MirageMerle Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 ...without destroying the house, that is. When we're awake, Mirage likes to sleep under the bed. Normally, she sleeps in her crate (because HBing was an uphill battle), which is now in our bedroom (used to be in the kitchen). I'd like to get to a point where she can sleep in our bedroom with us at night and not rip the place apart! LOL Any advice? TIA! - Brooke - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelb'smum Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 I completely puppy proofed my room and had them sleep on my bed with me. and since I am such a light sleeper, if they started to play I would hear them and tell them to go to bed. I just made sure I took them out to go potty as late as possible. ETA: My problem was never them ripping stuff apart, but being able to hold it outside of the crate. the solution was to give them just a little space out of the crate, then a little more and more and more as they understood that they can't potty there ETA again... go to bed means crate for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 I would also puppy proof the room, and then give it a shot one night. If the puppy can't get to sleep loose in the room, or gets into things, or has an accident, I would go back to the crate and try again a week or so later. With Speedy, he was 6 - 7 months old before he could sleep out at night without having an accident. We would try leaving him out and see what happened. Once he got to the point where he was getting through the night, he earned permanent "loose in bedroom privileges". When Dean first came, at 10 months old, he would get up in the middle of the night and start to play! If there happened to be a toy in the room, I would wake up to sounds of him throwing it on the floor and rolling around. I would allow him to sleep loose until he woke me up with play and then he would go into his crate. He got the idea pretty quickly and he sleeps through the night now. I honestly don't know of any way but giving the puppy a chance and going back to the crate if you end up giving too much freedom too soon. I would puppy proof, use blankets you don't mind getting torn, and have some Nature's Miracle on hand and give it a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 You can try tethering to the bed to start with. I actually used old choke chains and snaps, keeps them out of trouble during the night by limiting their 'room to roam' and no no one has ever been hurt...if they tangled themselves they figured out pretty quick how to untangle. The chains are snapped into their flat collars.I just use the choke chains because they're smooth and they can't chew through them. I DO NOT HAVE THE CHAINS AS COLLARS. At one point I had 3 pups tethered in my room...and now I have 3 that prefer to sleep in 'their' spots and they 'ask' to come up on the bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 All mine sleep loose in the house. If the bedroom gets to crowded they go into the spare office/bedroom. Friends say I'm lucky that I have a stay at home job so they learn at an early age what's to chew on and what's not to chew on. My problem is they have internal alarms that go off usually about an hour before I have to get up. So they get put out of the bed(room) till I'm ready to get up where I find them all waiting in line at the closed bedroom door. If I had to, I'd probably go with a crate in the bedroom then wean to leaving the door of the crate open. Come to think about it that's what I did with my last pup. She slept in her crate till potty trained (somewhere around 5 months till she was solid) then I started leaving the door open, she'd often end up in the crate as it was her comfy spot. Now it's on the end of the bed till DH kicks all dogs off the bed. I think doggy alarms are the nicest way to wake up, even if they can't be set to your schedule. Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandasmom Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 here's what worked for us, maybe it would work for you to. Panda resisted her crate at first, but soon got used to it and love it. She'd go right to it when she was sleepy and ready for bed. One night I tried leaving the flap (it is a softsided crate) loose (didnt zip it) and she didn't even try to get out of it, even though she knew she could. So, one day I just folded it up and pulled her bedding I had used in the crate out and put it on the floor and she went right to the bedding that night. I left it in the same place as where her crate sat, so she seemed happy with it and she didn't chew stuff all night because I gave her a bone that she only gets to chew on when it's time for bed. So, she seemed to look at that as a reward for staying put on her "big girl" bed and only chewed it. Hope that helps a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Wow, do I feel like the mean mommy. Violet's the only dog allowed to sleep outside her crate at my house. Mayyybe Faith can after she turns two (she's six months old now), if she convinces me she'll give up chasing the cats (even when I'm not watching). And shredding the toilet paper and paper towels. And counter-surfing. And . . . Yikes - am I the only one who has such a juvenile delinquent? Let her sleep loose? I'd wake up with the whole house down around my ears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Painted Ponies: You aren't the only one with a juvenile delinquent!! Toby is just like your Faith, my house would be a disaster if he was left loose overnight. He just can't seem to settle for any length of time unless he is in his crate or tied up. I am hoping when he matures I will be able to leave him loose at night, but I don't think that day is coming any time soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 We put Hoku's crate in the bedroom, and he slept in there with the door closed till he was house broken (probably around 5 or 6 months). He got used to that routine and was fine, and we did not worry that he was getting into trouble. One night, we just left the door open, and he just slept all night in the crate. That's the way it's been ever since. The crate is a safe and comfy place for him, so he just puts himself to bed now after the 'bedtime walkie', and his crate doubles as a table top. Try getting her loving her crate with the door closed for the night for a few months, and as she matures, she may just decide, like Hoku, it's the best bed in town! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Thanks Robyn, I feel better now. as she matures, she may just decide, like Hoku, it's the best bed in town! Faith loves her bed - she can eat a whole one all by herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 You guys think you have juvenile delinquents? Bree was 2-1/2 years old before I worked up the nerve to let her sleep loose. I'm actually getting ready to let Nick start trying to sleep loose at 8-1/2 months old. A few days ago I let him up on the bed with me, and when DH came to bed (4 hours later) he was in his crate with the door open. We'll see I guess! Kristen, my alarm clocks start going off about 30 mins before time to get up. I just hit their snooze buttons... and wake up 30 minutes later with four dogs with their faces about 5" away from mine... waiting quietly. Staring at me. It beats that alarm clock that makes funny beepy noises, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Ouzo's never been crated. Yes, it caused some issues earlier on (aspirin eating incident), but other than that, anything bad that he does, he does it while we're at home, awake, never when we're away or we're sleeping. He sleeps everywhere he wants, and changes his sleeping quarters about 5-6 times a night, from our bed to the bathroom floor (which he feels a need of diggining before laying down, either snake proofing it or to fluff the floor : dumbass! ), or the couch or livingroom floor.... He was semi-house broken by 3 months and totaly and solidly house broken at 4. Even at 3 months he would wake us up at night if he wanted to be left out on the balcony - we had what we called poopy-blankets - some flatten cardboard boxes on which he was allowed to go to the bathroom) or scratch and whine at the balcony door. And in case of emergency, he somehow figured out it's best to go in our bathroom, instead of on the carpet! We bought a big crate at a garage sale last summer, but it's been sitting on the patio ever since. Got him to step inside, he finds it funny, but never locked him in the crate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Yikes - am I the only one who has such a juvenile delinquent? Let her sleep loose? I'd wake up with the whole house down around my ears! No - it's going to be quite some time before I will be comfortable leaving the bedroom door open with Dean loose. Not only would get get into everything he could think of, he has a habit of bringing me things. Not just dog toys, either. I would probably wake up to a pile of household items on the bed if he could get into the kitchen at night!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Oh, and speaking of alarm clocks, Dean knows that the alarm clock (which lives on the floor next to the bed) has something to do with me getting up. If he isn't successful at getting me up by his own tactics, he will start to pound on the alarm clock with his paw persistently. He learned that by watching me hit snooze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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