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Just curious if you crate trained your pup once they get older do you still have them sleep in the crate? Zuni is sleeping on the bed now and its been fine but just wondering if it would be better to keep him in the crate or transition to his own bed on the floor or what?? I don't mind him in bed but I'm thinking if i get a second dog it could get a bit crowded ...he can be a bit of a bed hog too... What do you all do??

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I'm a light sleeper, and, so far, Frankie is a wiggler - so Frankie will probably always sleep in her crate. We do take the occasional lovely nap together, however:) I think it's just a matter of personal preference.

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Consider a King bed...Fits one Cake, 2 people and a 70 lb Fenris on occasion. NorCal follow your intuition. Current dog and future dog will work it out. Just don't be afraid to be alpha and claim enough room on your own bed. Bed sleep spots & bed time roles have changed for all our dogs over time. Waki hated the crate when he was little and wouldn't settle down in "Puppy jail" or even go into anything that was crate like. Oddly he liked under the furniture (private den with many excape routes?). He slept on the bed and napped under the furniture. At about 18 months he accepted the crate (for day time containment when needed) but didn't really like it. We got Cake around that time and he gave up the bed for her and started sleeping on the floor with our other 2 dogs. I think he was signaling that he was a big boy. When Shiva was too old to do night time GSD patrol, Waki took that over. We set up a dog tent and he has slept in there every night since. Cake is 4. She's never been crated except for a short period of extreme howling in the air port and hotel on the way home and once on part of a long car drive (she was very upset about it). She still sleeps on the bed, although she will sleep for a few hours on the floor next to Fenris if she thinks that's the thing to do (for example if he was in day care and she misses him or if he's not feeling well or if he comes up on the bed while we are watching TV for attention and she can raid his nest, roll around in and sleep on his bed). Fenris was delightful in the crate for a honeymoon of about 2 weeks (for everything except bed time) then he went through a shit fit phase. We did not use it at bed time though, because he wouldn't settle at night and we value sleep. He slept on the bed for the first several weeks, until Cake and Waki warmed up to him. Then he slept in a pen next to the bed. No idea why that was OK and not the crate (which was in the pen with the door OPEN and was sometimes slept in). Dogs are odd. They like security and freedom. Fen slept in a pen until he got too big and started knocking parts of the pen over. We just took it down and used a baby gate at the bedroom door. Waki is very touchy about how close the other dogs can get to his tent at night (dis-embodied growls coming from a wee tent aimed at any dog that dare to shuffle too close) so he was our "wall o snarl" to keep Fen in his "pen area". Since Waki sometimes naps under the bed Fen now also will sleep under the bed. He can slither into the slightly forbidden Waki territory and raid toys that have been hidden under w/o incurring the snarl- fest from the wee tent. How he fits @ 70 lbs is hilarious. Fen rarely sleeps on the bed now and if he does, it isn't for the whole night. Waki no longer does night patrol. If there is need to bark, Fenris does it, either from his pen or in some cases Waki lets Fen cross the forbidden zone to bark at the window and Waki will "back up" Fen by barking from the tent. They kind of naturally go from needing that puppy scrum to wanting their own space. As long as you are getting the sleep you need and no one is chewing on the furniture or pooping on the floor, you are doing it right.

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I let my dogs sleep where ever they want....Some would say that is NOT a good idea. They have never been crated.

That being said, I have established specific spots for Rain and Two Step to sleep....... on one side of my queen bed leaving me plenty of room. Meanwhile, Tolinka prefers down stairs on his favorite chair taking watch. There was a time when all three slept on the bed...that got a bit crowded as I found myself parallel with the headboard in the morning. Tolinka decided to move. I believe it is very important that if one allows the pups to sleep on the bed, establish their "spots" so that your sleep doesn't get interrupted, and YOU are still in alpha position. The problem now is that when I travel, I have a hard time sleeping....my pups aren't on my bed sleeping at my side or down by my feet. I don't feel their warmth. Follow your heart.

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I agree, follow your instincts and your heart! The dogs will sort themselves out. We crate trained Wyot from the beginning, and within one night, he was quiet and that was that, though sometimes he went in a little reluctantly- he was asleep and out for the night until we got up t o open the door for him the next morning...Kitchee is another thing. Although we are crate training him, he cried and cried for the first two night incessantly. Wyot stayed away as far as I know, and slept in his usual spots in the living room, under the coffee table, or by the chair all curled up, and took no notice. It took over a week until Kitchee settled and finally accepted that this was where he needed to be for bedtime. Now, he knows the routine, and the last walk of the night, he dances in circles, knowing he goes in his crate for bed, but gets a few little treats thrown in (kind of like a snuffle mat) that he has to find, and I say sleep, goodnight Kitchee...and he settles down for the whole night. He does occasionally cry, but for a second or two after the treats are gone...I guess he's a smarty pants and thinks we may succumb, lol! The gate to the living room opens, and Wyot gets his territory back, and that is his place to chill and sleep for the night.

 

You'll find your groove!

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mooka has never been in a create since i picked him up at the airport.since day 1 he has slept in the bed with us i also have a Italian mastiff and 4 cats ,so needless to say we bought a king bed,but if i am at my daughters visiting and spend then night both dogs will sleep at my back door waiting for me to get home,they will not even eat or go out to go the bathroom if i am not home,personally i could not imagine not having them in the bed with me ,even with mooka legs in the air or him curled up right at my head,but you will all find what works for you and enjoy they grow up fast just like real kids

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Sophie sleeps on her own bed next to ours. If she wakes up before we do she happily plays with her toys until we start moving. We do allow her to come up on our bed in the mornings for snuggles before we get up and sometimes we all go back to sleep! She likes her crate which is in the kitchen/dining room for naps and goes there herself when she is tired. We also use the crate for her when we need to leave her at home. We have another crate for the Jeep where she prefers to be when the vehicle is moving. And we use her crate for sleeping for our camper. The bed in there is just too small for the three of us.

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Sophie sleeps on her own bed next to ours. If she wakes up before we do she happily plays with her toys until we start moving. We do allow her to come up on our bed in the mornings for snuggles before we get up and sometimes we all go back to sleep! She likes her crate which is in the kitchen/dining room for naps and goes there herself when she is tired. We also use the crate for her when we need to leave her at home. We have another crate for the Jeep where she prefers to be when the vehicle is moving. And we use her crate for sleeping for our camper. The bed in there is just too small for the three of us.

 

and she is so pretty

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Loki still sleeps in his crate during the day (door open when we are home) - but both dogs sleep on our bed at night. We also keep a dog bed in the room in case one of the dogs (usually Mesa) wants some space. Loki is a bed hog and thinks the pillows are there so he can 'spoon' with us but Mesa sleeps in a tight little ball at my feet which helps some... a King size is a must tho.

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We use the crate for when we aren't home still but have Koda sleep in the bedroom. she has a bed on the floor or she can sleep on the bed. She prefers the bottom of the bed. we will always have her crate out so that she can go sleep or lay in there anytime she wants. we just don't force it anymore while we are home.

 

I think it comes down to the dog. if they are getting into things overnight than a crate would work better. do whats best for you and your pup and all will be happy!

Edited by Eric
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