Sleeping outside the crate during the day

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Hello!

 

Luna is very good about sleeping in her crate, she has been ever since we brought her home.  However, it would seem that the crate is the ONLY place she will sleep!  We are working on the "settle" command, but getting her to settle and getting her to sleep seem to be separate issues in her mind.

 

She is now 7 months old and has mellowed out a bit, so we are trying to get her to just "hang out" with us during the day.  I do a lot of work from home and it would be nice to have some company, but my office is separate from the bedroom where her crate is.

 

So far I have had limited success - most of the time she just whines and complains when she's tired.  A few times she has brought herself to her crate to have a nap, but we had to stop letting her wander the house because she peed on the floor a few times while we weren't paying attention to her (she probably asked to go outside, but she doesn't bark she just stands at the door).

 

Am I just asking this of her too early (as in.. will it just resolve itself as she matures) or can I actually "teach" her to sleep in new places?

 

Thanks!

[Melissa]

From our experience it has resoved itself here.  We both work from home and still keep Buddy somewhat limited since we have a split level house (we have a baby gate).  He is 14 months old and his crate is on a lower level.  He has a bed in our office and sometimes lays in that or sometimes under my husband's desk and will even go into the bedroom (across from the office) and lay down in the corner of our bed. 

 

Do you have beds for Luna?  We have a bed in the office, one in the lower level and then when I am in the kitchen Buddy will usually end up in his crate on his own.  Maybe put a bed in the office and tell Luna bed when she gets in it, so that she will learn bed and to go to her bed when you say bed.  It works for us, although Buddy doens't always stay in the bed. :)

 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

She has "her" blankets in both our offices, but the few times she has slept outside her crate it has been on the floor.  Maybe she is so used to the crate that sleeping "exposed" isn't comfy?

[Melissa]

that is one reason why I think Buddy likes to sleep under my husband's desk...  It is like his crate (we actually cover it with a sheet at night) that is is enclosed on all sides except the front.  Either that or Buddy just loves the smell of my hubby's feet!  LOL!

[Dreamydoodles Northwest]

I guess this might just seem odd to me because I never really was a strict crate trainer but I just can't imagine a dog not being able to sleep anywhere but in a crate. Maybe she needs a few days strictly out of the crate? Just an idea however I'm not a trainer. I just started using the crate more myself with my most recent Goldendoodle puppy "Baby" because she's been a little tough to potty train so I put her in the crate while I'm at work but she is free during the evening and all night while I'm home. I have all hard wood floors and then my carpeted areas are all blocked off with baby gates. 

Maybe you could find an area for her in your home where you could contain her safely without the crate like the kitchen, dining room etc..she may whine and cry for awhile at first but she will eventually stop just like the first time you put them in the crate.. it'll probably be something like reverse crate training? haha!

I personally feel any obsessive behavior can't be a positive thing for a dog and to me this sounds a little obsessive but like I said.. I'm not a trainer and I'm not a crate trainer.

She needs to be desensitized to sleeping out in the open. She's not going to stay awake for days she will eventually fall asleep and then she will see it's not as scary as she thought.

 :) Or at least that's my thought process...

 

[Dreamydoodles Northwest]

Nope, I agree there is nothing wrong with a dog sleeping in the crate but if that's the only place they will actually relax then to me that might be an issue. But then again I really have no clue because this is not my dog so I'm not observing the behavior first hand. If you want Luna to relax or "settle" outside her crate... I don't blame you. My dogs sleep most the day. They sleep here, there and everywhere..and I believe that's how it should be. They sleep at my feet, next to me on the couch, next to kids while they play Barbies..etc..

 

Just my own personal opinion.

 

Sleeping here, my chin
On your foot--no greater bliss

[Lynda Kamrath]

My newest doodle is 8 months old and he has had the run of the house since New Years.  We have beds all over the place - sleeping pads in the bedroom, round beds from Sierra Trading Company on the deck and in the laundry room, and their favorite sleeping place, the leather couches in the living room.  In hot weather, however, they tend to sleep on the cool tiles in the bathrooms or kitchen.

Sounds like if you are home, you need to get yourself trained to let her out a couple of times a day.  If she goes and stands by the door, maybe you want to try the bell at the door.  When you see her standing at the door, ask her if she wants to go out to go potty.  Then tell her she is a good girl, and ring the bell for her.  Go out with her and wait for her to go potty, then tell her good girl again.  Pretty soon she will associate ringing the bell with going out to go potty.

Another thing you might try is taking the pad out of her crate and placing it near you when you are working.  If the pad is near you and the crate is all hard, she may decide to lay on the pad by you.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

How about giving her a special treat to gnaw on (bone, filled kong, etc) while she's hanging in your office. She might gnaw it for awhile and then pass out. I have my office at home also in our guest room and the dogs sleep on the futon bed while I'm working. But they know that when they go in there they get a treat. Then when they're tired they konk out. As to potty...we also use the bell. This way I hear it from the office.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I like the special bone idea.  She really loves compressed rawhide, but only gets it occasionally and under close supervision.  I may try that but with a more indestructible bone like a marrow bone so I don't have to watch her the whole time.  She found one in her little friend's back yard and really loved chewing on it ;) 

 

I will run the bell idea by my fiance, not sure he will like it but it may be a good idea since we're often far away from the back door.  I guess I never thought of that because my old dog (a Bichon) has no problems with barking to be let out ;)

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I am trying something new today I thought of while falling asleep las night - I have the crate IN the office with me... so she has the "safety" of her crate, but is still in the new place.  I'm going to leave the door open (we usually close it when she naps) so this is at least a little more "open" than her usual enclosed cave.

 

So far, she has gone inside and lay down once, but has yet to fall asleep.