Need advice and/or opinions.
The hoomans are not getting a good nights sleep because the doggers wake up, get restless (Maddie) and then the growls start (Bonnie). First it's "Mommy, I wanna dwink o' water." Then it's "Mommy, I gotta go to da baffroom" Then "Go to sleep Maddie, (grrrrr) You're bothering me. STOP TOUCHING ME! Mom!!!! She touched me. Now she's stepping on MY covers."
You get the picture.
I am thinking of crating one or both of them OUTSIDE of the bedroom. We have a nice laundryroom that they stay in when I'm going to have workers in the house while we're not there or when it's meter reader day and they don't have access to the outside.
The thing is, since we got Maddie about 9 years ago, she has never slept anywhere BUT the big bed. Would it be mean just to teach Bonnie to sleep in the LR (with a snuggle sack and soft bed) and keep Madderoo in the big bed or perhaps they would do better together. There's only growls when I'm involved because Bonnie is possessive of me. Otherwise, they snuggle together when I'm not in the picture just fine. I'm mostly concerned about poor Maddie that she'll think she's getting the short end of the stick.....but then again, I may be thinking like a hooman again.
Any advice for me? I'll even take a stray opinion or two.
Here's what I did with my Jack Russell. If he woke me up, because he was restless, out he went to the living room, and I shut the bedroom door. He had a bed out there as well. He learned very quickly, and sometimes he choose to sleep out there.
The down side is sometimes a dog is ill during the night and needs attention. Eddie knew he was not permitted to bother me, so I had to listen for noise that he was ill, or had a problem, because he wouldn't come get me.
As for Parker, he is getting the same lesson, and learning it very quickly. He stays tucked in bed all night now.
I don't think it unfair for Bonnie to learn to sleep somewhere else. Cocoa had always slept in the big bed until Ladybug and Bambam arrived. They slept downstairs and within a week, she slept with them. She refused to come upstairs and sleep in the big bed again! Bam crossed the bridge and we moved into a ranch...Cocoa and Ladybug moved back into the big bed at their insistence.
I have given up trying to figure out a dachshund's psyche!
By the way, our current solution is a king sized bed. We cannot sleep in a queen with the herd...just not enough space for all!
HERE"S HOW IT WENT...
Without a hitch! Bonnie is such a good girl! She went right into her new "room" like a champ. She has her crate made up of a cushion and warm blankies. It will really be nice when I get my snuggle bed from Harriet Carter that Marcia linked. I have a very low x-pen that I lined the laundry room with. That was one I bought for Maddie who termited through other wooden and wire gates. However, I'm afraid that Bonnie may try to jump it and hurt herself so, I also shut the door to that room. The reason I don't just use the door is I don't want it scratched up and once I tried just shutting the door (it has vents) with Maddie and she managed to get her teeth on the carpet underneath the door and do a number on it. So the x-pen is away from the door so I can still CLOSE the door. Maddie is still in the big bed and, as usual, she had me up promptly at 5:30 for breakfast......sigh. Bonnie was in her usual happy mood when we let her out and had her tail going at top speed. I was soooo pleased that we didn't hear one little whimper. She will do just fine and it gives me peace of mind that I don't have to worry about squabbles breaking out on the big bed.
That is GREAT news !!! Glad it was that easy to make the transition -