Where does your dog sleep at night.

Canotila

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I wouldn't dream of having dogs and keeping them in crates so I could sleep more comfortably. When they're puppies, I can somewhat understand it, although I'm raising my second one and neither one roamed around at night. They just made their way into the bedroom and stayed with me the whole night. They were never crated.


I'm glad it works out for you! Not every dog needs it. My aunt never crated until she got her third german shepherd puppy. After two surgeries to remove bowel obstructions she gave up and started crating at night when she couldn't supervise what he snacked on.
 

Bushrat

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"Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie
Just me, I guess, but if you're going to crate a dog at night, or not allow it on furniture, why have a dog? Dogs are people, too.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I wouldn't dream of having dogs and keeping them in crates so I could sleep more comfortably. When they're puppies, I can somewhat understand it, although I'm raising my second one and neither one roamed around at night. They just made their way into the bedroom and stayed with me the whole night. They were never crated. "

We have four dogs and we do not treat them like people because they are dogs. They are not allowed on the furniture, I would never entertain the thought of allowing them into bed with us (must make for an interesting sex life otherwise...) and they get no snackies or left-overs, just high quality kibble.

Tough life? Oh yeah...we cuddle with them while lounging on the dog pillows with them, they are not left alone 8 hours of the day because we work from home, they can go in and out of the house as they like, they are never walked on roads or sidewalks - every walk is out in the forest since that is where we live, and they go for a 2-hour walk or more every day with us (off leash).

Your dog can be an integral part of your life without getting "spoiled". I think a lot of people treat dogs like people out of guilt (not enough time for them) and loneliness.
 

backslashbaby

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Dogs like their own crates (or my new electric blanket as the case may be :D). They like all sorts of Alpha rules, too, like a real pack. What's mean to a dog is different than what we think is mean.

Of course, they like a lot of what we do too, and aren't necessarily unruly brats on account of it. But yeah, use some 'dog rules' and know their general psychology and you're good to go, I think :)
 

cscarlet

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I have a Great Dane and a St. Bernard, and they were both crate trained as puppies.

They LOVE their crates.

When they reached adulthood we started leaving their crate doors open at night, and now we never close the doors ever (even when we're gone during the day).... but the dogs still love to sleep in their crates. Our Great Dane especially uses it as her own special place when the house is too loud, or when she's sick of the TV in the living room being on, or when she gets ticked at us for yelling at her for something and wants to go pout ;)

The St. Bernard will typically sleep half the time in her crate, some nights in the bathroom (likes the cool floor with her thick coat), and then the other nights by my side on the floor by the bed (especially when I'm sick).

I should add, they have pretty cushy beds in their crates. We just can't allow two 125 lb dogs on our furniture. The house would wreak to high heaven, would never be able to get everything clean, and I'm not sure my husband and I would fit anymore :) haha

But we even tried just having their beds in the same spot without the crates (because the crates are HUGE)... and no dice. They didn't sleep that night, and kept trying to wake us up. Then the Great Dane tore her bed to shreds. So, we bought a new bed, and when we put it in her crate she was so afraid we might take it away again, that she immediately went in, curled up, and REFUSED to come out for several days (except to go outside, and then she went straight back in).

Point taken, puppy ;)

This is how she spends most of her days now: In all of her vicious laziness. :D

PA270430.jpg
 

sassandgroove

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Just me, I guess, but if you're going to crate a dog at night, or not allow it on furniture, why have a dog? Dogs are people, too.
Actually Dogs are dogs and they like dens and we never close my dog's crate door anymore and she goes in there all the time becuase it is her place.

If you want to do what is best for a dog you need to treat them like a dog and not a person.
 

dclary

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We crate our dogs at night because a few of them still have trouble with not peeing in the middle of the night if they've got to go, or pooping if they have tummy troubles. They (like Sass said) think of the crates as their beds, and have no problems sleeping in them. It just makes accident-handling and clean up infinitely easier.
 

Treyfan

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My little corgi sleeps in her kennel most of the time. Sometimes (very rarely) she'll sleep with me and my boyfriend on our bed. We try not to spoil her.

She enjoys her kennel. She will put herself to bed on some nights if she gets really tired.
 

CaroGirl

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Both my elderly Bichon Frises spent the night barricaded in our large, tiled front hallway. Any mess they make can be easily cleaned. This has been the arrangement since they were pups and they even go there of their own accord at bed time.
 

sassandgroove

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Ok so we drove with the dog to my parents in Ohio.

First we bought her a travel crate, which we tried putting in our room about 6 weeks ago to see if she would stay. She would go in it if we left it in the living room, but not our room.

On the trip- We ended up having to stay at a hotel on the way. She didn't calm down until we did (duh moment on my part) and slept by the door of the hotel room, not on her pillow or in her travel crate. Then when the next room people started stirring she barked her intruder bark. I told her it was ok and she layed down. At my parents she would not calm down when we tried to leave her in the kitchen with her travel crate like we do with her at home. She whined and moaned, it was sad. We ended up sleeping in the living room with her. She slept between us and the stairs leading to my parents.

All of this to say- I wonder if she sleeps in the front of the house to protect us?
 

backslashbaby

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I bet that's exactly it, sassandgroove. Protecting dogs get upset if they aren't able to do so :) I think it's so sweet!
 

joyce

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My two labs are horrible when it comes to trips, especially my female. They won't pee and are a nervous wreck the whole time. We went to my daughter's, who they have grown up with, and stayed the night. They were horrible. Her apartment has one bedroom, so we stayed on the double air mattress in the living room. They were such a wreck they didn't calm down until we let them get on the bed with us. I admitted earlier in this thread and I'll admit again, my dogs get to sleep with me if they choose. I grew up with my dogs sleeping in bed with me, so it's just a natural thing. Good thing I have a king size bed.

The funny thing is when we go camping and bring them along they're great. They sleep in the tent with us and I couldn't ask for better dogs. It makes me laugh because if hubby stays out by the campfire longer than me, the dogs won't have none of it. When mom goes into the tent to go to bed, they're right behind me. Hubby begs and they basically shoot him a bird and say goodnight.

My avatar, Tyrone is my daughter's dog. That dog sleeps inside crates, dog houses, beds or anywhere else he's told to go. He has nerves of steel and seems to be bothered by few things.
 

LunaFancy

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My weimaraner sleeps in bed with me and the two burmese cats. Under the covers in winter, on top in summer.

I bought a king size bed to accommodate her, but I still end up on the edge. :tongue
 

backslashbaby

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I can't remember if I mentioned this way upthread, so skip me if I did :) My little Chi-Terrier mutt sleeps with me, in bed, all the time.

My sister and BB King (the dog) and I all spent the night in the office one late night. BB wouldn't let my sister out of the door while I was asleep, because she'd have to walk by me while I was vulnerable! He was such a good little guard dog that she was actually afraid of him :D :D
 

AlexPiper

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My little corgi sleeps in her kennel most of the time. Sometimes (very rarely) she'll sleep with me and my boyfriend on our bed. We try not to spoil her.

My corgi changed where she slept when we moved, actually.

For the first four years of her life, I lived in a three-story townhome. My bed was on the third floor, and too tall for her to get up onto on her own. She naturally gravitated towards her doggy bed on the ground floor (where her water dish was), or would chill by the couch in the living room.

This past summer, I bought a house and moved. The house is two floors, but the majority of life takes place just on one. That's where my bedroom, the kitchen, my home office and the living room are. In addition, my new bed is low to the ground, so the little short dog can get up and down on her own. The moment I go to bed, she goes into the bedroom and hops on the bed, curling up beside me.

She won't go sleep on the bed unless I'm there. If she's tired and I'm not home (or am up for whatever reason), she sleeps on her doggy bed in my office, or on the carpet in the living room. But if I'm on the bed, that's where she wants to be. She'll get up sometimes and go sleep in the living room or the office, but she usually sticks around on the bed.
 

ryannj5

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Sadly, in the laundry room. I would prefer her in bed with me, but my husband won't have it!
 

JerseyGirl1962

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Sam, our Alaskan Malamute (that's him in my avatar), sleeps outside. Yes, I live in NJ and it's cold outside, but Mals are built for the cold; I would never consider doing that if he didn't have the fur coat & fat to handle that.

He originally slept in the house, downstairs in the living room. That was when we still had our older fellow (Frodo), whom I still miss dearly. We had to put him to sleep in 2009, and a few months after that, Sam decided to start sleeping outside. Maybe he wanted to be closer to nature or something, or maybe he didn't feel right after Frodo was gone, there's no way to know.

But we have 2 pens outside, both stuffed with straw, so he can snuggle in. :)

Nancy
 

Jamesaritchie

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If you want to do what is best for a dog you need to treat them like a dog and not a person.

Treat them like dogs and they'll never be a truly good pet. Yes, dogs like dens, and any room in your house qualifies as a den. Dogs will tell you where they like to sleep. . .or you can decide where you like them to sleep, decide you know more than they do, and make them do it. Dogs are easy, and they'll go along with what you make them do, but it damned sure isn't because they're dogs and shouldn't be treated like people.
 

sassandgroove

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You know what James, you can believe what you want that's fine. But if you treat dogs like people you get dogs that are over excited or frustrated or have some other problem or quirk.

Maybe you are defining it differently than I am.

I call my dog my baby, I feed her and love her and walk her and make sure she is taken care of, I take her to the vet, I give her monthly preventative medicine, i buy her toys, I play with her. (Hubby too). My parents refer to her as the 'grand dog.' she is doted on and spoiled. But I strive to make sure her needs are met. Dogs need excercise and to walk, so I walk her. Dogs like a den, so I got her a crate (which she goes in on her own without prompting as it is her place.she also has a pillow in the living room, and a pillow in our bedroom.) Dogs need boundaries, so we give her some, like she is only allowed on the furniture when invited. She is only allowed in the bedrooms when we are with her.

I don't know how you are defining "dogs are people" but they are not. They are dogs. Is mine spoiled and my baby? yes. but she is still a dog and I try to meet her dog needs.