sleeping arrangements and furry ears!

[Nicole]

Hi! I have two questions...

First has to do with furry ears...I took Coco to get her a "big girl haircut" for the first time and when I picked her up they said her ears were full of fur they pulled out...she was shaking her head and scratching so they sprayed her with a soothing spray (which they said they'd already done)...they also gave me a prednisone tablet to get her...her ears were REALLY red and she is still scratching this morning and the haircut was Tuesday....

Does this fur NEED to be pulled out? I know it can get moist, but is there a better way if this is necessary?

Second, when we first got her at 6 weeks she cried constantly in the crate in our bedroom so I finally put her in a downstairs bathroom (small and cozy) to get some sleep. She slept like a dream.  Now at 7 months I would love for her to sleep in our bedroom (all of my dogs have always slept in the bed at least part of the night)...she just wants to play then cries to go downstairs to the bathroom. I have tried giving her bully sticks, nylabones, etc. in the bed but she will NOT settle down...finds it a great place to romp and play then wants to leave.

Any suggestions for getting her to settle upstairs? (My family thinks I am crazy but I just love that "cuddle time" and have had a dog in the bed since I was 10 for all basic intents and purposes...it's a hard adjustment

[Melissa]

As far as the ear cleaning I do believe it is necessary.  They can be prone to ear infections and keeping them cleaned out helps to prevent that.  Buddy gets his done and I remember the 1st time his ears were very red and irritated but in the times since I haven't noticed any redness or irritation.

 

As far as the sleeping arrangements, it may be a hard adjustment for you but also realize having your dog sleep somewhere where they may not be as comfortable it will be a hard adjustment for her.  Personally I say if she is happy, let her stay where she is happy.  We have cuddle time with Buddy on our bed in the evenings.  But when it is bedtime, he knows that his crate is downstairs and he actually loves to sleep in it and personally we sleep better without him in the room. 

[Jennifer Tramell]

I took Charlotte (6 months old) in for her microchip and check-up and the vet said she needed the hair pulled out.  The vet showed me how to do it and said that poodles and poodle mixes are the only breeds that have hair growing inside their ears, not just on the outside.  She said that the hair needed to be pulled to prevent ear infections.  Charlotte did shake her head for a couple days after but she's fine.  I'm going to try to keep the ear hair pulled little by little.  I equate it to plucking eyebrows - it's much easier to maintain then to do the first major pluck :-)

[Carol and Banjo]

We can't get Banjo to stay up in our room to sleep either.  We'd love to have him in bed with us....or at least in the room - but he wants no part of that.   At one year he still prefers to sleep in the livingroom in his crate.   He generally heads to "bed" about 8 each night.    I've tried giving him snacks, etc to "lure" him into bed....but no go!!!!

[Nicole]

It would seem they have a mind of their own lol!

[Lynda Kamrath]

About ears - Yes it is very important that you keep the ear passages clear and clean.  I start "finger plucking" the soft hairs in the ear when my dogs are small puppies and they get very used to it.  After having a poodle with very thick ears (and ear problems), I also trim the hair on the inside ear flaps with a scissors.  IT is now just a regular part of grooming.

Some dogs like to sleep on the cold tiles in bathrooms rather than warm rugs.  Both of my dogs take turns sleeping on the tile floor in our master bath.  I take it that she is totally house trained and has the run of the house.  If so, leave the doors open to your bedroom and the bathroom downstairs, so she can come and go as she pleases.  I'm sure you will find her in your bed in no time.  My dogs come into our bed in the morning when we have our coffee in bed.  The big dog always waits for his invitation (just a slap on the bed), but the puppy comes up just about anytime.  They have their favorite spots but always on top of the bedspread.  We get plenty of cuddle time for all of us.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I can't address the ear hair issue but as to sleeping with you.....

2 yo Lucca has the run of the house and usually comes up around 3 or 4am IF he's in the mood. My golden retriever used to do the same thing. Miz Izzy, 4 months...is already sleeping with us. We tried the crate, we tried no crate but kitchen containment...she hated it all. She seems to need the comfort of people near her. I have never had a dog like this before. She comes on our bed when I go to bed at 11 and you don't hear a peep out of her until 6am... Now, she is still little and hardly takes up any space. I'm curious as to what happens when she is full size (around 45lbs) and her and Lucca are on the bed. I keep trying to talk my DH into getting a king size bed but he is adamantly refusing at this point. We'll see who wins out.

Would I sleep better without the dogs...yes but like you Nicole, I like having an animal in my bed. Coco seems to like the coziness, and maybe quiet of the bathroom. She could change once she's older.

[shelly]

Tori used to sleep upstairs with my son, but then was happier downstairs.  She actually didn't like getting up when my son had to wake up for school - how 'bout that? - LOL... We've tried a few times to leave her roam loose, but NO ONE including her gets any sleep... she prefers her crate downstairs - locked in.  She likes it so much so, that if we are up late and watching tv in the den (her 'bedroom'), she starts her I'm sleepy - get out of my bedroom pacing.  I just believe they all have their own likes and dislikes - just like US!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

This is a very timely post for me. We are having a terrible time with Vern at night. I have always had my two sleep in our bedroom and really don't care if it is on our bed or on the floor. Vern does not want to be in the bedroom. He wants to be in the foyer, but I am scared to leave him unsupervised all night in another room. However, he paces every night and I can hardly stand it. Once in awhile, my daughter will sleep in the living room and he does not bother anything. Personally, if Coco is sleeping elsewhere and not disturbing you, I think you are very lucky. From my sleep deprived perspective, I would not change a thing.

 

As for the ear thing, both my dogs scratch their ears after their grooming, but it seems to subside in a day or two.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Does the foyer have tiled floors?  You may have a "hot dog".  Both my dogs prefer the cool tiles in the master bath, especially in the summer.

[Michael Gurley]

Sunny is prone to ear infections (she has had 3!) so it's very necessary for her ear hair to be pulled out. We get her groomed every 2-3 weeks though, so it's never too bad and only is red if she's developing an infection.

 

Have you tried just shutting her into the bedroom with you and going to bed with the lights off? When Sunny still wants to play at night, I just turn the lights out and get in bed. Eventually she jumps up and lies down too.