Hello everyone, I'm Rich from Albany, NY and my two Dachsunds are Zeke and Rex. They are both smooth black and tans, Zeke is 3 and a half and Rex is 2 and a half and we've had them both since they were 8 or 9 weeks old.
Both Zeke and Rex have slept in our bed with us since night one. We've come to accept the fact that we haven't been able to lay right next to each other in 3 years (they both sleep right in the middle of us!) :crazyeyes: But now it's getting to the point that they are interupting our sleep a lot, and we are waking up frustrated and not rested.
I was hoping for some advice for transitioning the pups out of the bed. We tried this once before a two years ago. During that time we had neighbors right above us, so we had to give in when the howling began. :grin: Now we have a home so we do not need to worry about that. I will also say that last time they chewed a hole through a gate to get back into the bedroom, and then wouldn't stop trying to jump up on the bed!!!
Just wondering if folks think we ahould leave them in the same room with us, in another room, or downstairs? In case this helps, they have never been crated and are used to having free reign around the house. Any suggestions/advise would be much appreciated! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your pups!
Rich
Hi Rich! Welcome to the board! I'm owned by Berman (4 1/2 black and tan smooth) and Lucy (2 1/2 red smooth) and we live in Broken Arrow (suburb of Tulsa), OK.
I'm not sure if I can help with your situation. Berman and Lucy sleep very well in their crate or with me. I know it did take some time at first (lots of sleepless nights) to get them used to their crate. Of course when they sleep with me, they sleep right on top of me and I've been told that I flail my arms and legs about in my sleep so I think they really appreciate being able to get a good night's sleep in their crate sometimes!
Their crate is in my bedroom, but I have a really small house and there's really not any other place to put them. I think having them in their crate in your bedroom would be best until they get used to the crate. Then maybe you can move them to a different room if you'd like. Since they have never been crated before, maybe you can crate them for a little bit at a time until they are ready for a full night.
Hi Rich! Welcome! :hello2: My husband and I are owned by Penny an almost 5 year old smooth red. We seem to have the opposite problem as you :verdict: as Penny refuses to sleep in the big bed with us. We crate trained her since she was a puppy and prefers to sleep in that or her own bed downstairs.
I would give crate training a try...it is a beast to train but so worth it in the end. Penny had to have back surgery last January and it was a godsend that she was already crate trained as she was crated for 8 weeks after surgery. Make the crate their "den" with blankets and a bed. I have heard that just leaving it open for them to explore and feeding them inside with the door open at first makes it a positive experience. The hardest part is the first couple of weeks where they cry and whine and want to be out and being strong to not take them out. We would take Penny out once just in case she had to potty and straight back in.
Hope that helps!
Welcome !!! I am Barb, owned by Rudy and Brandy - both black and tan smoothies. Both of the kids sleep in the big bed and always have. You might try putting a crate on a large steady box, or maybe a card table - something that is very secure - even with your bed, and have it right next to your bed. This way you can reach a hand out and soothe them and they know you are right there.
To get them ready for this, have the crate all comfy on the floor, where you normally are, with door open so they get used to it. Put treats in there and let them know - then start hiding treats and urge them to go to the crate and see if a treat is there !!! The main thing is that they like the crate.
Let us know how it goes !!!!
Thank you all for the advice! I was a bit hesitent about the crate as I know they would freak out, but I like the idea of the crate at the same level of the bed. That way they can still see us and I can reach over if need be.
Has anyone used any kind of heated dog bed? My Zeke LOVES when I have the heating pad or electric blanket on, so I know that he would love a heated bed, but just wondering how safe they are. Thanks again!
Rich
Quote from: richs52 on October 02, 2007, 01:32:43 PM
Has anyone used any kind of heated dog bed? My Zeke LOVES when I have the heating pad or electric blanket on, so I know that he would love a heated bed, but just wondering how safe they are. Thanks again!
We live in San Diego and Penny stays outside during the day. But it does get cold during the winter so we use a heater inside her bed.
Check out this site www.kvvet.com and search the word "heater" and you will come up with some heated beds :thumb:
One thing I did when I first got my little guy Porky was I put lots of nice soft blankets in his crate for warmth and cushioning. Then I put a hot water bottle underneath the covers. Also I put a small alarm clock in there so he would have the comforting sound similar to his mother's heartbeat. He cried and howled the first few nights, but eventually he learned that he was only in there to sleep and we would gladly play with him and give him attention in the morning. He still has his alarm clock, but no longer needs the water bottle in there. In fact, if the batteries die in the clock he will wake up immediately and whimper until we "fix" it.
Good luck with the crate training. Just remember to be consistent with it.
Thank you so muchfor the welcome and for ther great advice. We are going on vacation in a few weeks so I think we will wait until after to start trying this out. I'll let you know how it goes.
Rich, Zeke, and Rex
Quote from: richs52 on October 04, 2007, 06:56:53 AM
Thank you so muchfor the welcome and for ther great advice. We are going on vacation in a few weeks so I think we will wait until after to start trying this out. I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a great vacation! Let us know how it goes :hello2: