NIght Time Issues....Any/All advice welcome!

[Kelly S.]

Hi All!

Haven't posted in awhile (can't believe miss Zsusie is already 2.5yrs old!!! How time flies!).  She is doing so well, and we love her to death, but we've encountered a bit of an issue at nighttime and I could really use any/all help or advice I can get!

Bit of a Backstory:

Back when I first got Zsusie-doodle it was just the two of us, so after about 6months of age I allowed her to sleep in the bed with me.  I crate trained her up until this point, but after about 6months was having a lot of trouble with it... she HATED being in there and would cry incessantly... so I gave in and let her sleep in the bed with me... no big deal, right? Haha.

So, fast forward 2yrs:

Now there is a DH in the bed too, things have gotten ALOT squishier!  So we have been trying to get Zsusie to sleep in her own bed (still in the bedroom).  Zsusie will not have any of it though... she wants to be in our bed too!

Anyway, about a week ago we bought one of those octagonal dog pens (about 3'x4').  We thought this might be a better option than a small crate so she could move around, have her bed in there, etc, etc....while not allowing her to jump on our bed.  But it does not seem to be working.  She has gone back to incessant crying/moaning/screaming/barking and NOT sleeping. She actually sounds like she is dying (although we know she is 100% safe and fine)

We introduced her to the pen positively... allowing her to go in at her own pace, giving her tons of affection and treats while in there.  And gradually putting her in for longer periods prior to putting her in for the night. 

Then at night she goes in the pen and lays down, we close the door and after about 5mins she starts to cry/moan/scream/bark.  We only acknowledge her if she barks loudly (we are in a condo building and can't have her barking or being loud at night).  The first night she did this for pretty much 7hrs straight (we kind of predicted this would happen).  The next few nights she would do it for about 20min then settle for about 10-15min, then starts up again... and it goes through this cycle all night long. It has been a week.  Last night was the first time I caved, and let her come into our bed at about 6am, so we could at least get a few hrs of sleep.

So I need help!  How long does it take for a dog to accept a new routine?  Am I doing something wrong, or could I be doing it in a more effective way?  

Any help or advice would be awesome!  We are extremely desperate to get some sleep! 

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Kelly

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I don't have a long-term solution - Sedona's three years old and still happily sleeps in her crate - but for the short term, you and your DH may want to alternate sleeping in another room.  One stays in the room with Zsusie, spending much of the night keeping her off your bed and in her own, while the other person gets a good night's sleep. Next night, switch...   

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Get a bigger bed :) We have an 80lb doodle that sleeps in bed with us every night... HAHA!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have been thinking about this and what I would do. Let me just say that mine have free access to our bed and Murphy has always slept w us and Bella just comes and goes if there is a comfortable spot and she gets rubs. Anyway, how I taught them to "go to bed" when I wanted them to be quiet or out of the way, or at night when I just wanted the bed to ourselves.....was clicker training. Their bed is next to my side of bed, I used treats, first by putting one on the bed, which of course set them in motion towards the bed, clicking and saying go to bed every time they stepped onto it. Then telling them to go to bed without a treat on it, clicked and handed them one. Then moved us to another area of the bedroom and gave the command and rewarded when they went to the bed.
It worked very well and they still will go to their bed when I don't want them on mine or for whatever reason want them to settle. It's not a punishment or time out area at all, so I keep it positive. Sometimes even lay down w her and rub her cuz she's so stinking cute just looking up at me on her back with paws in the air waiting for a rub. Good luck, but personally, I'd just get a bigger bed. Lol I love at least one in bed with us and miss him when he hops off sometimes.