Where do your Doodles sleep?

[Lori]

I am bringing home my puppy in 12 days, and bought a crate today...figured we would bring it up & down the stairs each day - it's too big! So, I thought we would keep it downstairs & put the pup in there when we were out & when he needed quiet time away from the boys. I don't know what to do for sleeping arrangements for him. The guy at Petco said I should have him sleep in the crate downstairs. Well, then I won't sleep! I will be checking on him all night & probably waking him up!
A friend has a Maltipoo that sleeps in a crate in her room & is comforted by knowing her people are close...I figured this is what I would do...any suggestions?
Do your pups sleep in your rooms? Are they in crates? I just want him in there til he's housebroken (we had new carpeting put in not to long ago!) and then he can have his own bed in my room.
Can't wait to have him home with me!

[Leslie J]

Our puppy came to us (at 8 weeks) already familiar with a crate, as she slept in a crate for the last 4 or 5 nights at the breeder's. I have her crate downstairs in the family room, and that is where she sleeps. I slept on the couch next to her crate for the first few nights, but she only woke up a few times the first couple of nights and went back to sleep after I took her out to go potty. By the third night she was sleeping through the night and by the 5th ot 6th night I was back upstairs in my room. She hasn't woken up at night at all (it's been over 4 weeks) and had no accidents in her crate. I am not sure if she if typical, though.

If she hadn't transitioned so easily I would have put a crate upstairs in our room, but now I am glad that I started out downstairs. She sleeps so well, and it is quiet downstairs so she doesn't wake up when my kids wake us up (if only they slept as well as her!).

[Kyoko]

Mine sleeps in the crate in my room as well. It's been this way since we brought her home.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Gracie had 2 crates. One upstairs in my room where she slept nights. One in the living room for daytime use. Mainly because she was a difficult pup at first with crying and needed some consoling and attention at night. But to save myself, the crate downstairs keeps my and my arthritis from climbing those steps umpteen times a day. She is now 1 1/2 and still sleeps the night in her crate happily!

[Jenna B. & Chianti]

Our 11 week old doodle sleeps in a crate on the floor in our bedroom. We just switched her into her full time crate. The first 3 weeks we had her in a cat carrier type crate (small 8x8x12 & plastic). We put the small crate on our bed between us at our knee level. It was a great way to let her know we were still here, she could see us, but was confined to her own space. The move to the floor was seemless as she was ready to have some more space.

Good luck...the first two weeks can be a touch rough...hope yours are easy!

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

Since Snickers came home he is slept in a crate that is located in our lower level family room. We are on the third floor. In order to make sure we hear him if he needs to go out in the middle of the night we use a baby monitor (he is our one and only baby after all). It has worked out extremely well. In fact he will walk into his crate when he is tired and time for bed snuggle down with his pet dragon and go to sleep.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri is almost 7 months. The first week she slept in a crate in our room, but made so much noise we moved her to the guest room right beside us. She has been there since then - we don't even move the crate ever.
After she was spayed, we tried to get her to sleep on her bed on the floor in our room. She hated it and made a beeline for her crate in the other room. Also, about 50% of the time, when she is tired and it is bedtime, we find her sitting in her crate ready for bed! So in our particular situation, Peri likes her crate and sees it as her safe place. Maybe when she is a bit older we will try her own bed again, but I don't want to mess up a sleeping pattern that works.
You will just have to see! But I REALLY recommend using a crate while they are young. At least try - doesn't work for everyone, but try!

[Lori]

I already have the crate, I think it is essential w/ 3 young boys for the pups own protection!
I think I might put the crate in my room & get something smaller for downstairs. I want him to love his sleeping area & feel secure like Peri does...if he's happy, we are ALL happy! And sleep is so precious!
Thank you for all the responses...there are a lot of great ideas here!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We also do a crate in the bedroom, and it has worked really well for Guinness. Since we brought him home he was happy in the crate at night...but I think part of that was because he could see us. We don't have any young children, so once he's in the crate it's pretty quiet. This didn't work for my daughter because she has three young boys who often wake up during the night. She had to put her crate downstairs, because every time the kids got up her puppy woke up and thought it was play time. She had to deal with a couple nights of whining, but then he got used to it and he's been fine downstairs ever since. So, I guess it just depends on your household and how much "activity" you have at night. I'm sure you are all so excited about your new puppy...it's a wonderful time, so enjoy him!

[Amy K.]

Our golden doodle, Oscar, is just over ten weeks old. He sleeps in his crate at night in our laundry room. The first two nights he cried a little and we would go and comfort him and/or take him to his potty spot outside. After that and at this point, he will sometimes wake up once to go out, but most of the time sleeps through the night (about 9:30pm to 6 am). I think some of your decision should depend on your lifestyle. With Oscar, we knew that he would need to get used to the crate and "his room" (our laundry room with everything dangerous or chewable up and out of the way), because I work outside of our home part-time. I thought it would be confusing or unfair to him if he only used the crate when we were gone. Also, I thought it may actually heighten possible separation anxiety (crate=no family). Now it seems that the crate is where he sleeps at night, or occasionally during the day when we're gone, and he likes it.

If you and your husband are OK with the puppy or dog in your room, then I'd say do it! However, one caution from a friend of mine, she went from crate downstairs, to crate in her room, to puppy in bed with her because she cried so much as a puppy at night. Now he's a much bigger dog and my friend would like to move her out of the bed, and there is no way that Stella (her golden) will do it.

[Nancy - Opal, Meadow & Tariki]

I set up a crate in our mudroom for my first doodle.... where she proceeded to freak out for about 4 nights.... I slept on the couch nearby trying to gauge whether it was potty calls... but no.. she was just freaking out. So I bought a radio and turned it on and went back to my bed and let her tough it out. I bought a pen the size she would need in the furture and then had to make it smaller by half. It was WAY too big for her comfort at 3 months old. Once I did both of those things she calmed down... I got her sister 2 weeks later and that ended any complaints. Four months ago I bought a baby gate (they are now 2 1/2 years old). They still have their crates in the room but now I do not lock them and they are free to roam the mudroom. I have water and toys in there for them and so far have only had 2 casualties.... a very tiny bit of the back of one sneaker and about an inch around the top of one short rubber boot. I would guess that they sleep in their crates 80% of the night. But in allowing them some freedom I have enabled them to be able to sleep anywhere.... they were having troubles in our camper and boat. I have never crate trained before and I can not believe it.. it really makes the world so much better. My girls KNOW they have a safe place that is their own to be in.

[Nancy - Opal, Meadow & Tariki]

I forgot to add one thing.... In having my girls in the mudroom... whenever they are super muddy or dirty I can hustle them into their crate while they dry... very convenient to have that crate somewhere they are used to that is close to an ourtside door.

[Kathie and the gang]

Even though I don't use the crate at night anymore, it is a good plan. The dogs adjust well, and it can be used whenever you need it with little fuss from your furry pal. I have always made use of the crate during large gatherings, the command "kennel up" send my guys right to the crate without any fuss. It is also great when you are traveling, if you have a large enough car for the crate, the dog (s) and the kids.

Even though my dogs sleep in bed with me, I would encourage you to aviod it. When my husband was alive, no dogs in the bed and it was a really good rule. They were on the floor at the end of the bed, in their own beds, and everyone was happy. They were only on the bed for good night kisses and good morning kisses.