[Alicia]

Lola sleeps in her crate 95% of the time.  A few times we've been gone all day at functions so when we come home she's wanted to play but we're so tired that we'll take her upstairs and let her sleep with us.  Last night it was so hot downstairs that I let her come upstairs to sleep in the bedroom with the ac, I brought her pillow bed up, but she wouldn't lay on it without me next to her, she'd fall asleep...I'd get into bed...then she'd wake right up and start clawing at my feet and trying to get up on the bed.  At 2am I gave up and pulled her up onto the bed where she promptly fell asleep.  If I put her in her crate to go to bed or when we leave she doesn't freak out or anything, she's fine in it.  So my question is are we confusing her by letting her sleep with us sometimes or is she okay since she'll still go into her crate also?  Thanks  
P.S.  She's only 5 months...still in puppy training mode so that's why I'm asking!!

 

[beckhamboxer]

We're kind of doing the same thing with Beckham, Alicia...he loves sleeping in bed with us, but we also want to make sure he can go into his crate sometimes too!  Thus far, it has worked just fine.  I'm interested to see what others have to say!

 

[lillyzmomma]

What your doigncan cactually confuse your dog, but in situations like this I go by a case by case basis.  All i can say is that a 65 lb dog in bed with you can make trying to go to sleep VERY interesting.  And remember...If you don't want htem to do it when they are 65 lbs then don't let them do it when they are 15 lbs.

Liz and Lilly

 

[tootsie]

I think if Lola is still going into her crate, there is no problem. Unless....you don't want her sleeping in your bed with you.  :roll: It sounds like she is getting used to sleeping in bed with you and not in her bed. They are creatures of habit.  It's funny, my husband travels all week and is home Friday thru Monday mornings. On Mondays thru Thursday nights Maddie sleeps in bed with me. On Friday night when the hubby is home she will jump in the bed, give us both a kiss goodnight and then go to her bed on the floor right next to me and stay there all night. So they learn. She does try to play us though..sometimes she will jump on the bed and lay right betwen us, practically pushing me or hubby out of the bed, all we have to say is "Maddie go to your bed" and she is gone. If you don't mind her in the bed, than I don't think there is any harm done.  

 

[Beckhams2ndmom]

Yes just like Tara mentioned; when it's time for bed.  We go upstairs and let him cuddle on the bed for awhile, while we watch TV and when we're falling asleep we put him in his kennel and he just flops down and passes right out.

Some nights he's way too hyper to be in bed with us, so right in the kennel he goes.  If he's nice and calm then he gets to cuddle a bit.  There's only been a few times where we've fallen asleep and he doesn't get put in his kennel.  He stays put right at the foot of the bed (he knows that's where his spot is) and it hasn't been a problem.
I don't want a 50lb+ dog sleeping with us ever, but a little cuddle time seems to work for us all.

 

[southerngirls]

We actually did something VERY similar last night!! We went to OK this weekend so they were kenneled most of the weekend except when our dog sitter would come and play with them, feed them, walk them, ect ect.  Come to find out our girls are more anti-social than i thought, but i wont hijack the thread with that!!  So when we get home last night, there was a bit of a mess in the kennel, so we got the girls cleaned up and the kennel washed and we flopped down on the couch. I felt bad because they had been more or less kenneled about 85% of the weekend that i told my BF that they were sleeping upstairs with us! We took them out before bed and allowed them to follow us upstairs. Savannah stayed down at the foot of the bed, and Reese crawled under the bed. Neither of them woke up until about 545 this morning. They tusseled a bit til i got up at 6. I know how you feel though! When they stay in the kennel for long periods i feel SOOOOOOOOOOOO bad for making them stay in there all night!

 

[Flutterby]

I found housetraining to be a lot easier letting them sleep in my bed. For my 115lb 5'0 self, I find sleeping in a queen bed with a 90lb dog AMAZING!! lol I love cuddling with them and I think its easier with Mia to wake up than having her in a crate where I can't feel her moving and whining to have to potty.

Toby has slept in my bed from day 1. Now if I start tossing and turning and it becomes too much for him, he gladly gets up and sleeps in his crate.. lol and if I just want to sprawl out, I'll tell him to go to his crate and he does. If my boyfriend stays over, he hates sharing the bed so he'll sleep in his crate anyway... When I head back to school, that will probably be the first time Mia will be in her crate. I'm only there a few hours and she will be 4-5 months old then, so I won't have to worry (hopefully) about her making a mess...

I think if Lola understands when you do and do not want her in bed, it would be fine to let her do either...

 

[Alicia]

Thanks for everyone's input, made me feel better!  I agree with everyone, I feel so bad if we're gone for long periods of time and come home and she wants to play, so I figure cuddling up in bed is just as good quality time!  
I do understand what lillyzmomma is saying though, Lola is only 30 pounds and she's already a bed hog!  I'm not sure I'm going to want at 50 to 60 pound alpha female trying to take over my pillow!  She's only slept in our bed about 5 times total, so it's not like we do it all the time.  As long as she doesn't start thinking that "our" bed is "her" bed then we'll be okay!  

 

[samsonsmom]

Even as they get older, you can still teach them that when it's bedtime for you, they have to go sleep somewhere else...With Buck & Tia constantly pushing me & the ex out of the bed, we decided that they HAD to be relagated to the couches, or their own beds...So what we did is they were allowed on the bed until it was time to sleep...It took awhile, but I would say "sleepy time guys", kept repeating it, and at first I physically had to remove them, but they got the hint...Sometimes Buck would sneak back in during the nite, but never Tia, she just liked that bonding before bed and she was fine...Funny thing tho, when the ex had to go out of town, both dogs would be up on the bed with me! It's like they knew that Dad wasn't there & Mom needed protecting!!  :lol: Samson has always slept with me, but seldom will he stay the whole nite, now it's getting harder for him to get on the bed(he needs steps), so most nites he sleeps on the couch..Angel loves to sleep in bed, but half the time I end up booting her out cos she takes up too much room....

It's a personal preference as far as allowing them in bed with you and as long as yours know what's the deal, you should be fine..I do enjoy that comfort of having mine sleeping with me....

 

[GunnarsMom]

Both Gunnar and Ginger sleep with me, and have since day 1.  My hubby also works out of town and is only home friday evenings thru mon morning.  It's really quite interesting when he's home, in our queen size bed we fit:  me, hubby, 70lb Gunnar, 37lb Ginger, and our 2 cats, Gidget and Smoky.  The funny thing is neither dogs bother me, it's always Smoky who's the pest, demading to be petted all thru the night!!  He drives me crazy!!  And poor poor hubby, who works out of town all week, just wants to come home and crash.  Now Gunnar doesn't understand, you see, he sleeps on daddy's pillow all week, so when daddy tries to make him scoot, he (in his sleep) growls at him.  It is SO funny!!  They fight every weekend over that pillow.

 

[Honeyec]

I don't think letting her sleep in with you the odd time will cause any major issues.  Tink sleeps on the couch in the kitchen, but Emmet does 2 overnight duties a month, so the nights that he's away, she sleeps up with me and she's great.  I usually fall asleep with her down at my feet and then wake up to her head on the pillow beside mine, drool and all!  I used to bring her bed up with me in case she wanted to sleep on that, but that proved to be optimistic to the point of foolishness!

I will say that the first time I brought her up with me, she just wouldn't settle at all and I ended up bringing her back downstairs, but that was a good 6 months ago and it already sounds like Lola is well past that!

 

[Zhanna]

My son likes to have "slumber parties" with Henry.  He will spread quilts and sleeping bags out all over the living room floor with pillows everywhere.  It's a special treat for both of them.  I've got a pic of it somewhere, I'll see if I can get it posted.

Z

 

[bubba]

I just let Zeus and Dante sleep with me, Zeus likes to be the cuddle dog like he was still the little puppy, it was so cute when he was little he would sleep on my neck or my chest . i miss the puppy Zeus. Dante likes to keep to himself at the foot of the bed. In your case you might confuse her but i think it is good to sleep with animals, i just feel a little safer with them in the bed because of the closet monsters lol. j/k

 

[Flutterby]

LOL!! That has to be the funniest thing!! I refuse to watch scary movies unless they are in bed with me cuz I freak!![/list]

 

[Alicia]

I just let Zeus and Dante sleep with me, Zeus likes to be the cuddle dog like he was still the little puppy, it was so cute when he was little he would sleep on my neck or my chest . i miss the puppy Zeus. Dante likes to keep to himself at the foot of the bed. In your case you might confuse her but i think it is good to sleep with animals, i just feel a little safer with them in the bed because of the closet monsters lol. j/k

:lol:  Closet monsters!  :lol:   Thanks for making me laugh...work is hell right now....need that!

 

[lillyzmomma]

Lilly sleeps with me, but more than anything that is so she is right there to alert me to stuff I can't hear and wake me up the morning.  I do like sleeping with her though...She keeps me warma dn she is the best cuddler in town!!!

****cLOSET MONSTERS***!!!  That was hilarious!!!

Liz and Lilly