Where does a puppy sleep?

[ANNE SWANSON]

Hi all, 

This was addressed slightly in my other post but I'd like to be more specific on this topic.  I've read a bunch of stuff about crate training, but it does seem to take time and has to be done slightly.  I have personally never seen anyone address where a puppy sleeps when you bring it home.  I understand some things speak to putting the puppy in a crate by the bed, but crate training also suggests not putting a puppy in a crate until they have been trained to be in there.  Our puppy doesn't like to be alone and will only sleep through the night if it's sleeping in the room with someone (not in a crate, etc).  

We have two old cats that sleep with us and can't let the puppy sleep uncrated in our bedroom.  When we tried putting her in the crate by the bed she lost it and did not quiet down...(ever).

thanks..

[JMFS]

I touched on this a little in your other post.  Initially, you're right, our dogs rarely sleep where we intend them to.  They have their own ideas on these things!

Abbi, our 15-yr old 10-lb Dachshund sleeps on the bed next to my husband.
Gertrude sleeps wherever she wants because she doesn't disturb people or things (she's shut into our bedroom with us at night, and has a bed on my side of our bed - otherwise she would sleep on our couch in My spot and her porcupine hairs on my side make me grumpy so bedroom it is!).
Esther will likely forever be in a crate.
Momo preferred to sleep outside, but I brought him into the room where he would pace and pace and pace and pace some more (he never ran out of energy).  I brought him inside to be considerate to our neighbors.  Mo was an excellent watchdog, and that doesn't always go hand-in-hand with neighborly relationships at 3 in the morning.
Brownie used to sleep in the bed before I came into the household.  After that he slept under the bed (it's a high bed and he was a short little Dachshund).

So, really, the only right answer is what works for you.  At the beginning there will be an adjustment phase where you're giving leeway, but over time you can move her to where you would like her to sleep.

[ANNE SWANSON]

My problem is that she won't sleep unless we are in the room.  And we sleep with two very old cats that she can't be around full time yet.  She can't be left alone.  

[Adrienne Farricelli]

In a perfect world, breeders will accustom their puppies to a crate from a young age. This is something that is very basic and easy to teach when pups are young. Breeders who habituate their pups to the crate when in their care, allow new owners to have a lot of the big work cut out for them as the crate provides a sense of familiarity and helps ease a pup's transition to a new home. Therefore, it can be said that breeders who accustom their young pups to a crate allow new dog owners the perk of only dealing with getting the pups used to a new place versus getting used to a new place, and being crated on top of that, which can be much more stressful.

Without the breeder's collaboration, you are right, it is not easy. We try to do what we can to accustom them to the crate during the day so to prepare them for the night. With some difficult pups I need to use some extras such as DAP diffusers and a stuffed animal that emits warmth and mimics mother dog's heartbeat. The first couple of nights I may need to talk to them to help them feel reassured. I may dangle my hand towards the crate to help them out. Most of time, they're fine after the first 2-3 days. 

Fortunately, there are educational courses for breeders out there now and they emphasize the importance of getting pups used to being crated and tackling many potential issues early. Once the pups are in our care, we can then take further steps to help foster more independence: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-prevent-separation-anxiety-in-puppies/

In some desperate cases, some owners of small pups opt to keep their new pups in a soft travel crate (like a Sherpa bag) on the bed and gradually wean them off, some others let them sleep in the bed and gradually wean off, while other just enjoy it so much their pups sleep on the bed for the rest of their lives. 

It goes without saying that the process of weaning a pup off a bed isn't without hassle. Pups grow to want to be close to us, smell us, feel our warmth, and the process of weaning them off can be rather challenging to the point of one wondering whether it was ultimately worth it. 

 

[JMFS]

We had him in his crate in the bedroom.  I replaced my nightstand with the crate and put a piece of plywood on top so I'd still have something for my glasses, lamp, etc . . . to sit on.  We had 3 cats at the time ourselves, so I understand well the desire to keep them stress-free and unharmed.  It served a double purpose of acclimating Mo to the cats at a low threshold because at night everyone is calm and sleeping, but he could still see, hear, and smell them.

[ANNE SWANSON]

We tried the crate in the bedroom and it was a disaster. She was so scared and her crying got significantly worse.  

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Anne, 

Did you try this recently, or are you referring to River's first nights at your home? Have you tried keeping her right next your wife's side of the bed?  

I read in your previous post that last night you waited for her to fall asleep and then put her in the crate and closed the door with your wife sleeping a foot or two away and made it through the night. 

You can try to repeat this every night and then gradually move the crate closer and closer to the bedroom or gradually have your wife sleep farther and farther away. At some point, she can then then try to sleep far away enough that she can tip toe in the middle of the night back to the bedroom.