Friday, 19 April 2013
bedtime question
When we put Monkey away in the kitchen at night he is very reluctant to go and digs his paws in and we have to push and pull him to achieve it. When he gets through the door he goes and lies straight down on his bed and doesn't make a sound all night. Which would be the best for him - to continue to force him to go in the kitchen where we eventually want him to sleep at night or to leave him in the front room at night until he feels more confident?
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11 comments:
hummm. Good question. My first response is to have in the front room. But I am a dog and I like comfort and being confident.
Blessings,
Goose
Hi Y'all,
I was crate trained and slept there at night. My Human still does lots of good stuff so I'll go into it for privacy...I eat my meals in it too.
I didn't always like to go into it. Sometimes I would throw myself on the floor. My Human simply pushed and pulled me inside...once in I got a treat and a stuffed Kong.
Now I love havin' a crate, my own house. I sleep in there, nap there and eat in there and even go in when I'm told 'cause somebody is at the door who doesn't like dogs.
If I don't want to do something and I go in, I'm saying "NO!"...and I'm left to my privacy.
It's my refuge. All of us need one. Hopefully Monkey will learn that his sleeping spot is his refuge.
Good luck Monkey!
Hawk aka BrownDog
Difficult one for us as we go upstairs and sleep on the bed. However we probably would say just leave him in the front room until he wants to sleep in the kitchen. However that may not be convenient for you. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
I usually find out that my techniques are totally wrong when it comes to dog training, so use them at your own risk. When we were training sleep location, we offered a small highly desirable treat that was only given at bedtime in the sleeping place. We still give a "bedtime snack" but have switched to a small dog biscuit. The association is still so good that when we call "night night" it sounds like a herd of buffalo running to the bedroom to "assume the position." Monkey sounds like such a good boy, he'd probably be fine to just let him find his comfort.
If you want him to sleep in the kitchen, thenb you need to start as you mean to go on. He may be reluctant because he knows he will be away from you. If he is an ex-racer he would have been use to having a kennel mate.
Could you not have his bed in your bedroom, or on the landing so he can get to you and feels less lonely?
I'm with What Remains Now. In fact, if I fall asleep on the sofa, Zachary will wake me up at some point so I can "put him to bed" with his night-night cookie. Both dogs spent the night in a crate until old enough to get the run of the house - which got younger and younger with each dog - 1.5 yrs for Beau, 1 yr for Zachary, .5 yrs for Henry. Now they sleep wherever they want. Zachary's usually on the bed with us and Henry, who gets hot and likes to spread out, sleeps on the floor next to the bed.
I think he probably feels lonely in the kitchen and wants to be near to you to feel safe and secure.
Annie has her bed up in the bedroom next to us.
Hope he soon gets into his bedtime routine.
Thanks for the advice all. I'm going to try the treat route tonight and see how we go.
Naturally, we dogs think Monkey should sleep anywhere he wants! We do.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
My gang get a bedtime treat that is special and unique to bedtime. It also happens to be a teeth cleaning chew which they love.
When I announce it's 'bed time' everyone rushes outside to do their business for the night then they would go to their sleeping places for their treat. I used to shut my dogs in my bedroom to make sure they stay where I put them at night but lately I can leave the door open and they still stay where I put them :) I think once you form a habit then everything works on autopilot.
Good luck with this. I'd be inclined to go the treat way in the kitchen if that's where you want him to sleep. If Riley wasn't a foster dog he could free range like my 2 do ... which means sleep on the bed with me! But as Riley may not be allowed on the bed or furniture in his forever home I'm keeping him off them here. And he hates with a passion sleeping in a crate at night, special treats or no special treats. He is a work in progress in that regard.
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