Crate & sleeping arrangements

[Michele Kiss]

Curious to hear - as your pup has gotten older (ie post potty training) where do they sleep? Still in the crate?

Fenway is six months old and potty trained. On occasion he has been allowed to sleep in our bed and he is soooooooo good. Sleeps late, doesn't wake us, no accidents. And he's a mini so he doesn't steal much space. He's so cute and we do like him sleeping with us. However I am hesitant to allow it permanently, mainly because of our eight year old cat. Puppy-free time in the bed is the LAST thing she has left that he hasn't taken over! I feel like a bad kitty mommy to her.... (Ironically her being in the bed disturbs my sleep more than the pup does.)

So just trying to understand - for most people was the crate training more temporary during potty training, then later their pup sleeps outside of the crate? (If not in your bed, then at least their own non-crate bed?) Or do most sleep in their crate even past puppyhood?

[denise rumbaugh]

I kept have crated at night until he was fully potty trained. He's 15 months now and sleeps on the floor at the end of the bed. We got him a pillow but he will not use it the bedroom. Lol. I never let him sleep on the bed for many reasons such as space, and the fact that he goes for walks, plays outside during walks and I personally don't want my bed dirty. Not to mention he's a med sz. My thing is if you allow them to sleep there and for whatever reason you don't want them on your bed it's difficult to reverse it.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Yarrow's crate training was very brief. It just worked out that way. As soon as I was sure she could go through the night without having to pee and the bedroom was puppy-proofed we put the crate away. I recently sold it. She's 10 months old now and has been sleeping wherever she is comfortable since she was about 4 months. We have pet gates in the house to keep her out of trouble and she is confined to the kitchen when I have to leave her unsupervised.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

My two girls have full bed privileges but only one sleeps on the bed all night, the other sleeps on a dog bed on the floor, her preference (no crates). I had the same issue with an elderly cat but they worked out their own agreement; dog gets the foot of the bed and the cat got the rest.

[Linda And Loo]

My dogs are 2 and 3 years old and they still sleep in their crates in our bedroom! They are happy and so are we so they will stay in their crates! These dogs are the first ones we have had that I have crate trained! My only regret is that I did not crate train my other dogs! I love the peace of mind that they are safe in their crates and not getting into trouble when I am not around! Crate doors are left openned when we are home and I have found them napping in their crates when they are tired! I am a big fan of the crate! I do think it is a personal thing with your dog when it comes to how long you keep them in their crates! I do not think there is a right or wrong answer! Do what is best for your family!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

I agree with you Linda, that there's no right or wrong answer. Even though I have chosen to go crate free, I know there were times when I used to wish I had a crate for a dog I had who was terribly frightened by thunder. She would pace around, panting, looking for the safest place to ride out the storm. She always ended up in the bathroom. I'll bet your dogs never have that issue.

[Linda And Loo]

Thunder does not faze them! At night they sleep thru storms! :)

[Kris and Sawyer]

Sawyer never took to his crate. It was a necessity when he was little but he never saw it as his den. Once he was potty trained, he graduated to a baby gated area and at night he slept (and still does) in our room, but I keep the door shut. We have a kitty too, this gives kitty free reign without being harassed in the rest of the house. Sawyer has free reign the rest of the day and now with no baby gate. He can be a chewer, so if no one is here I peruse the whole house before we leave to make sure nothing is available. The crate is still out after all these months, but only because our kitty has taken to sleeping on top of it. Sawyer leaves him be when he's there, so we don't want to take kitty's "spot" away. :-)

[Kris and Sawyer]

I should add that Sawyer doesn't sleep on our bed. Not that he's not allowed. He just chooses not to. His den now is under the bed, directly under me. Haa. He will "visit" us on the bed when we first lie down, but then he's done. He likes his own space.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

We crate trained Enzo in our bedroom. Once she was potty trained, we allowed her free roam of our bedroom at night. We keep our bedroom door closed because we also have cats and I am not a fan of sleeping with them. Enzo sleeps mostly on her bed, and occasionally goes into her crate for a snooze ( the door is now off). She rarely jumps up on the bed, and when she does, it's for a few short snuggles and then she is down again. I think it's way to warm for her.

[Michelle Williams]

Marley is 10 1/2 months and as soon as I felt I was out of the woods as far as accidents were concerned, I have let her sleep outside of the crate at night but I am only comfortable with it if she is in my bedroom with the door closed.  I'm afraid if I allow her the freedom of wandering around at night she will be up to great mischief!  She can sleep on the bed if she wants and usually alternates with the bed and floor.  It has been working out so far (its been about 2 months).  Good luck! :)

[Michele Kiss]

Thanks all. Sounds like it's not unusual for him to "graduate" from his crate at this age and it's mainly preference. We will probably always keep the crate to confine him when we leave the house (though admittedly I have started to wonder if we could put up more sturdy baby gates (we have ones we lean against a wall) and keep him in a bigger area like the kitchen or something.) 

I'm on the fence in general about him sleeping with us, just because I know it's impossible to reverse that if we need to later. But we're probably slipping in letting him do it every once in a while :-)  Last night he started crying at night until we let him up to sleep with us on the bed. LOL. Oh well. We adore him and really love him snuggling with us so I'm guessing it'll go that route permanently eventually...! 

[Christina]

Michele, Oakley sleeps in our shower! It is a walk in shower without a door and the first night we didn't crate him we were frantic looking for him until he poked his head out of the shower. Usually around 7 or 8 he decides it is time for is to get up and jumps on the bed. I also love cuddling with him but everything I have read said to not start the bed unless you plan to keep him in it.