night, don't get a Boxer.

And they fart like the dickens, too. At least I have someone else to blame now...

[ChimeraCreative]

Originally Posted by brianm

Bella sleeps on the bed and steals sheets and covers during the night. Boxers are major cuddle/kissy dogs and they tuck up against you at night. So, if you don't want a dog sleeping with you at night, don't get a Boxer.

And they fart like the dickens, too. At least I have someone else to blame now...

The boxer follows me like a shadow. I don't mind her sleeping with me sometimes, but we've moved a loveseat to the end of the bed. Most of the time that's close enough for her and I can have the bed to myself. ^_^

-An

[Pomegranate]

My current and previous dogs had dogbeds in our bedroom but they tended to migrate around at night. Current dog starts on the floor on my husband's side of the bed and moves numerous times (if I wake up she's never in the same place twice). She ranges from various places in the bedroom, to the couch, or underneath either of our desks. My husband doesn't like dogs on the bed, so she's not allowed up there.

Ironically, during the day, she sleeps under my husband's desk for the entire day without moving. (She's 14 years old.)

I guess it depends on whether you trust your dog unsupervised or not. You could crate her in the bedroom or shut her in the bedroom with you. Dogs are pack animals and do like to be with the rest of the group.

Once you let the dog sleep on the bed with you it can be hard to undo, so be sure you are OK with it before you start. Previous dog slept on the bed before I married, but afterwards my husband vetoed that behavior. It took a LONG time to untrain because the dog was very sneaky about getting up there.

Honestly, if the dog isn't crying or causing a problem, there is no reason to change where she sleeps.

PS - Is she named for Turonga Leela? :-)

[WendyNYC]

My dog snores (loud!) and farts (loud AND smelly!) all night long, so it's the crate for him. Sorry buddy.

But he's always been in a crate and seems to like it. He even naps in there--when he's not busy snoring and farting under my desk as I write.

[TerzaRima]

Zuzu sleeps with us, too--we've turned into those people. (Our small emergency backup dog, who probably spent most of her first year of life sleeping rough, still prefers to curl up at night in our closet under cover of hanging pants and skirts)

We like to have her snuggling with us, but be aware that once you invite the dog into bed, that's it--you've got a bedmate for good.

[sassandgroove]

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

Honestly, if the dog isn't crying or causing a problem, there is no reason to change where she sleeps.

That's sort of my thinking, too.

PS - Is she named for Turonga Leela? :-)

Why yes she is.

Originally Posted by TerzaRima

Zuzu sleeps with us, too--we've turned into those people. (Our small emergency backup dog, who probably spent most of her first year of life sleeping rough, still prefers to curl up at night in our closet under cover of hanging pants and skirts)

We like to have her snuggling with us, but be aware that once you invite the dog into bed, that's it--you've got a bedmate for good.

That's funny. Did you get that from Dave Barry? I read something where he used the term "emergency back up _____" (I can't remember what he used) And started referring to things in my life that way, like the jacket in my car's backseat. Also, beverages with ice, covered, left in my car. Once a new beverage is purchased, the melted ice became the emergency back up beverage.

Thanks everyone for your responses. YOu are helping.

[TerzaRima]

Sass--yes, the Dave Barry column where he mentions their large main dog Ernest and small emergency backup dog, IIRC, called Zippy.

[sassandgroove]

Oh- so you were using the reference completely, where as I picked up on the emergency back up aspect. Interesting. Of course, this was before I had a dog. I have found she changes my POV on things.

[TerzaRima]

And dog flatulence? Basset hound farts (Zuzu is part basset, part mystery date) should be covered by FEMA. They are an evil admixture of methane, open grave, and rotting Greenies. They laugh hollowly at open windows and ceiling fans.

Bassets have heartbreakingly doleful expressions only so you'll be distracted from the foul miasma wafting from their anal sphincters to your nostrils. Instead of bolting for a gas mask and a hazmat suit as you properly should, you heedlessly keep on with the tummy rubs and ear scritches until it's too late.

[StoryG27]

How does my dog sleep at night? I don't know. . .after the getting into the trash, chewing up shoes, and 'accidents' on the floor. . .How does he sleep at night? It's like he has no conscious.

Oh, you mean that literally. The dogs sleep with the kids, one dog and one kid per bed.

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

Originally Posted by TerzaRima

And dog flatulence? Basset hound farts (Zuzu is part basset, part mystery date) should be covered by FEMA. They are an evil admixture of methane, open grave, and rotting Greenies. They laugh hollowly at open windows and ceiling fans.

Bassets have heartbreakingly doleful expressions only so you'll be distracted from the foul miasma wafting from their anal sphincters to your nostrils. Instead of bolting for a gas mask and a hazmat suit as you properly should, you heedlessly keep on with the tummy rubs and ear scritches until it's too late.

[Disa]

My dog sleeps in the floor next to my side of the bed. He has free reign of the house. He gets up periodically at night and makes his rounds then comes back. I really think he's double checking that all the doors and windows are locked And maybe that the teenager isn't escaping

[Haggis]

Some of us sleep wherever the hell we want to.

[sassandgroove]

Originally Posted by Disa

My dog sleeps in the floor next to my side of the bed. He has free reign of the house. He gets up periodically at night and makes his rounds then comes back. I really think he's double checking that all the doors and windows are locked And maybe that the teenager isn't escaping

See, I'd like that. I stayed with a friend once after not seeing them for a long time. The dog remembered me, and came into check on me several times in the night. It was sweet. BUt I'm afraid Leela will get into something. I suppose we could just make sure there is no trash for her to get...Right now we've gone from having her confined to her crate to being confined to the kitchen with access to her crate. Maybe we'll try that for a while and see how it goes.

Thanks everyone for your responses.